Yet Another Sunny Week in Palm Springs

This ride is a fixed-base or semi-fixed-base ride, please read the ride description for more details.

† 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

This is a fixed base tour based in downtown Palm Springs, a resort community located in the Coachella Valley of southern California. Escape the winter and get an early start on your bicycling season in this bicycle-friendly environment, where we'll cruise through beautifully landscaped residential communities and expore the surrounding desert landscape. All of the routes are on paved roads and most are Level 1 (not much climbing), although optional climbs are available on some routes in the 1,500 to 2,500 feet category. Distances cycled can range from as little as 20 miles to a maximum of 100 miles. 

COVID POLICY
The tour leaders will discuss Covid precautions and policies with riders when they sign up and also ahead of the tour.  Both the Tour Leaders have been fully vaccinated and encourage you to do likewise. Services offered by the hotel and other providers may change depending on the Covid situation at the time of the tour.

RIDE RATING: 1B

DESTINATION RIDES:

The tour includes five destination rides to local attractions:

          Joshua Tree National Park (2B): Riders and their bikes will be transported to the start of the ride and picked up at the end of the day’s riding. The support van will have drinks and a simple lunch.  The ride through Joshua Tree National Park exceeds the 1B rating. The climbing occurs at the start of the day and there are breathtaking descents on the way back.  Bring and share your national park pass if you have one. 

·         Tour of Sunnylands (1A): This is a scenic ride alongside many of the Palm Springs golf courses.  Bring your bike lock so that you may tour the gardens and retreat center.  

·         Box Canyon (1A): Riders and their bikes will be transported to the start of the ride and picked up at the end of the day’s riding. The Box Canyon is an 18-mile descent across the San Andreas fault, going towards the Salton Sea. The support van will have drinks and a simple lunch.  After a bump back into town, there is an optional 17-mile ride back to the hotel.

·         Thousand Palms Oasis (1B): Ride into the Coachella Valley Preserve - Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, an 880-acre wildlife preserve. The support van will have drinks and a simple lunch.

·         Living Desert (1B): Entry fee to the Living Desert Zoo and Garden is included in the tour cost.

OTHER ROUTES:

Most of the rides are rated either 1A or 1B. The opportunity exists to combine rides, enabling distances covered to range up to 100 miles. The optional ride to and from the Aerial Tramway (2A!), is the only ride with grades in excess of eight percent.

Two of our other rides follow the same routes as laid out for the Tour de Palm Springs, an annual one-day event held by the local Palm Springs bicycling community.  The Tour de Palm Springs Long Route is rated as 2D.

RideWithGPS routes will be provided. RideWithGPS files provide gpx tracks which can be downloaded to your Garmin or to a smart phone with the RideWithGPS app.  You can also print out cue sheets from the RideWithGPS files if you wish. 

WEATHER: 

The average daily high in Palm Springs in January is 70 degrees, with the average daily low being 45 degrees. Rainfall is expected only a couple days in the month and totals only 1.3 inches throughout the month.

Being at a higher elevation, temperatures in Joshua Tree are lower. Average daily highs in January are 60 degrees, so some layering would be recommended. Rainfall averages only a paltry 0.9 inches in January.

Some rides are in the desert away from any services; carry the essentials, water, food, sunscreen, tools, and patch kit on your bicycle.

LODGING & MEALS

Palm Springs is a resort community with a defined ‘high season’ that is reflected in the hotel rates (we could get much lower hotel rates if we scheduled this ride in July, but it’s way too hot). We will be staying at the Palm Springs Hilton, there is a charge if you park your car in the hotel parking lot. All rooms in the hotel are exceptionally well appointed and spacious. Bikes can be kept in the rooms without extra charge. Hi-Speed internet access is available throughout the hotel. The hotel boasts a heated swimming pool.

Close by the hotel are a plethora of restaurants and other attractions. Some are open now. Others should be hopefully open again by the time of the tour, including the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Walk of Stars.  On Thursday night, the main road near the hotel is closed off for VillageFest, a street market that extends for six or more city blocks. This event has been going on for over twenty years.

There will be two group dinners and three picnic lunches. Happy hours will be held each evening. There will be no shortage of local gastronomic delights to explore and tastings of local cheese, wine, and/or beer will be provided. Restaurants are available walking distance from the hotel and coffee and lunch stops are available along the routes.

While Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are no longer with us, Palm Springs continues to be a mecca for big name entertainers. As attractions are reopened and events are announced, this information will be relayed to ride participants.

LOGISTICS

The tour starts with Happy Hour on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 4pm and ends with check-out on Saturday, January 29, 2022.  Palm Springs can be reached by car or air. The Palm Springs Airport is currently served by airlines including: Allegiant, Alaska, American, Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest, Sun Country, United, and, for our Canadian friends, Air Canada and Westjet. This information is subject to change at any time due to Covid 19.  The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to and from Palm Springs Airport and to other destinations in the Palm Springs area. 

Information on bike rentals will be made available to those interested in renting; there are several bike rental options in the area. All participants renting bike will need to arrange and pay for their own bike rentals. Tandems and e-bikes are welcome. Those wishing to bring tandems or e-bikes, please contact the Ride Leader prior to submitting a request to be put on the ride.

COST & ADMINISTRATION

Tour cost of $ 2,050  per person (exclusive of the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee) covers base hotel costs (double occupancy), Welcoming Dinner, eight Happy Hours, entry fee for the Living Desert, three picnic lunches, transportation of rider and their bike to the remote starts at Joshua Tree and Box Canyon, transportation back from Joshua Tree and Box Canyon and our Farewell Dinner.

RideWithGPS files will be furnished.

Tour cost excludes alcohol (except at Happy Hours), entry charges to local attractions, entry charges to Joshua Tree National Park (if you do not have / are unable to share a National Park pass), hotel parking charges, breakfasts and other incidentals. 

An initial deposit of $1,050 (excluding the non-refundable BAC registration fees of $50) is required. The second payment of $1,000 is due September 1, 2021. The cost for a solo supplement is $1,120.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY

Solos (those riders who do not want a roommate and pay the solo supplement) are welcome.  

It is recommended that singles who want a roommate try to find their own. However, after receipt of the initial deposit, a single person without a roommate will be placed on the ride and given until 9/1/2021 to find a roommate. If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the BAC fee and payment processing fee) or pay the $1,120 solo supplement and stay on the ride.  If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary.  The Tour Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride.  

Solo supplement payments need to be sent to the BAC office by September 1, 2021.  Checks should be made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check. They should be mailed to: Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.  The cost for a solo supplement is $1,120.

CANCELLATION POLICY

The BAC Ride Registration Fee and Payment Processing Fees are not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled because the number of participants registered is less than the minimum established for the tour.  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 cleanup.  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 might have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

Before participating in any BAC tour, members should review their medical coverage and assess whether what you have is sufficient. If it isn’t, you should purchase additional travel medical coverage. BAC maintains a policy that provides limited coverage for medical expenses associated with accidents incurred by US residents when on tours within the US.  The policy does not cover costs associated with self-quarantines that may be government mandated. Members should also ensure that vaccinations are up to date (e.g., annual influenza, tetanus, etc.). If traveling outside your home country you may wish to consult with a travel physician or nurse to ensure that the appropriate vaccinations are up to date.

SIGN-UP:

To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the terms of the Release of Liability (ROL), and pay the non-refundable BAC Ride Registration Fee and Tour Deposit by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.

Once you’ve completed the Ride Description and click “Finish,” you will see the tour information just as the Club members will see it after it’s approved. Up until your tour is approved, you can go back and edit any of the information by clicking on the “Edit Ride” link to the left of your ride description, under “Ride Management”.