Ride Director Comments

Ride Description

OVERVIEW: This is the seventh time offering this tour. We begin and end the tour in S. Burlington, bordering the eclectic town of Burlington where a paved bike path skirts Lake Champlain and the students flood the UVM campus every fall. We pedal past quaint farms on old stagecoach routes with flaming sugar maples, apple festivals and country stores that offer VT cheddar cheese, Whoopy Pies and home-made soup. We expanded our stay in Lyndonville to 3 nights because once you get to the Wildflower Inn, you don’t want to leave. Here, there are hiking options, loop rides with a possible stop in St. Johnsbury where the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is New England’s largest natural history museum. Then it’s on to the quaint village of Stowe, home of the famous Von Trapp Family (Sound of Music fame). In Stowe there is a loop option that has a short or long version that allows you to tour the Ben and Jerry’s home base. Don’t miss the failed flavors graveyard. On our return to Burlington, we climb the 1200’ Smuggler’s Notch, so-named for whiskey-running in the 1930’s. Social hours will feature local micro-brews, award-winning cheddar cheese and local apple products.

LOGISTICS: Arrive in S. Burlington, VT on Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 and last day of riding is Thursday, Oct 9, 2025, with departure day on Friday, Oct 10 from S. Burlington, Vermont. Max 22 - Min 18. 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 Oct 1 at 5:30.  Location to be determined. Bike boxes can be 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: 3B! Required riding days average 48 miles/day and 2,677 feet of climbing for the shorter options. There are three lay-over day rides with short or long options. There are two required rides that are above the average of the ride rating (ie; no bail out options) one has 58 miles/2,750' feet and the other has 59 miles/3,732' feet. The route climbs two passes: 1,710' and 1,200'. This tour has frequent climbs and some of them sustained over several miles. Most climbs are in the 5-8% range, the grades are generally not severe. There are four short sections of unpaved road, totaling 10 miles, suitable for road bikes. Generally good road surfaces. Limited traffic except for the start/end hotel in S. Burlington.

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 + final payment, due April 14, 2025, of $735 = $ 1,735 will pay for all lodging, 3 dinners, 8 breakfasts, 7 happy hours, housepeeking and group dinner tips, and all administrative costs including luggage van. 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, if available, is $ 976. We have not reserved solo rooms and will only offer a solo option if the tour does not fill within a few months. Any solo supplement payment 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. Note: ONLY solo supplement payments may be paid via Zelle. 

• 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.

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. Long pants and a jacket are recommended.

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. 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 and DAILY PLAN: This tour has a wide variety of lodging. We stay at a well-rated Best Western, a basic motel and a 3-star Inn in Stowe. In Lyndonville, (3-night stay) half of the group will be in 2-bedroom suites that share a bathroom and the other half in hotel-style rooms. Oct 1 - Arrival Day; Oct 2 - Burlington to Montgomery - 58 miles /2,750' climb; Oct 3 – Montgomery to Newport – 44/57 miles– 2,899/3,350' climb; Oct 4– Newport to Lyndonville; 43 miles/2,641' climb; Oct 5- Lyndonville Loop – 47/3,400' climb; Oct 6 – Lyndonville St Johnsbury Loop- 27 miles/2,000' climb; Oct 7 – Lyndonville to Stowe – 60 miles/3,732' climb; Oct 8 - Stowe Loop; 22/60 miles – 1,200/3,850' climb; Oct 9 - Stowe to Burlington – 37/47 miles – 1,394/3,395' climb; Oct 10 – Departure Day

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. 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 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.

REGISTER: To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. Following your acceptance, you will receive an email message requesting you to make credit card payments to BAC for the BAC fee and your initial tour deposit. When your deposit is received, 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.