Ride Director Comments

Ride Description

This fixed-base tour is located in the NW corner of the continental US; the North Olympic Peninsula.   While many people associate western Washington with rain and drizzle, Sequim (pronounced 'skwim') is located on the lee (dry) side of the Olympic Mountains and receives an average annual rainfall of 16".  July is the driest, sunniest month of the year.  Sequim is home to the most acreage planted in lavender fields in North America. You’ll enjoy miles of smiles touring among the many farms, barns, silos and fragrant lavender fields in their prime.

This is a land of superlatives:  Olympic National Park, with both a Biosphere and UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, is at the backdoor; the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the longest natural sand spit in the US - the Dungeness Spit - is at the front door and the beautiful agricultural Dungeness Valley lies in between.   Featured routes include the Pjamm-rated  (a climbing website) Hurricane Ridge, considered the #1 Top Road Climb in the PNW.   Another route takes us among massive, moss-draped maples and ancient evergreen trees and gives riders a true -“forest bathing” experience. 

The Native American culture of the resident Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is felt throughout the tour.  Sprinkled in the landscapes, the incredibly carved totem poles are a constant reminder of ‘place’.  Not to be forgotten, the Strait of Juan de Fuca - separating the US from Canada brings fresh, salt water breezes and views on many of the routes. All of this comes with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and is yours to enjoy for a week long tour.  Your ride directors have lived and/or recreated on the Olympic Peninsula since 1977 and have chosen the best of the best to share with you! 

RIDE RATING 3C!:  The curated routes vary from 38 miles with 1800’ of elevation to 36 miles with 5200’ of elevation. Because we are including the Hurricane Ridge Climb as an integral part of the tour, the ride rating exceeds 3C on that day.  If riders do all routes in their entirety, it is a 3C. Options to shorten routes will be available on most days.   Take a day off to visit the many lavender farms, walk the Dungeness Spit or visit the Victorian seaport town of Port Townsend. A ferry ride away is the gorgeous capitol city of British Columbia - Victoria - which would make an excellent extension on either side of riders' trips.   

But we hope to attract those who want to RIDE. Roads are 95% paved; some very smooth asphalt, but mostly the surfaces are chip seal.  A minimum tire width of 28mm is recommended.   There are multiple tunnels on several rides.  Both rear and front lights are required.  We will be entering Olympic National Park on two occasions, so pack (or pre-purchase) a federal park pass.

There are several crossings of a busy highway and there may be a brief time on the highway shoulder - 8’ wide -.  Riders should be comfortable with those short busy sections - otherwise, the traffic is very light and sometimes non-existent.

All of the routes have been ridden by the ride leaders numerous times and updated routes will be scouted again prior to the tour.  The 2 remote start drive times are 60 min to start and 30 min to start. There will be 5 routes leaving from the hotel in Sequim. Plenty to choose from.

We are looking for strong, independent riders who can ride any route on any given day, as weather may dictate some of the choices and order.   There are 2 remote starts; which we are requiring everyone to do on the same day.   

ROUTES/CUE SHEETS/MAPS:

GPX files for all routes will be available via a Ride with GPS (RWGPS) event created by the ride directors. You will be able to download the files to your device before the tour begins.  The ride directors will also provide area maps. Riders wanting printed cue sheets should print them at home ahead of time.  Optional routes for early arrivals will be included.

WEATHER:  The weather on the North Olympic Peninsula is temperate and every day is perfect :-) That said, it’s wise to prepare for moisture and layers for variations in temperature throughout a ride. Average rainfall in July is 3 days of .04". Highs are in low 70's, lows to  mid 50's. 

COST & ADMINISTRATION:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites - IHG is our fixed-base hotel perfectly situated on the Olympic Discovery Trail. It has received  4.5* reviews. Parking is plentiful and free and there are EV charging stations.  This hotel was renovated in 2025, it has the nicest breakfast area and best morning buffet of any hotel in Sequim.  All the rooms have microwaves, coffee makers and refrigerators.  There is an indoor pool with spa & a fitness room, an updated lounge and a top floor covered balcony for outside viewing and relaxing. Bicycles may be kept in secured storage or kept in your room. There will be a secure location for riders traveling with bike cases. 

Estimated cost per rider is $1,790 plus the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee of $85. The final payment of $590 is due 1 April 2026. This covers 6 nights double occupancy lodging, 6 buffet breakfasts, 3 group dinners, 6 route review meetings with a beer, a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic drink and light snacks.  The tour is planned so that area restaurants are open and the leaders will have recommendations for your consideration. Because the ride directors live in Sequim, there will be no additional payment to cover their hotel room for 6 nights.  This savings is passed on to all the riders.

*Entrance fee to the National Park is the riders’ responsibility.  https://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm

LOGISTICS:

The tour begins on Tuesday 7 July at 5:00 pm with happy hour at the hotel and concludes after breakfast on Monday 13 July.

Sequim is located on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. The closest airport is Seattle - Tacoma International Airport.  Abundant car rental businesses are located there. All riders need to have a car to transport themselves and their bike to Sequim and to the remote starts.

From Seattle: There are multiple routes to the Sequim; either by driving around Puget Sound or taking a scenic ferry ride and a floating bridge to the Olympic Peninsula- about 3  hours away.

From Olympia - via highway 101 - it’s a 2 hour drive - with no ferries or bridges and mostly on two-lane roads along the beautiful Hood Canal.  All driving routes to Sequim are designated National Scenic Byways.

BIKES:

Please be sure your bike is in great working order before arriving on the tour.  Come prepared to change your own flats and take care of minor mechanical problems.  There are two bike shops in Sequim for emergencies.  The rental bikes these shops provide are unsuitable for this ride.  This is designed as a road ride - but any riders using a gravel bike would be equally comfortable as long as the gearing accommodates some short & steep 8-11% punches. While there is elevation on this tour, for the most part the grades do not exceed 7% for any length of time. 

E-bikes may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Tandems are welcome.  Both users must contact the ride director for discussion when registering.

SINGLES & SOLO POLICY:

Single riders are welcome and  encouraged to find compatible roommates. Ride Directors will introduce and assist singles to find roommates, but singles must make their own rooming decision. Because the hotel rooms are limited to a maximum of 10, the ride directors are accepting partnered riders first.  Should the tour not fill, solos will be considered, paying a supplement of $1,200.  If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary

Solo supplement payments need to be sent to the BAC office by 1 April 2026 by check or Zelle. Make checks payable to “BAC” and mail to Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.

Send Zelle payments to treasurer@bicycleadventureclub.org. Indicate the ride name when using either method  by Zelle or check.

To pay using 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. Checks

should be made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check and mailed to:

Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.

HEALTH & SAFETY: Participants are expected to come to the tour in good health and ready to ride.  Should someone's health become compromised and the group's health and safey placed in jeopardy, a plan will be developed by the ride leader(s) and communicated to all individuals. The expectation is for the group to work together to mitigate any spread of infection or illness as a means to ensure the tour can continue as planned. 

INSURANCE STATEMENT: Before participating in any BAC tour, you should assess whether your medical and travel insurance coverage is sufficient. BAC maintains insurance that covers expenses related to accidents. This coverage applies when touring inside the US, regardless of your nationality. It assumes that member's personal insurance will cover medical emergencies such as sudden and unexpected sickness, so these have not been included in the BAC policy. Coverage is subject to a $1000 deductible.  You may want to consider personal coverage for emergency evacuation, as this is not included. The cost of treatment or quarantine for Covid and other unexpected illnesses are not covered. You should ensure that your vaccinations are up to date.  

RIDE PARTICIPANT POLICY: 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 tour 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 leaders. While on the tour, 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 tour by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the tour. Please keep the ride leader(s) informed of any special request you may have and respect the ride leader’s decisions.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

BAC Ride Registration Fee and payment processing fee are not refundable, unless the entire tour is cancelled because the number of participants registered is less than the minimum established for the tour.  Refunds of tour payments depends on whether a replacement rider signs up and on the costs that can be recouped.  The amount refunded is 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 supplemental fee for the roommate remaining on the tour.  BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

HOW TO SIGN UP: To submit a request to join this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the Release of Liability (ROL) and pay the non-refundable BAC fee ($85) and tour deposit  by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. Final payment of $550 is due no later than 1 April 2026.  BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by “clicking” the name at the top of this Ride Description.