Le Marche 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: Directly east of Tuscany, Le Marche has temperate ocean breezes from the Adriatic Coast and on the west, panoramic views of the snowy peaked Sibylline Mountains. We want to introduce you to emerald landscapes, rosy-bricked hill towns, la povera cucina cuisine (hearty peasant fare), wine and cheeses from the Malatesta and Montefeltro states. Here the culture of Medieval and Renaissance Italy abounds. The prices are lower, tourists are in the minority and you'll rub elbows with the locals. This is the sixth time this tour is offered.

RIDE RATING: The trip is rated a 3B!, averaging 39 miles per day and a daily average of 3,400 feet of climbing. There are 8 required riding days.  There are two difficult days that are required riding days of 47 & 54 miles along with 4,100 & 5,500 feet of climbing. 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 92 feet per mile, so consider it a challenging tour.

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.

LOGISTICS: Arrive in Riccione on Friday May 12, 2023 and depart Saturday, May 27 from Riccione. Last ride day is May 26. The tour begins and ends in Riccione at the 4-star Hotel Sarti. Hotel Sarti offers shuttle service from Rimini airport and some limited pick-up at Riccione train station (arrival day only & if it is available). Consider flying into Rome or Bologna and then taking a train. The Rimini flights are limited and only connect in Italy. Bike boxes stored at Hotel Sarti. Rental bikes will be available through Cycle Europe. Contact the ride leader for info on rentals. Forms are located in 'Ride Leader Docs'.

MAPS & CUE SHEETS: The link to access the digital version of the maps and cue sheets will be available on the Ride Leader Docs entitled LM-23 Event Link. Read the Event Link document for details on how to access the routes. We ask that you print your own maps and cue sheets from Ride with GPS and remember to bring them with you.

DESCRIPTION: The Hotel Sarti is a bike resort overlooking the Adriatic that caters to the cyclist's EVERY need. We spend the first 2 days doing loop rides from the hotel. You can ride to the Republic of San Marino, often a Giro d'Italia route, see the Rocca of Gradara, or relax at the pool. There is a lot of traffic for 5 kilometers into and out of Riccione. After the first 2 days, there is significantly less traffic on the roads until we reach Ascoli. From Riccione, we head down the Adriatic coast with spectacular ocean cliff views before we head toward the mountains for our overnight stay in the secluded Borgo Montemaggiore di Metauro. Next it's inland through small castled-villages for a stop in Jesi and then on to stay at the 4-star San Paolo Hotel in Piane di Montegiorgio. After a spectacular ride with sweeping views of the Sibylline Mountains we arrive in Ascoli Piceno, the southern gem of the Le Marche region for 2 day stay. Ascoli is famous for its marble piazza and anisette liquor. We head back north to Montegiorgio, then on to San Severino where we stay with the sisters of the Convent of Baby Jesus. The mountainous terrain offers spectacular views enroute to San Lorenzo in Campo where we have a wine tasting over dinner. In Urbino, famous for the Palace of the Duke of Montefeltro and the home-town of painter Raphael, we spend 2 nights. It boasts some of the best views in Italy with winding cobbled streets and city walls that float above the valley below. Italians take their holiday here! Our final night is back at the Hotel Sarti. From there it's possible to take a side trip to Venice which is 4 hours by train.

COSTS: Deposit of $1,000 + Final Payment $1,140 due on January 15, 2023 based on an exchange rate of $ 1.15/ 1 Euro. The estimated cost includes: 15 nights lodging with breakfasts and 11 dinners, luggage van & driver, and a wine tasting. Final payment may be adjusted due to currency fluctuation. After the tour we will provide a report of all expenses and refund any excess.

SOLO SUPPLEMENT: Solo supplement of $431 due by January 15, 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. An effort will be made arrange group dinners outdoors.

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. 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 fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled due to participation below stated minimum requirements. Any refunds are dependent on our finding a replacement from the wait list. If we can fill your position immediately you will get your refund. If we are not able to fill your position, any refund will be based on the principle that costs not be increased for those who are completing the tour (singles will need to have an agreement with their roommate on how the single supplement will be handled in case of a cancellation). Your share of fixed costs like the luggage van, leader and van driver expenses will be deducted from your eventual refund. Whatever we can recover, you will get back after the tour is completed and the final accounting takes place.

INSURANCE: Before participating in any BAC tour, members should review their medical coverage and assess whether what you have is sufficient. 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. None of the policies maintained by BAC will 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.

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 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.