
How hard is that tour? This is a common question we receive in the tours office at Adventure Cycling. Our tours are rated according to
difficulty in two ways: one for general difficulty and one for technical difficulty. Our
general difficulty rating involves factors such as distance, terrain, and altitude. Our
technical difficulty is most relevant to our dirt-based tours, as well as our road tours that involve carrying gear for extended periods or have more challenging road conditions, such as minimal shoulders, steep descents, and rougher surfaces. For all of our tours, we recommend that you are comfortable on your bike, that your bike fits you well, and that you can remain cheerful on your bicycle during back-to-back days of touring and sightseeing.
So, how do our
2012 tours break down? Well, some of the more challenging (though rewarding) tours in our 2012 suite would include the following:
- Pueblos to Peaks - Van -- A road tour with some longer days, lots of climbing, some steep sections, but an amazing route from Santa Fe, NM, to Boulder, CO.
- Cascadian Traverse -- Self-contained and remote, expect some truly magnificent scenery on this 11-day sampler of the Sierra Cascades Route, ending at Crater Lake.
- Sierra Cascades -- This will be the trip of the century. Self-contained and mountainous with opportunities to visit some of the best national parks the West has to offer. If you are looking for high adventure and a serious challenge, this one's for you.
- Atlantic Coast -- New as of last year and returning for 2012, this is your chance to ride self-contained from Bar Harbor, ME, to Key West, FL. An iconic trip with many historical and cultural stops, not to mention all those cool regional accents.
- Northern Tier - Van -- The van-supported format is new for this year. This 91-day adventure will take you through a variety of challenging mountainous terrain including the North Cascades, Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, and the spectacular Green Mountains of Vermont.
Of course, we rate our epic and cross-country tours higher in difficulty since you will be on the road for an extended period of time and experience a huge variety of terrain (including mountain passes) and some longer riding days (even if they are flat).
What about the easier, more relaxed rides? Perhaps you just want to chill out, go for a gentle spin, and spend your days exploring small towns and having fun with your fellow tour participants. If that's your cup of tea, then we suggest you check out:
- Great Lakes -- Destination Great Lakes, for any one of our three tour offerings there. These tours include a self-contained, an inn to inn, and a fully supported, extremely relaxed tour. A really GREAT region with lake views, cool breezes, and surprising beaches.
- Cape Cod Pilgrimage -- A brand new tour with lower mileages so you can visit some historical sites or just sample all the local clam chowders and fish and chips in your quest for the best. This is also a great tour for gaining some confidence with your self-contained touring skills.
- Colorado Wildflowers & Rivers -- A popular, relaxed, fully-supported tour exploring the mountain villages of Silverthorne, Breckenridge, and Vail via the best paved trails the area has to offer.
Be sure to check out all of our
Intro to Road Touring courses for an nice introduction to self-contained touring. Intro to Road Touring features two days of classroom instruction followed by a four-day mini-tour with relaxed daily mileages. It's a great chance to learn new skills and share camaraderie with fellow touring enthusiasts!
For everything else in between, you can get a quick overview using our
Compare All Tours Matrix, where you can sort our 2012 tours by any one of 16 variables including Difficulty, Date, Start Location, Cost, and more.
Have fun choosing a tour, and give us call if you have questions about a particular tour or need guidance in finding the best one for you! Call the tours department at 800-755-2453, ext. 3.
Photo by Paul Hansbarger. His touring partner ponders the road ahead during a self-contained tour on the TransAmerica Trail in western Montana.--
ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team -- Mo, Paul, Madeline, and Arlen -- tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to Adventure Cycling's ours Department. Check out our
2012 Tours!
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/01/how-hard-is-that-tour_16.html
cycling training plans