California, Central Coast and Wine Country

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW:  This trip offers the best in springtime cycling in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, enjoying both the coast and inland wine country while the hills are still green. We'll meet in the college town of San Luis Obispo and the next day head up the coast through beautiful Morro Bay to the quaint town of Cambria. The next day we'll head inland to spend two days in Paso Robles, home to many great wineries and wonderful rural cycling. Of note, we'll have a wine tasting event in Paso Robles. We will then head back to San Luis Obispo on a slightly different route but still cycling along the coast. This time we'll be staying downtown and will be there for the Thursday night Farmer's Market, a wonderful event of food and fun. Continuing south along the coast, we'll cycle through the funky beach towns of Avila, Pismo Beach and Oceano on our way to Santa Maria. Our next day is our longest ride, taking us south over rural roads through Lompoc and into Solvang. We spend two days in Solvang, a quaint Danish-themed town which is part of the Santa Ynez Valley famous for its wineries and the movie Sideways. Many options are available for riding on the layover day. When we leave Solvang we ride inland through the heart of the wine valley along Foxen Canyon Rd. We return to Santa Maria, although to a different hotel for the night, the historic Santa Maria Inn. Our last day of cycling is back to our original hotel in San Luis Obispo through the tiny town of Arroyo Grande and continuing through the vineyards of San Luis Obispo County.

RIDE RATING:  The ride is rated 2B! with an average of 45 miles per day and 2170’ of climbing. There is one long day of 57 miles and 3100’ of climbing and one very hilly day with 39 miles and 3500’ of climbing. Much of the riding is on lightly-travelled roads with little or no shoulder, but some is on state highways; riders must be comfortable with traffic.

TYPES OF BIKES: Tandems, recumbents and e-bikes will all be accepted. There are two bike shops in San Luis Obispo that offer rental bikes, which must be arranged and paid for by riders. 

WEATHER:  The temperatures should be quite comfortable with highs in the high 60s to 70s and lows at night in the high 40s to low 50s. Though it’s California, there is a small chance for rain as it’s still springtime.

LODGING & MEALS:  The tour will include stays in an assortment of hotels and quaint Inns, with most considered mid-range, nice but not luxury. The hotel we start and end with will be able to securely store bike boxes and cars can stay parked there for the entire tour. One night will be in the Historic Santa Maria Inn. Five breakfasts will be included, and all hotels not offering on-site breakfast have restaurants within close walking distance. There will be two group meals included, one on the first night and one on the last night. Happy hours will be provided every night and will feature local wines. Overnight stays will be in San Luis Obispo, Cambria, Paso Robles (2 nights), San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Solvang (2 nights), Santa Maria, and San Luis Obispo.

LOGISTICS:  The tour will start and end in San Luis Obispo. Arrival day is May 1, 2022.  The last riding day is May 10 ending in San Luis Obispo and departure day is May 11, 2022. We suggest flying into Los Angeles or San Jose airports and renting a car to drive to San Luis Obispo. Amtrak train service is also available from these cities as well as from Oakland. There is a small regional airport in San Luis Obispo with service by United, American, and Alaska Airlines. When you are accepted you can access the "Ride Leader Docs" posted on the tour page. There you will find the 'Welcome Letter' for specific details about the tour including all route sheets for printing at home. GPX and TCX routes will be available for download from the ride page along with a link to all RideWithGPS routes. It is the responsibility of each rider to understand their device.

COST & ADMINISTRATION:  Estimated tour costs of $1475 includes 10 nights lodging double occupancy, luggage van, daily happy hours, a wine tasting in Paso Robles, two group dinners, and five breakfasts. The deposit of $500 + $50 nonrefundable BAC fee for a total initial charge of $550 assures your place on the tour. Final payment of $975 is due by January 15, 2022.

SINGLES POLICY: It is recommended that singles wanting to share a room try to find their own roommate. The Ride Leader will assist singles to find a roommate. When a single rider applies for the ride, you will be placed on the wait list and a room will be reserved for a limited time. Once a roommate is found, both riders are added to the tour. If a single rider cannot find a room mate, they may be added to the ride on a “space available” status. 

SOLOS POLICY:  We can accept two solo riders. A solo supplement would cost $800.  Payment is due when the final payment is due, January 15, 2022. Solo supplement payments need to be paid by check  made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check and mailed to: Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.

COVID: The specific safety precautions to protect participants from COVID will be determined 60 days prior to the tour start date.  At that time, we will meet with tour participants using a video conference to explain any safety precautions that will be necessary. You may be asked to wear PPE in public, maintain social distance in public and limit social gathering in public according to the state's mandate. We encourage all participants to have completed a vaccine prior to starting the tour. Negative COVID tests may be requested.  Ideally we would like to consider our group our COVID-free bubble.  Your vaccination will help us stay safe.

INSURANCE:  Before participating in any BAC tour, you may want to review your medical coverage and consider additional trip medical coverage. BAC maintains a policy that provides coverage for up to $25,000 coverage for medical expenses associated with accidents by USA residents when on tours within the USA.The policy does not cover costs associated with self-quarantines that may be government mandated.

CANCELLATION POLICY:  The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled due to participation below stated minimum requirements. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If the cancelling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the cancelling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance. 

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY:  Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support.  Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles.   All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour.  We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader.  While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up.  Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour.  Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

SIGN-UP:  To submit a request to join this ride use the "links" displayed above this Ride Description.  When you are accepted, the Ride Leader will move you from the Waitlist to the Pending List.  At this time you will receive an email notification to login to the BAC website to sign the release of liability form and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee of $50 and the initial tour deposit $500 by credit card.  As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List.  To contact the Ride Leader, "click" the name at the top of this Ride Description.