Adventure Cycling experience?

[midliferider]

I was searching the web for information on touring in USA and came across the organisation, Adventure Cycling Organisation. They have a very active tour calendar and prices are not very high.
Anyone has experience of touring with them?
Or any information on organising a self guided tour would be welcome.

 

[Gravity Aided]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_Cycling_Association
They also have maps, and inaugurated, researched, and planned many of the accepted long distance cycling routes in the US. They have paper maps available for these routes, and many of them have information critical to your ride. Bikecentennial morphed into the ACA. They have their own YouTube channel as well. Even if you decide to do a self guided tour, they'd be a good place to start looking for information.

 

[vernon]

I was searching the web for information on touring in USA and came across the organisation, Adventure Cycling Organisation. They have a very active tour calendar and prices are not very high.
Anyone has experience of touring with them?
Or any information on organising a self guided tour would be welcome.

I'm setting off at the end of next month to have a go at their Northern Tier cycle route and have bought a set of their maps. The maps are comprehensive and show the locations of camp sites, cycle shops and facilities available at the towns on the route. There are also accompanying GPX tracks available for download as well as a fairly active online forum. A self guided tour entails buying a set of maps and following them. At least that's what I am doing.

You'll have to organise a US visa. For stays less than 90 days you can get one online using ESTA. I'm planning on being there over ninety days and applied for a full visa which entails filling in an extensive online form, paying 160 dollars online before getting a face to face interview allocated at the US embassy in London. My application was approved and I now have a visa valid for use until 2025. Booking flights and getting to the start and back from the end is down to you to sort out. I'm booking flights to Seattle and from Boston this weekend.

 

[midliferider]

Thanks Vernon.
I was thinking of joining their guided tours. But they all seem to do an average 60 miles a day. It is bit too much for me. I won't do more than 45 miles a day when I tour.
I can not take more then 2 weeks leave. So visa is not an issue.
I am tempted to do Route 66, one section at a time. So I will be able to complete it over 4-5 years!!

 

[vernon]

Thanks Vernon.
I was thinking of joining their guided tours. But they all seem to do an average 60 miles a day. It is bit too much for me. I won't do more than 45 miles a day when I tour.
I can not take more then 2 weeks leave. So visa is not an issue.
I am tempted to do Route 66, one section at a time. So I will be able to complete it over 4-5 years!!

I'm aiming for an average of 45 miles per day

Doing it in annual instalments makes for an expensive completion

 

[Debade]

We are members. Maps are great! They do a good job of updating. Our trips have all been self contained. Strongly recommend.

 

[Monsieur]

I'm setting off at the end of next month to have a go at their Northern Tier cycle route and have bought a set of their maps. The maps are comprehensive and show the locations of camp sites, cycle shops and facilities available at the towns on the route. There are also accompanying GPX tracks available for download as well as a fairly active online forum. A self guided tour entails buying a set of maps and following them. At least that's what I am doing.

You'll have to organise a US visa. For stays less than 90 days you can get one online using ESTA. I'm planning on being there over ninety days and applied for a full visa which entails filling in an extensive online form, paying 160 dollars online before getting a face to face interview allocated at the US embassy in London. My application was approved and I now have a visa valid for use until 2025. Booking flights and getting to the start and back from the end is down to you to sort out. I'm booking flights to Seattle and from Boston this weekend.

Out of interest...visa lasts until 2025 - how long can you stay in USA during that time?

 

[vernon]

Out of interest...visa lasts until 2025 - how long can you stay in USA during that time?

Six months with the possibility of a six month extension. It's not a residency visa. It's a non-immigration tourist visa. Someone elsewhere mentioned six months in any one year. I've neither the time, means nor inclination to want to visit the USA more tahn a couple of more times before the visa expires. It does however removes the need for me to use the visa waiver program for future visits.

 

[midliferider]

Six months with the possibility of a six month extension. It's not a residency visa. It's a non-immigration tourist visa. Someone elsewhere mentioned six months in any one year. I've neither the time, means nor inclination to want to visit the USA more tahn a couple of more times before the visa expires. It does however removes the need for me to use the visa waiver program for future visits.

Will you be writing a blog or provide some information?

 

[vernon]

Will you be writing a blog or provide some information?

If I get around to it.

 

[midliferider]

We are members. Maps are great! They do a good job of updating. Our trips have all been self contained. Strongly recommend.

Which trips/ routes have you done?
Any ideas on touring New England in the fall would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Debade]

Which trips/ routes have you done?
Any ideas on touring New England in the fall would be greatly appreciated.

We have done a lot of trips all over the USA. Here is a link to Crazyguy https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/search/?main_type=all&query=marti fine where my wife blogs our trips. She is open to questions and you can write her through CrazyGuy. Joining CG would be worthwhile to read trip blogs. That is what we do.

You will see, we recently rode from Portland Maine to Acadia National Park. Since moving east from the midwest, we have also spent a few days riding in Vermont, Long Island area of NY, and day rides within reasonable driving distance of our home. CT is beautiful but roads are narrow and site lines poor due to the hills. I would still recommend it. There is a 100 mile rail trail from Brewster NY to NYC. That is a lot of fun.

While not "New England", the C&O canal trail and the GAP, Wash DC to Pittsburgh, is a great off road ride, that is easily handled with a touring bike. You will see that as part of our ride from the Florida Keys to Milwaukee, WI. Just depends what you want to do/see.

The fall would be great in New England. You may want to check out the East Coast Greenway http://www.greenway.org/ . If you are camping, you may want to double check how long after Labor Day the parks stay open.

 

[Simon_m]

Hi there, I cycled across America with them. What did you want to know?

 

[midliferider]

Hi there, I cycled across America with them. What did you want to know?

Thanks, Few questions
1. How is the group like? Are they all Americans? Are there any outsiders?
2. Most tours indicate that they do about 50-60 miles an hour. Are they just cycling or do people cycle leisurely to enjoy the scenery etc?
3. Do you have any information about a route for cycling to see New England in the fall. I would like to do about 500Km ride over about 10-12 days.
English CTC do a tour but it is difficult to get on that tour.

 

[Simon_m]

Hey midfielder, l will send you a pvt message too. I will give you my basic profile first as this may help.
OK, so i had never done a tour before of any kind. I had, and still do, lots of etapes, sportives, races and team triathlons, so had/have a good level of fitness. BUT had never ridden as a group like this. I'm not generally a social person, so having to meet a group of 12, including myself, was daunting. They were mostly Americans yes, me being British and another from the NL. I never felt an outsider with the group because of where i was from. (I can go in to more detail in my pvt message). We had two team leaders who were pretty much always happy, positive and supportive especially when my aunt died whilst I was out there. They work hard mind you, and take it in turns to drive the van and ride. I got on well with them and have organised a ride down through the length of France with one of them and a few of the yanks.

I guess you mean 50-60 a day Yes I think that was the average we were doing. Some days were 80something in high winds and heat. Not much fun. The thing is with it, it's not like cycling down to Brighton where if you feel tired, you can finish early and get the train back home. With this, you have to get from A-B, no matter how long it takes. I guess part of that is the mental thing and the challenge. Of course, if you were on your last legs then yes you can hop in the van, but itis not encouraged. I stopped and took lots of photos, so you can do that and it is not frowned upon. A sad thing about it is, if you are out there for 3months, you kinda get used to it all after a while, so you stop stopping at the historical road signs, or miss out on the museums. Then you have your blog to write, laundry to do and cooking chores, so sometimes you do feel like you have to get in to camp at a good time. I preferred to stop and smell the roses as it was such a big thing for me to do. I hit 40 and this was my midlife crises so to speak. On days off too you can relax and do your own thing. Again that can be taken up with laundry, blogs and just resting. There are some things I regret when I was out there, that I didn't do more things. But after you have ridden 65miles in a headwind in over 100degrees of heat, sometimes you just dont want to lol.

I think ACA do one around that way, maybe more, best to check out their site. Hope that all helps. Any more info I can give you i am happy to