Fully Supported Tours - Adventure Cycling Association

An Adventure Cycling fully supported tour is a great choice for the adventure-hungry cyclist who prefers riding with a larger group and a smaller load — the individual who relishes the freedom of riding unencumbered but still enjoys camping and a cycling challenge.

Besides lightening your load, the presence of the support vehicle adds a degree of security in that you’ll have a ride available in the case of injury, illness, or mechanical breakdown. Meanwhile, our knowledgeable, experienced leaders can share information about the area you’re cycling through and solve any problems or concerns that may arise — remember, this is a vacation!

Our fully supported tours occupy a special niche in the universe of supported bicycle tours: All personal and group gear is transported daily by a vehicle, but home on most nights is a “room with plenty of elbow room” — under the stars, that is, at a nice campsite. Some trips have occasional indoor overnights included in the tour price, and additional indoor options are usually available at the rider’s own expense.

“The caterers were exceptional! Gourmet dinners were awesome. Their service and menu are worthy of 4-star cuisine recognition. The staff were tremendous as well. The event director has put together a great tour, and the director built an excellent team. Bottom line: I will likely do this tour as well as the North Carolina tour in the future.”

Learn More about our Fully Supported Tours

What Adventure Cycling will do for you

Plan your route each day; that’s done for you, in advance, over roads that are scenic and fun to ride.
Carry your clothes and camping gear; that’s what the support vehicle is for.
Adjust your bike’s brakes or shifters; the professional mechanic can do that for you at camp in the evening.
Plan and provide professionally catered meals and food stops, beginning with dinner on the first day and ending with lunch on the final day of the tour.
Allow you to ride at a pace that’s comfortable and enjoyable for YOU. A place to pitch your tent will be waiting for you in camp, no matter when you get there, and so will a delectable dinner.

What is included in the price?

Adventure Cycling Event Director, Tour Leaders, and a Professional Mechanic
All meals and snacks, catered by our fantastic caterers*
Accommodations**
Maps, route markings, and cue sheets (most tours have digital mapping available)
Safety triangle and a gift
Park entry fees for National and State Parks

*Meals start with dinner on day one and end with lunch on the last day, and include group meals. You may choose to supplement our traditional meal schedule with other meals on your own.
**The overnight for the last day of the trip is typically not included. Camping fees are included in the tour cost, but if you choose to stay indoors at one of the options listed, it will be at your own expense.

Level of Support

Our fully supported tours offer you the highest level of service of any of our offerings, but you will still be an active participant as in any of our other tours. Our Event Director and Tour Leaders are there to help facilitate a great experience for you.

Tour Leaders: Our Tour Leader staff on our fully supported events consist of an Event Director, Professional Mechanic, and 2-5 additional staff members. As a well oiled machine, they’ll take care of the logistics and make sure you’re set up to have a great ride.

Luggage Transport: Our luggage truck will haul your gear from overnight to overnight, keeping your riding load down. You can bring two pieces of luggage, each weighing up to 25 pounds, and all your items should fit within. Luggage will be picked up and dropped off at each campsite, and for those staying at the indoor option, luggage will be picked up and delivered to the hotel.

Route Markings: Your tour will use on the ground route markings to help you find the turns and focus more on the ride and the scenery than the cue sheet. Some tour locations have some restrictions on route markings, which will be discussed during your daily map meetings.

SAG Support: Our on-tour vehicles will be able to provide SAG support for health and mechanical emergencies. You should come to the tour prepared to ride the daily mileage.

Before you go

Upon signing up for an organized tour, you will receive confirmation and preparatory materials, including a copy of Before You Go: A Handbook for Adventure Cycling’s Supported Tours (PDF), which contains a packing list and training tips. About 60 days prior to your trip, you will receive a Tour Information Packet with specific logistical details about your starting location, the designated bike shop, shipping your bike, making travel arrangements, and much more.

Meals and Rest Stops

Our catering staff will provide all meals, including a hot breakfast each morning. Lunches typically are a build your own sandwich, and the sandwiches are transported to the designated lunch stop for you to enjoy. Dinners offer a variety of options each night, and as much as possible, incorporate local food and flavor! Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other special dietary needs can be accommodated when known about in advance. Breakfast and dinner take place as a group at the campground.

Each day, you’ll have 1-2 designated water stops and a lunch stop where our staff will be set up with snacks and water/energy drinks. These are a great chance to take a break and catch up with other riders about what you’ve seen so far.

Accommodations

Most of the overnights will be at private or public campgrounds with a variety of amenities. Depending on the nature and location of the trip, these facilities could range from RV parks with hot tubs, to more remote locations without running water. Indoor facilities such as motels/hotels and hostels are used occasionally. You will need a good freestanding tent with a ground cloth, a sleeping bag rated appropriately for the season and elevation of your tour, and a sleeping pad. Showers are available each night of the tour.

If you’d prefer not to camp, we’ll send a list of indoor options for each night which you can contact and make reservations for at your own expense. These locations are sometimes at the same site as the campground, while other times are a few miles away. Shuttles and luggage transport are available to anyone staying at the listed indoor options each night.

Being Prepared

Adventure Cycling tours are a great way to get out and explore new places and meet new friends. You should plan on coming to your tour prepared to ride, both physically and with the correct equipment. Check out our Before You Go booklet (PDF) for more information on training and packing. You shouldn’t come to your tour planning to ride into shape, as coming to the trip ready for anything will have you enjoying it from day one.

Be sure to read the full tour itinerary, including the Adventure Level, Terrain, and Technical Difficulty ratings to make sure that you prepare fully for the tour. If you have additional questions about the tour, please reach out to us at tours@adventurecycling.org.

Weather on our trips is highly variable and can be unpredictable. Your Tour Information Packet will have some information about weather for your tour, but you should come prepared to ride in all riding conditions no matter where your tour is or what time of year it takes place.

Mechanical Support

An experienced mechanic follows the route every day in a support vehicle or on bike to take care of mechanical emergencies that may arise. They are available in camp each day (morning and evening) for tune-ups and mechanical advice. We carry a supply of common size tires, tubes, and spare parts that are available for purchase if you need them, but if you have any parts that are unique to your bike, we encourage you to bring them.

eBikes

eBikes are allowed on some of our fully supported tours, denoted by the below icon. Read our FAQ for information about eBikes on Adventure Cycling tours.

Disclaimers

Participation on an Adventure Cycling Association tour is physically demanding, strenuous, and potentially hazardous. By registering and joining the tour, you assume the risk associated with your participation.

While we strive to find routes that are off the beaten path, many of our trips must use roads that can be heavily trafficked in order to get us to our overnight location, a grocery store for grocery shopping, or an attraction along the way. Your leader will cue you in to these sections during your daily map meetings. Traffic volume, shoulder width, and road conditions are not part of a tour’s difficulty rating system.

The number of participants on a tour may be adjusted in response to demand and facility availability. Adventure Cycling reserves the right to make route and accommodation modifications without notification and to make alterations and substitutions to the itinerary as needed to improve the quality of the tour or to accommodate the comfort and well-being of our guests.

Adventure Cycling Association is an equal opportunity recreation provider that is an authorized permittee with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and departments of transportation. Adventure Cycling Association is working cooperatively with these agencies to secure the appropriate permits.

In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 202.720.5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Photos by Chuck Haney | Steve Powell