Ride Director Comments

Ride Description

OVERVIEW: Take the scenic route around NY state’s Adirondack Park under a canopy of color, cycling quiet country roads along lakes and beaver ponds with stops at quaint country stores.  Be prepared to climb some mountain roads for famous foliage views.  Along the way, visit the exhibits at the Revolutionary War era Fort Ticonderoga, take a quintessential leaf-peeper loop ride at Schroon Lake, and go up to the top of Whiteface Mountain in a gondola.  Our route over Whiteface Mountain offers breathtaking fall colors and a thrilling descent into Lake Placid.  On the way we whiz past Santa's Workshop (North Pole) and then climb back out of the valley along the raging West Fork Ausable River. On the lay-over day in Lake Placid one could take a boat ride on Mirror Lake, check out the Hall of Fame that celebrates notable Olympic events, or attend a skating show at the Olympic Skating Center . Finally we head back toward VT with a stop at the Ausable Chasm, considered the Grand Canyon ot the Adirondacks. :https://www.islands.com/1709023/ausable-chasm-new-york-grand-canyon-adirondacks-hidden-outdoor-adventure-seekers-playground/ Our final ride starts with a quick ferry across Lake Champlain and an easy scenic pedal along the shores of Grand Isle into Burlington, VT. This tour has a 2-night stay in a resort setting, Best Westerns, and even log cabins (2 bedrooms with a shared bathroom). Social hours will feature local micro brews, award-winning cheddar cheeses and VT apple products. .

LOGISTICS: Adirondacks 2025 -- Arrive S. Burlington, VT on Friday, October 10, 2025. Last ride day is Monday, Oct 20, 2025.  Departure day is Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025 (early departure Monday afternoon is possible) at S. Burlington, VT. Arrival/Departure hotel: Best Western Windjammer Inn & Conference Center, 1076 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT 05403; Tel: (802) 863-1125 CONTACT: Sarah Hammitt: shammitt@windjammergroup.com There is a complimentary hotel shuttle to/from the Burlington International Airport (BTV). Parking charge (at this time) is $106 (includes tax) for the duration of the tour. First meeting is at 5:30 PM on Oct 10, location to be determined.  Bike boxes are stored at the hotel. Tandems and e-bikes will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Talk with the leaders about this. When you are accepted on the tour, 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.

GETTING THERE: Flying: Burlington International Airport (BTV). Contact hotel for shuttle bus. Driving: From Interstate 89 (I-89) take exit 14E (east) onto RT 2 / Williston Road – turn left at the third stop light into the hotel parking area.

RIDE RATING: The trip is rated a 3B!, averaging 43 miles per day and a daily average of 2,664 feet of climbing for the short options on the required riding days. The most difficult day is 48 miles and 3,350 feet of climbing. There are some longer days at 56 miles with 2,230 ft of climbing and 52 miles with 1,835 ft of climbing

MAPS & CUE SHEETS: Links to the digital cue sheets will be sent in an email. A document will be posted in Ride Leader Docs that will have the link to give access to the RWGPS Event. From there we recommend that you print out hard copies of both the maps and cue sheets. In RWGPS click on 'More' ; 'Print Map and Cue PDF'; choose personal printing preferences. Scroll to the bottom and click on 'Submit'. Save the file where you can find it. Then print the PDF from that file location..

COSTS: Your $ 1,000 deposit and final payment, due April 14, 2025 , of $985  will cover the costs of all lodging, 4 dinners, 7 breakfasts, 10 happy hours, modest housekeeping and group dinner tips, all administrative costs, luggage van and driver. The non-refundable BAC fee of $85 is in addition to the tour cost.  After the tour we will provide a report of all expenses and return any money that remains after expenses have been paid.

SINGLES: We encourage single riders to sign up who are willing to share a room. We will assist with the singles search for a suitable room mate. Singles who are accepted but waiting to find a room mate will have a limited time-frame to do so if there are more BAC members registered on the wait list.

SOLOS: Solo supplement, is $ 1,130. There are a few solo rooms available. Any solo supplement payments is due when the final payment is due. You can pay with Zelle or by check. Mail a check to BAC, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. Checks should be made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check.

There is now a Zelle option to pay the single supplement. 

• In your bank's website, add Bicycle Adventure Club as a new recipient, with email address treasurer@bicycleadventureclub.org
• Initiate a payment 
• In the Message block, enter the name of your ride.

If you have questions, contact Nancy Bohnett nbohnett@bicycleadventureclub.org or Ernie Coose erniecoose.bac@gmail.com. 

Note: ONLY solo supplement payments may be paid via Zelle. All other payments must be paid by credit card through the BAC website.

BIKE RENTAL: There are shops that rent bikes. Inventory is limited and most restrict rentals to gravel bikes. The Skirack; 85 Main St; Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 658-3313 skirack.com offers gravel and carbon gravel. They list a weekly rate on their web site. North Star Sports; 100 Main Street; Burlington, Vermont 05401 (802) 863-3832 northstarsportsvt.com provide a discount for a rental that is 9 days or more. Their inventory is similar. The shops are across the street from each other. The sooner you reserve the better.

HEALTH & SAFETY: We will invite participants to a Zoom meeting about 6 weeks prior to the tour start date to discuss health and safety rules.Participants will be asked to provide verification. Vaccinations for COVID are required and boosters are recommended. Participants will be asked to provide verification.  Participants are expected to come to the tour in good health and be ready to ride. In short, if you are ill on the tour, be it a cold or test positive for COVID but you can ride your bike, then you can stay on the tour with precautions in place. In this case, protocols for isolation, masking,and social distancing are required. If you test positive and cannot ride your bike, then you must isolate in place. That may mean departing the tour or arranging your own transport to subsequent hotels on the tour. Protocols for isolation will be required. We will all need to be flexible as safety comes first.

HOTELS & OVERNIGHTS: This tour has a combination of Best Western hotels, two upscale inns and a 2-night stay in 2 bedroom cabins (shared bathrooms)  S. Burlington, VT; Ticonderoga, NY; Schroon Lake, NY (2); Long Lake, NY (2); Saranac Lake, NY; Lake Placid, NY (2); Essex, NY; and back to S. Burlington, VT.

WEATHER: The daily temperatures can vary from lows in the 50s to highs in the high 60s. If there is rain it will feel very cold. Plan to have protective rain gear including jacket, long pants, fingered gloves, helmet and shoe covers. Evenings are usually cool. A warm jacket is recommended.

INSURANCE: Before participating in any BAC tour, you should assess whether your medical and travel insurance coverage is sufficient. BAC maintains insurance that covers expenses in excess of $1,000. related to accidents. This coverage applies when touring inside the US, regardless of your nationality. It’s assumed that members’ personal insurance will cover medical emergencies such as sudden and unexpected sickness, so these have not been included in the BAC policy. You may want to consider personal coverage for emergency evacuation, as this is not included. The costs of treatment or quarantine for Covid and other unexpected illnesses are not covered. You should ensure that your vaccinations are up to date.

BE PREPARED TO RIDE/LUGGAGE VAN: We will be driving our SUV and pulling a trailer for the luggage. Space for bikes in the trailer when loaded with luggage is minimal. The vehicle’s primary purpose is to transport luggage. It is not a support vehicle that will be following you on the road. You will need to call us if you have an emergency while riding. We recommend that you are comfortable doing rides of 40 miles per day prior to the start of the tour and that you pack clothing that you can carry with you on the ride in case we experience rain.

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.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support, including changing their own flat tires. 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, without checking first with the ride leader. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

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 costs 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. ( Note that most hotels on the tour require a final count for the reservation 30 days in advance.) 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 single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation

REGISTER: 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 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.