General Info / FAQs
GENERAL INFORMATION
Are these tours right for me?
Our tours are not marathon rides or tests of speed, but are geared to the ‘serious’ recreational cyclist who is now serious about stopping and smelling the flowers (and tasting the wine, cheese, chocolate, and pastries!). Our routes are all on paved roads and are best suited to folks who are comfortable sportzonabrasil.com.br/ riding a multi-geared bicycle on roads with some car traffic and some degree of hilliness. An 18 to 30 speed road or hybrid bike is ideal for these tours. Average daily distances will be about 35 miles, with options of 50 to 60 miles for those who just need more. We generally offer the choice of a short and a long option every day. These distances may take you anywhere from 3 to 6 hours total, depending on your riding speed and the amount of stops you choose to make along the day's route. Our routes are designed to take you door to door by the best tourist sites, museums, ice cream parlors, chocolate shops and wineries that we could find. Our philosophy is that, if you just ride the entire day, you don't get to know the nature and culture of the land. Our tours will truly give you a full taste of Ohio's heartland. We make every attempt to choose routes that minimize motor traffic, but it is inevitable that cars and trucks will be encountered on the roads.
How should I prepare for one of these tours?
As preparation for our tours, we strongly suggest that you become comfortable doing consecutive day rides of 20 miles or more with some amount of hills or at least rolling terrain. If you are used to nothing but flat terrain, you definitely need to get comfortable shifting gears, and ride your legs into shape to effectively handle the rolling and hilly terrain that will at least occasionally present itself.
Do you offer cycling jerseys?
We do not include a jersey as part of your tour package. Some of our riders say they have WAY too many jerseys already and are indifferent toward acquiring yet another one. Some of them are very new to cycling and enjoy building up their cycling wardrobe as they begin to ride some organized tours. A few of our riders don't even wear traditional cycling jerseys, preferring T-shirts or standard gym clothes. And still others greatly enjoy a souvenir jersey www.sportzonabrasil.com.br from various bike tours taken, no matter how overflowing their closet may already be with cycling apparel! It's a really mixed bag!
So... starting in 2016, to suit everyone's individual preference and at the same time keep our basic tour prices low, we will offer a custom designed colorful full-zip Buckeye Country Roads cycling jersey for purchase at a reasonable price. You can order the jersey at the time you register for a tour, or you can contact us apart from the registration process to place an order. Even if you choose not to tour with us, we will still sell you one of our jerseys if you simply can't resist that lovely design! Download a jersey order form here.
So... starting in 2016, to suit everyone's individual preference and at the same time keep our basic tour prices low, we will offer a custom designed colorful full-zip Buckeye Country Roads cycling jersey for purchase at a reasonable price. You can order the jersey at the time you register for a tour, or you can contact us apart from the registration process to place an order. Even if you choose not to tour with us, we will still sell you one of our jerseys if you simply can't resist that lovely design! Download a jersey order form here.
|
|
Is tipping appropriate?
We'd rather not bring this up, but we don't want you feeling uncomfortable on the subject as it relates to our tours.
Nobody on the Buckeye Country Roads team relies on or expects to receive gratuities. Therefore you will not see a tip jar or hear any hints about tipping the staff. If you feel we have done our jobs well, we really enjoy big smiles, warm handshakes, and bear hugs. If you feel you want to express thanks in any other way, that is entirely up to you. The very nicest ways you can thank us are to tell others about us and consider riding with us another time.
Nobody on the Buckeye Country Roads team relies on or expects to receive gratuities. Therefore you will not see a tip jar or hear any hints about tipping the staff. If you feel we have done our jobs well, we really enjoy big smiles, warm handshakes, and bear hugs. If you feel you want to express thanks in any other way, that is entirely up to you. The very nicest ways you can thank us are to tell others about us and consider riding with us another time.
Why choose Buckeye Country Roads over other tour companies?
We are a company run by two enthusiastic guys who have a ton of experience with what makes for a great bicycle tour, for what works well and what doesn’t. We regularly organize groups of friends to ride local routes of our design. Having done numerous tours involving sleeping on the ground in a tent, we appreciate the creature comfort of a nice cushy mattress in a resort-quality hotel. We want to provide you with the comforts and amenities missing in http://www.sportzonabrasil.com.br/ so many other multi-day rides. We are the two primary people you’ll be dealing with day by day, riding and dining alongside you or driving the SAG vehicle, so you can rest assured that the company owners are the ones directly responsible for your having a fun and successful vacation. We are very committed to making you happy and, as a result, having you as a return customer and recommending us to others in the future.
Another advantage we have is that we are based in Ohio. As such we have a low to moderate cost of living which equates to a low to moderate cost of doing business, which we pass on to our customers. If you live in Ohio or a nearby state, you can appreciate the great benefit of not having to fly and/or pack and ship your bike to our tour. If you are coming from a more distant part of the country (or the world), first and foremost THANK YOU for your decision to experience Ohio cycling. If you are flying in for one of our tours, you will find that Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Akron-Canton have nice airports and a good variety of moderately priced flights.
We are confident that our customers will be amazed at the great treasures that lie in Ohio in terms of the towns, the people, and the wonderful bicycling terrain and scenery. We are committed to exceeding your expectations, and at the end of the week we expect you to say, “That was cycling at its best!”
Another advantage we have is that we are based in Ohio. As such we have a low to moderate cost of living which equates to a low to moderate cost of doing business, which we pass on to our customers. If you live in Ohio or a nearby state, you can appreciate the great benefit of not having to fly and/or pack and ship your bike to our tour. If you are coming from a more distant part of the country (or the world), first and foremost THANK YOU for your decision to experience Ohio cycling. If you are flying in for one of our tours, you will find that Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Akron-Canton have nice airports and a good variety of moderately priced flights.
We are confident that our customers will be amazed at the great treasures that lie in Ohio in terms of the towns, the people, and the wonderful bicycling terrain and scenery. We are committed to exceeding your expectations, and at the end of the week we expect you to say, “That was cycling at its best!”
TRAVEL INFO
How do I get to the start of my tour?
If you drive, we expect to meet you at the designated starting hotel for the tour you have chosen.
If you fly, it's your responsibility to get yourself, your luggage and bike to the starting hotel. Renting a car is usually the best option for this. Some folks who fly to our tours have found it convenient to rent bikes through one of our partner bike shops (contact us for assistance) or to ship bikes to the starting hotel using a ground shipping service such as FedEx or UPS. We have written a document that provides a more in-depth discussion of the process for renting and shipping bikes and using bike shops for bicycle assembly/disassembly.
One more point on air travel -- since we are based in Columbus, OH and drive from there to the start of each tour, it is possible that you could catch a ride with us from Columbus to/from the tour, assuming we have room to do so and you are able to book your air travel in/out of Port Columbus airport (CMH). Check with us if you are considering this.
If you fly, it's your responsibility to get yourself, your luggage and bike to the starting hotel. Renting a car is usually the best option for this. Some folks who fly to our tours have found it convenient to rent bikes through one of our partner bike shops (contact us for assistance) or to ship bikes to the starting hotel using a ground shipping service such as FedEx or UPS. We have written a document that provides a more in-depth discussion of the process for renting and shipping bikes and using bike shops for bicycle assembly/disassembly.
One more point on air travel -- since we are based in Columbus, OH and drive from there to the start of each tour, it is possible that you could catch a ride with us from Columbus to/from the tour, assuming we have room to do so and you are able to book your air travel in/out of Port Columbus airport (CMH). Check with us if you are considering this.
Do you offer trip insurance?
Trip insurance can be a good investment especially if you are flying or have any concerns about personal or family situations that could disrupt your vacation. We don't promote any particular brand of trip insurance but a wide variety of coverages are available. A website such as www.travelinsurance.com provides very convenient and easy one stop shopping, comparing the offerings from multiple insurers.
ON THE BIKE
What sort of bike do I need to ride your tours?
Any multi-geared bike in excellent shape should be fine. Most riders use road bikes or hybrid bikes. We've also had tandem riders, and welcome those on recumbent bikes.
Do I need to ride every day?
Absolutely not!! Our tour is your personal vacation and it's up to you to decide how much cycling you want to do. We do strongly urge everyone to ride on those 3 or so days during the week when we all move from one hotel to another. This is simply because our large SAG vehicle on those days is very busy shuttling luggage to the next town in addition to its other support duties. Naturally we will do all we can on those days to accommodate any special situations, but significant delays may be incurred.
How do I navigate the routes on your tours and keep from getting lost?
Buckeye Country Roads has embraced GPS technology from Garmin for use on all its tours. We piloted the use of loaner Garmin Edge 200 GPS units by riders on our 2015 tours as the de facto means of route navigation, and customer reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Read our new detailed statement to get a fuller picture of the advantages we feel this technology brings.
If you plan to ride with us on an upcoming tour or would simply like to learn more about the use of the Garmin Edge 200, please review our training document and the Garmin Edge 200 Owner Manual.
If you have your own GPS unit, whether a smartphone app or a dedicated Garmin or other device, we always make available the GPS course files in popular formats for you to load into your own device.
Read our new detailed statement to get a fuller picture of the advantages we feel this technology brings.
If you plan to ride with us on an upcoming tour or would simply like to learn more about the use of the Garmin Edge 200, please review our training document and the Garmin Edge 200 Owner Manual.
If you have your own GPS unit, whether a smartphone app or a dedicated Garmin or other device, we always make available the GPS course files in popular formats for you to load into your own device.
What if I prefer not to use GPS?
NO PROBLEM!! We also distribute very detailed route maps with our routes highlighted and color coded, and cue sheets containing turn-by-turn directions and pointing out the key attractions and points of interest along the routes.
What is the terrain like?
Most of our routes are flat to gently rolling, but every tour has at least a hill or two. The Amish Country Adventure has the most climbing, some of it significant. Regarding The Amish Country Adventure in particular, keep in mind the following:
- The most scenic roads in any area will generally have some hills. Our routes take advantage of Ohio’s beautiful scenery. You can count on at least two or three climbs a day and lots of gentle undulations.
- Your bicycle is designed to get you as comfortably as possible up and down the hills. A specific equipment recommendation is a bike with a triple or compact crankset and/or a rear cassette with a large cog of 30 teeth or greater.
- If any hill is problematic for you, you can always walk your bike (or our SAG vehicle will help speed you around it!)
- You will feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment having a couple of nice hill climbs and descents under your belt!
What type of roads do your tours use?
We generally use lightly travelled country roads and lanes. We regularly check them in order to make sure that there are no surface or construction problems facing riders. When available we utilize existing bike paths or bike lanes. Of course, some of the tours are in vacation 'hot spots', and therefore there is some traffic in some areas. But we try hard to avoid any such difficulties.
On any given tour day, it's our policy to send someone out on that day to check out the following day's route, minimizing the chance of bad surprises concerning road work, fresh oil or chip seal, etc.
On any given tour day, it's our policy to send someone out on that day to check out the following day's route, minimizing the chance of bad surprises concerning road work, fresh oil or chip seal, etc.
What is the makeup of your ride support team?
On all our tours your leaders, Rod and Joe, will be there to coordinate things. We also have two additional staff members who assist with all the various tasks involved in running a smooth bicycle tour. Every day that we ride, at least one of us will be on a bike and at least one of us will be driving a SAG vehicle.
What kind of support can we expect along the routes?
Most days we'll have two staff on bikes, generally one riding toward the front end of the group and the other toward the rear. Since we usually have two route options a day and various other dynamics with any given group, we will use our judgment as to where our support rider(s) will best be positioned relative to the group as a whole. If we don't happen to have a cycling staff member "sweep" the route behind the last riders, we will do our sweep via a SAG vehicle. We want to make sure everybody can finish the day's ride without problems. We also rely greatly on cell phone communication, so PLEASE do not be shy about ever calling one of our team for any reason if we are not nearby to assist you. We don't want to "hover" around riders if they'd prefer that we don't, but we are delighted to ride alongside you if you don't mind the company. Above all, we want you to be able to ride in the manner and the pace with which you are comfortable.
Our SAG vehicles are typically one large panel van and one or two small SUVs or cars. We put blue colored magnetic signs on our vehicles to help you identify them on the road. All our vehicles carry water, snacks, maps and cue sheets, a tire pump, tubes, and at least a few basic tools. Every day we have a snack stop about half-way through the day's shorter route.
Our SAG vehicles are typically one large panel van and one or two small SUVs or cars. We put blue colored magnetic signs on our vehicles to help you identify them on the road. All our vehicles carry water, snacks, maps and cue sheets, a tire pump, tubes, and at least a few basic tools. Every day we have a snack stop about half-way through the day's shorter route.
What about the wineries?
We're glad you asked. All our tours except Trails Across Ohio ride past a number of wineries. Ohio wines are not exactly in the same league as the great wines of California, France or Italy, however there are some very nice wines to be sampled in many varieties. The wine industry in Ohio has many challenges often related to severe winter weather, yet they continue to produce nice wines, using a mix of grapes that may be locally grown or imported from other areas, depending on the particular wines being produced and other factors. The owners of the various wineries have invariably been wonderful to us, and often agree to adjust their hours to accommodate our riding schedule. If you enjoy wine, or even just a snack and soft drink on the route, we encourage you to give our wineries a try and meet the nice folks who run them!!
OFF THE BIKE
What are the lodgings like?
We use the best available hotels, resorts, and lodges available to us in the areas of our tours. These are NOT places that will overwhelm you with extravagance; frankly Ohio doesn't have many of these anyway, and we'd just as soon not add $1000 or $2000 to the price of your tour for no reason that contributes to a great week on a bicycle. You will find our accommodations clean, comfortable, and welcoming to cyclists. You will be able to store your bicycle to your room each night, and you will not feel awkward about walking the halls with your grease tattoos and sweat-soaked lycra/poly clothing.
What are the meals like?
Our tours include a bountiful breakfast every morning with hot and cold items, and a catered dinner with choice of entrees 3 or 4 of the 6 evenings of the tour. We try to accommodate a variety of food preferences (beef, fish, pastas, chicken, etc.) at each catered dinner. On nights when dinner is not included, you will have the opportunity to explore other local eateries on your own. Sometimes on these nights, we will pick a place we'd love to introduce to others and give you the option to join.
Lunches are entirely on your own, which we feel is the best way for everyone to suit their own tastes and to discover a variety of great lunch spots along the routes. With a well-stocked snack stop available each day, however, many will need to supplement that only with an occasional pastry, sandwich or ice cream cone.
Food choices, on the whole, are best characterized as "wholesome, Midwestern style comfort foods". While you can seek and find your fair share of Italian, Mexican and Chinese foods on our tours you'll have a bit of difficulty finding sushi, middle Eastern, or other cuisines of an exotic nature.
Lunches are entirely on your own, which we feel is the best way for everyone to suit their own tastes and to discover a variety of great lunch spots along the routes. With a well-stocked snack stop available each day, however, many will need to supplement that only with an occasional pastry, sandwich or ice cream cone.
Food choices, on the whole, are best characterized as "wholesome, Midwestern style comfort foods". While you can seek and find your fair share of Italian, Mexican and Chinese foods on our tours you'll have a bit of difficulty finding sushi, middle Eastern, or other cuisines of an exotic nature.
What if I have special dietary needs?
Just let us know the specifics at the time you register for the tour, and we'll make sure your needs will be satisfied.