By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
The United Nations has declared June 3rd World Bicycle Day in recognition of the positive impact bicycles have on human health and the environment. Not to mention biking immerses you in the life around you; you see the world at a pace slow enough to really see without a window to separate you, fast enough to see a lot, and you can stop where you want and really smell the roses, even chat with a local. You become a mobile ambassador of mutual understanding.
With cycling growing in popularity worldwide, this is a good time to showcase but a few of the finest bicycle tours available.
Cairo to Cape Town Cycling: TDA Global Cycling’s epic bike expedition takes riders from the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, in the shadow of Table Mountain. (https://tdaglobalcycling.com/tour-dafrique)
Karma Cambodia: Grasshopper Adventures’ tour from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh includes friendly faces, delicious food, rich culture, and great riding, making it an unforgettable way to experience Southeast Asia. (https://www.grasshopperadventures.com/en/long-tours/karma-cambodia.html)
Ecuador Volcano Biking: Bike to waterfalls, lakes, and Inca ruins, while staying in classic haciendas each night on a mountain biking tour of the foothills around Ecuador’s Cotopaxi National Park with Adventure Life. (https://www.adventure-life.com/ecuador/tours/3951/cotopaxi-mountain-biking)
Red Rock Riding: Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations’ new Northern Arizona tour leads riders through the beautiful Prescott National Forest, Skull Valley, Mormon Lake, and the iconic Red Rock Scenic Byway. (https://gosojourn.com/bicycle-tours/arizona-sedona-bike-tours/)
Canada on Two Wheels: Enjoy country roads and bike paths through farmlands and small villages from Canada’s capital city to the heart of French-speaking Quebec on Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations’ Ottawa to Montreal tour. (https://gosojourn.com/bicycle-tours/ottawa-to-montreal-bike-tours/)
Slow Food Piedmont Cycling: On this culinary bike tour offered by Tourissimo, learn about the Slow Food movement right at its birthplace and cycle to vineyards, ancient castles, and hidden hilltop hamlets. (https://www.tourissimo.travel/piedmont-chef-bike-tour-2018)
Bike from Paris to St. Petersburg: Ride & Seek’s “Napoleon Expedition” extends the length of Europe into the cultural heart of Russia following in the footsteps of Grande Armée. (https://rideandseek.com/tour/napoleon-paris-to-saint-petersburg/)
Cycling Down Under: On TDA Global Cycling’s Trans-Oceania tour, ride through Australia’s coastal wine country, southern Outback and Great Ocean Road, then past New Zealand’s sheep-filled hills, hot springs and glaciers. (https://tdaglobalcycling.com/trans-oceania)
More Bike Tours
The recently held TD Five Boro Bike Tour of New York City, the largest noncompetitive cycling event in North America which cuts off participation at 32,000, is preceded by a two-day Bike Expo, when bikers can take advantage of discounts and giveaways by scores of bike, biking gear, and be introduced to bike tour companies and destinations from Quebec in Canada, to Taiwan, as well as special biking events through such groups as the World Association of Cycling Events (www.wacebike.com)
There is a new online biking trip planner for the state of Maine, organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, various biking groups and clubs (www.bikemain.org/wheretoride), as well as Maine’s annual 8-Day Bike Maine trip with 450 riders going 320 miles (2018 is fully booked). There’s also the Bold Cost Scenic Bikeway, 211 miles of low-traffic, on-road riding; you can get detailed online and printable maps, GPS data, and local information to organize a self-guided ride (BikeBoldCoast.com)
Also, a 45-day cross-country bike tour, from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida, with luxury accommodations (none of this camping stuff), fine dining, for $13,000, through Cycle of Life Adventures (they also have less ambitious itineraries). (cycleoflifeadventures.com, 303-945-9886)
One of my favorite bike tours because of the sheer number of interesting sites, sights, scenery is the annual Cycle the Erie Canal ride, which travels 400-miles, from Buffalo to Albany, following the Erie Canalway. The ride offers 400 miles and 400 years of history. This year’s, the 20th annual ride, is scheduled July 8 – 15, 2018 (www.ptny.org/canaltour).
(See series: Cycle the Erie: 400 Miles & 400 Years of History Flow By on Canalway Bike Tour Across New York State)
This summer, I have bike tours planned with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit which uses an annual Sojourn trip as a fundraiser for its advocacy of reclaiming and preserving unused rail lines for greenways. This year’s Sojourn travels 160-miles along the Delaware and Lehigh trail (D&L Trail) in Pennsylvania (railstotrails.org).
Also, I have back-to-back bike tours set through one of our favorite bike tour companies BikeTours.com: the first is a weeklong self-guided bike tour from Venice to Trieste to Istria; then I will link up with a week-long guided bike tour of Slovenia. These are just two of Biketours.com’s amazing catalog of 200 guided and self-guided trips in 33 European countries at excellent value.
Stony Brookside, Long Island’s First Bed-and-Bike Inn
How about a biking weekend in the East End? Take your bike on the Long Island Railroad and come out to Stony Brookside, what may be Long Island’s first bed-and-bike inn.
Located in the historic district of Stony Brook Village, about 90 minutes from New York City, the Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn, which opened in 2016, is a colonial revival built in 1941 and designed by renowned architect Richard Haviland Smythe. The Inn has an artistic flavor and is decorated with pieces of original artwork by family members including artist Carol Buchman and a chandelier created from reused bicycle parts by artist Carolina Fontoura Alzaga. The offers a beautiful breakfast room, library, three bedrooms with views of the Stony Brook Mill Pond or the Stony Brook village, and a backyard.
Guests have access to the breakfast room stocked with refreshments, a full living room, refrigerator, bicycle storage, on-site parking and the use of its new outdoor Yoga platform. Individual and group Yoga classes available upon request.
There are many options for destinations within riding distance of the Inn – historic sites, wineries (local or the North Fork Wine Trail), Shelter Island, the Hamptons & South Fork, local festivals, hidden beaches, musical events. Shuttle service can be arranged.
The inn can create a self-guided route based on your interest, goal and skill level, and will supply a Garmin GPS loaded with your route for your day’s bike tour. There are several loops that start and end at the Inn that give you the option to do one or more or call it a day – your choice.
Or you can join a custom and individualized guided tour of your choice. Whether your goal is to train, sightsee, or have knowledgeable company along with you for the ride, we can lead you through the most scenic and historic of routes in the area.
Bring your own bike, use one of the inn’s road bikes available to guests, or rent a bike from the local shop, Campus Bicycle (guests get a discount). You can also rent a Big Cat electric bicycle (this should be done in advance).
(Stony Brookside, 48 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790, 631.675.0393, info@thestonybrookside.com, www.thestonybrookside.com)
