Umbria 2023

† 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: We begin in Fiumicino, a fishing village where our hotel offers a shuttle into Rome. From Fiumicino we take a private coach to Montefiascone, famous for Est! Est!! Est!!! white wine. To avoid traffic and tourist-inflated prices, tour stops are in smaller villages except for Assisi. There are 4 two-night stays during the tour to offer a chance to see it all at a relaxed pace. From Montefiascone we cycle past medieval hill towns and rolling fields of grain to Orvieto, famous for its Duomo and ancient frescoes. Then we have 2-night stays in Todi, Montefalco and Assisi. In Assisi, our stay is in the midst of a 4-day Renaissance festival, Calendimaggio, pitting the upper and lower parts of the city against each other. You'll ride through green pastures dotted with herds of sheep and down hillsides that offer views of castles nestled in the mist. Frequent stops for pecorino panini, hand-rolled strongozzi with porcini mushrooms and gelato are a must. If you want to take a day off and tour instead, the city bus is available (and inexpensive) for visits to Spoleto and Spello. Some of the most picturesque rides come at the end of the tour. Our final 2-night stay in Sorano offers apartments in a quiet setting on the edge of town. Plan a visit to the museum which is carved out of the city wall. It offers sweeping valley views where swallows dart in and out of ancient rocky ledges. You'll be tempted to whisper; the silence is so profound. Then it's a final ride back to Montefiascone along the banks of the Lago Bolsena before we depart with a toast to all things Umbrian. 

LOGISTICS: Arrive in (Rome) Fiumicino on Friday, April 28, 2023 and depart on Thursday, May 11, 2023 from Leonardo da Vinci airport, Fiumicino, Italy. The tour is mostly on quiet roads except for a few areas of heavier traffic riding through Assisi. Tour includes 13 nights of lodging starting with an overnight at the Hotel Tiber in Fiumicino. We take a private bus on the next day to Montefiascone where bikes are unboxed or rental bikes delivered to the hotel. On the departure day, May 11, from Montefiascone, there is a bus transfer to Fiumicino airport with projected airport arrival of 10:00 AM. This will be the fifth time this tour is offered.  Participants will be invited to download routes, maps and cue sheets from Ride with GPS for smart phones or Garmin devices.

RIDE RATING: The trip is rated a 2A!, with daily averages of 31 miles and 2,492 feet of climbing. The longest day is 46 miles and has 4,300 feet of climbing. There are 7 required riding days. Grades may exceed 8% to reach hill-towns. Roads are mostly quiet or may have moderate traffic. Using a different metric, the number of feet per mile, a difficult ride is widely recognized as 100 feet per mile. A moderate ride is 50 feet per mile. This tour averages an 85 feet per mile, or on the high side between a moderate and difficult rating. Longer options are available. Roads are mostly quiet or may have moderate traffic.

MAPS & CUE Sheets: Digital versions of the cue sheets and maps will be on Ride with GPS. Links to the digital cue sheets will be sent in an email and the link is posted under Ride Leader Docs with in the document entitled Event Link.  We recommend that you print out hard copies.

Cost: Deposit of $ 1,000 + Final Payment of $ 640 due on or before January 16, 2023, based on an exchange rate of $1.15 = €1. The estimated cost includes: 13 nights lodging with breakfasts and 7 dinners, luggage van & driver, and a wine tasting. We may reduce the final payment depending on the exchange rate. After the tour we will provide a report of all expenses and refund any excess.

Solo Supplement: Solo supplement of $400 due January 16, 2023 is paid with a check written to BAC, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. There will be 2 solo rooms reserved.

SINGLES: Single riders who want to share a room are encouraged to sign-up. We will assist with your search for a suitable roommate. Singles who are accepted but waiting to find a roommate will have a limited timeframe to do so if there are more BAC members registered on the wait list.

COVID: We require all participants to be fully vaccinated, including boosters in order to participate in this tour. We will invite participants to a Zoom meeting about 12 weeks prior to the tour start date to finalize our COVID protocols. You may be asked to wear PPE in public, maintain social distance in public and limit social gathering in public according to the government's mandate. Negative COVID tests may be required.

DATES for TOUR: April 28-Arrival Day in-Rome/Fiumicino;  April 29-Bus to Montefiascone to assemble bikes & Group Dinner;  May 10-Bike back to Montefiascone & Final Group dinner;  May 11 – 8:30 AM Bus to Fiumicino Airport for departure

WEATHER: Temperatures are mild to warm but showers are a possibility. Plan for full rain gear including long fingered gloves, helmet and shoe covers along with a rain jacket and rain pants. Evenings can be cool so plan on long pants and a jacket.

TANDEMS/E-BIKES/RENTALS: Tandems and e-bikes will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Talk with the leaders about this. With sufficient numbers renting, CycleEurope (cycleeurope.com) will deliver and pick up rental bikes. Details in the Welcome letter found under 'Ride Leader Docs'. Each rider will pay CycleEurope directly with a credit card.

Luggage: If you can, use a soft sided suitcase as it is easier to fit into the luggage van. Due to limited space and handling requirements we will limit everyone to one large bag measuring 18x26x10 or an equal linear dimension (54 inches total) and one small carry-on per person. The weight limit is 35 pounds for the large bag and 15 for the small. If you don’t understand this, contact us, because we will allow no exceptions.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC Ride Registration Fee and Payment Processing Fees are not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled 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 canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling 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 canceling 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. 

INSURANCE: 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 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.

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 the 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.

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 wait list 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 $ 1,000 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.