Tour de Victoria Encore

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

OVERVIEW
Enjoy beautiful Victoria over our 2 national holidays. This fixed based urban and rural tour emanating from a central location in the city of Victoria BC Canada is a repeat of the August 2019 tour that was postponed from 2021 due to the pandemic. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is known as the most cycle friendly city in Canada.  The six official rides will include a city tour, exploration of the east and west sides of the Saanich Peninsula, the Westshore and the Cowichan Valley.  The routes will follow cycling trails, streets with bicycle lanes or quiet country roads wherever possible.  The world famous Butchart Gardens (entrance included in tour) will be a destination ride.   A mid-tour rest day is scheduled to allow participants to explore the local sites on foot including the Provincial Legislature, the BC museum, Craigdarroch Castle or even go whale watching.  Optional rides will be provided for those who would prefer to ride rather than rest. 

RIDE RATING
The ride is rated as 2B, but it should be noted that it is a STRONG 2B.  The ride leader lives in Victoria and has ridden all of the routes many times.  Victoria and the surrounding areas are not flat so the average daily climbing will be at approximately 2220ft.  While there are no long climbs cyclists will be going up and down hill frequently with some short climbs with grades in the high single to low double digits. The routes will generally range from 40-50 miles with two days exceeding the B rating (51 and 58 miles).  Based upon my Garmin, which is more accurate than Ride With GPS, the Cowichan Valley ride also exceeds the 2 rating by about 500 ft.

WEATHER
The average temperature in early July is 70F but it is frequently warmer.  There are on average only 2-3 days of rain in July, but participants should be prepared for that possibility since coastal weather can be quite variable.

LODGING 
This is a fixed base tour with all rides starting from the 4* Chateau Victoria hotel which is centrally located in downtown Victoria.  The hotel has a newly renovated pool and gym and there will be locked bike storage.  Car parking is not included but available at a reduced price.

LOGISTICS
This tour commences with check in on Thurs June 30 and checkout on Friday July 8.  An overview of the tour and routes will take place at happy hour the first night beginning at 4PM in the penthouse suite.  The first group dinner will occur on Friday July 1 at the hotel to allow for any late arrivals and the closing dinner will take place on Thurs July 7 at a local restaurant.  All rides will start and finish from the hotel.  Victoria has an international airport for those who wish to fly or if driving, Vancouver Island can be reached by 3 ferry options, BC ferries from Tswassasen BC, WA ferries from Anacortes WA or the Blackball (Coho) from Port Angeles WA.   

Bicycle rentals can be obtained from the Trek Harbour Rd location (250-590-4500). The Trek store is a 1.1mi walk from the hotel. Participants who wish to rent are responsible to organize their own rental. Tandems, pedal assist E-bikes are welcome, throttle E-bikes are NOT.

COST & ADMINISTRATION

All participants must be fully vaccinated including booster shots if applicable and must be prepared to present vaccination documentation for viewing by Ride Leader when the deposit is paid.  Failure to comply will result in removal from the tour.

Estimated cost is $1950US per person based on an exchange rate of $1.00 US = $1.20 Cdn.  Remember July is prime tourist season in Victoria, so the hotels are at a higher rate than during shoulder seasons.  Included in the price are eight nights lodging, two group dinners, daily social hours, ferry tickets for the Cowichan Valley Ride, harbour taxi tokens, entrance to Butchart Gardens, daily maps, cue sheets and GPX files.  Based upon feedback from the previous tour breakfast is not included however there are many good options close to the hotel and a list of options will be available on the website. Upon acceptance to the ride, you must send your $1000US deposit by credit card.  Final payment of $950US is due by 1 April 2022.  The additional BAC fee of $50 will be paid directly by credit card when you sign the Release of Liability (ROL) form electronically. Single riders will be accepted at the Solo single supplement rate of $1150US.  This ride is occurring outside of the US so based upon currency exchange rates an adjustment to the final payment may be required.  Finally, please note the no accommodation refunds will be issued for anyone who arrives late or leaves early.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY

It is recommended that singles who want a roommate try to find their own prior to sign up. The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride. Singles who wish to share will not be placed on the participant list until they have a roommate.

The additional Solo supplement of $1150US must be paid by check to BAC at the time of registration. 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. Solos are free to find a roommate and receive a refund of the Solo supplement until Feb 1 2022 but must plan to participate without a roommate if a roommate is not found or if by personal choice.

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.

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 coverage for expenses related to medical emergencies and repatriation when members are on tours outside the US and their home country. The policy ceases to be applicable if a member makes a personal deviation (e.g., makes a side trip not related to the planned BAC tour), has limits on expenses covered for family members and only applies for 45 days following departure from home.  The policy maintained by BAC 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., COVID, annual influenza, tetanus, etc.). If travelling 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 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 and the initial tour deposit ($1000) 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.