Tuscany on the Mediterranean 2010

† 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

TUSCANY for $130.00 USD a day!!! This is not a misprint ... 10 nights, 9 great days of cycling the beautiful Tuscan countryside! This is a repeat of the 2009 fixed-base tour that was led by the Ride Director. INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF $1300.00 USD PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: .. NEW FOR 2010!!! Cycling friendly 3 Star Hotel I Ginepri located near Donoratico at Marina di Castagneto Carducci on the beautiful Mediterranean coast 25 miles south of Livorno. See complete Hotel description below. .. Per person double occupancy room for 10 nights and 9 days. .. Daily continental breakfast. .. Dinner each evening to include 4 courses with daily choice of meat, fish or vegetarian entrees, house wine, water and dessert or fruit. .. Daily Happy Hour prior to dinner at the Hotel's pool and garden area. .. Pickup and drop off at the Pisa Airport. Dates and times are outlined below. Plan arrivals/departures accordingly. .. Pickup departure date and time will be Saturday, September 11th at 4:00PM from the Pisa Airport. .. Drop off departure date and time will be Tuesday, September 21st at 8:00AM from the Hotel. .. Pickup and drop off will include you, your luggage and bike case. NOTE THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE DATE AND TIME PICKUP AND DROP OFF. HOTEL I GINEPRI: NEW FOR 2010!!! This will be our first year staying at this beautiful Hotel located directly on the Mediterranean coast. The Hotel is positioned perfectly between the sea and a pine forest at Marina di Castagneto Carducci where you can take long walks either by the sea or through this stunningly beautiful forest. The Hotel has its own private beach which is just a few short steps from the Hotel lobby. Also available is a swimming pool overlooking the private beach just past the lovely Hotel garden. The rooms all have modern contemporary furniture and private bathrooms with a hairdryer, air conditioning, satellite TV, telephone and radio. Wireless internet connections are also available in the rooms as well as the common areas to include the garden area and even the private beach directly on the Mediterranean! There is also a Solarium on the 4th floor offering a complete panoramic view of the area. And, for those with just too much energy or taking a break from riding, a gym is available for your workout. Too good to be true? See for yourself at www.hoteliginepri.it. Click the English version on the website and scroll down to download a pdf brochure of the Hotel. Also on this page of the website you can sign up to receive a Newsletter for more information. We are VERY excited about our first visit to Hotel I Ginepri! LOCAL AMENITIES: You will be riding in beautiful wine country passing by some of the most famous vineyards in all of Italy on La Strada Del Vino and home to wines like Ornellaia and Sassicaia and through the hilltop towns of Bolgheria, Castagneto Carducci, Sassetta, Suvereto and Montescudaio just to name a few. Within a short bus or bike ride from the Hotel are numerous shops in Donoratico to include quaint coffee and pastry bars, banks (ATMs), a book shop, clothing stores and a grocery. Bus service is available from our Hotel. Or, you may choose to stay close to the Hotel in the hamlet of Marina di Castagneto Carducci which has several nice shops, fine restaurants and coffee shops. Another great shop in Donoratico is Ciclosport (www.ciclosport.it), the local cycling center, where you can arrange for a tune up or buy the latest Italian cycling wear. On occasion Ciclosport is frequented by Andy Hampsten (the only American to ever win the Giro d'Italia and a 1992 Tour de France stage winner), Connie Carpenter (1984 Olympic Women's Road Race Champion) and Davis Phinney (past winner of two stages in the Tour de France of 7-Eleven Team fame and 1984 Olympic Bronze medalist in the Team Time Trial). You may even spot Paolo Bettini, the 2006 and 2007 World Road Race Champion and 2004 Olympic Road Race Champion, whose childhood home and Club Headquarters is only four miles north of Donoratico in the town of La California. CYCLING IN TUSCANY: Rather than wasting time and energy packing and unpacking each day, we will do in and out (loop) rides of anywhere from 40 to 60 miles of varying terrain, returning to the Hotel early to mid afternoon. Locked bike storage is available and accessible via an elevator or stairs. The Hotel also offers a laundry service for cycling clothes for an extra charge and is not included in the price of the trip. Maps of the daily route will be available in advance of the departure date and can be discussed with your Ride Director who has personally ridden each route many times. Plan to make 2 to 3 stops sampling the quaint coffee shops in the hilltop villages. Also, since lunch is not included in the price of the trip, you will want to plan to take lunch in one of the many villages along the way. The Ride Director can make suggestions for you. LOCAL TRAVEL OPTIONS: We purposely are ending this trip mid week in order to give you the opportunity to arrive early or stay later and do some sight seeing on your own. Within an hour's drive of the Pisa Airport you can visit Pisa, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Volterra and Livorno. The drive to Rome is approximately 3 1/2 hours. Another great destination is Cinque Terre, a series of 5 seaside villages within a National Park directly on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Italy very close to the city of La Spezia. There is a luggage storage area at the Pisa Airport where you can store your bike cases during your sight seeing travels. We discourage you from keeping your bike case and luggage in the car during your travels. To avoid the worry about your bike altogether, we can also suggest an excellent bike rental agency in Pisa that will include, as a part of their service, delivery and pick up of the bikes directly at the Hotel all with a 10% discount only for BAC members on this ride. The Ride Director will provide further bike rental information in an email to you after signing up for the trip. Also, if you prefer a day trip during your stay, taking the train to Florence or Elba Island (via ferry) is a possibility. The train station is a short distance (2 miles) from the Hotel in the town of Donoratico. Bus service is available from our Hotel. Note we will have a day off in the middle of our stay which will offer the option of a short day trip in the area. SIGN UP AND TERMS: The maximum number of BAC members on this trip will be 24. Minimum number is 18. The price of $1300.00 USD is per person double occupancy and includes the items listed in the “INCLUDED IN THE PRICE” section above. Price is based on an exchange rate of $1.47 USD to 1 Euro, plus 10% contingency. Deposit is $500.00 USD in which $50.00 USD is a non refundable BAC fee. Balance of $800.00 USD is due July 1, 2010. If a cancellation occurs and your space cannot be filled you will be responsible for any additional cost incurred by the other members. If your spot is filled you will receive a full refund less the BAC fee. To register for the ride use the sign-up link below. Following your acceptance you will receive an email requesting your deposit. If traveling single you are responsible for finding your own roommate but we can facilitate contact with other singles to help accommodate you. If you have questions about the ride, please contact the Ride Director listed above. Ciao and Happy Cycling!