Cycle of Life Adventures

This 4-day riding and social event will be designed for rider levels from Recreational to Advanced. The design of this tour keeps us in Asheville for all four nights. There will be one low cost of $695 per person for up to four days of riding. You will have all maps and GPS routing, van support at 10-15 mile intervals, mechanical support, energy drinks, riding snacks, brewery tour and an occasional van ride for those who are tired. Guests will pay for their own rooms, their own meals and will be responsible for their own transportation and bicycle shipment.

Our base camp hotel will be Sheraton Four Points in downtown Asheville and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Or, you and your group may opt to rent a VRBO or Airbnb in the local area. There will be one casual catered meal and a complimentary Wine and Brew social on our first evening. The group ride will be limited to the first 20 riders. Route maps will become available when you sign up.

In 2020, we reintroduced our Epic Appalachian cycling tour. We have brought back our former version of a ride, which parallels the Appalachian Trail, and combined it with our Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive tour. The tour starts in a rustic and rural western corner of Maine and parallels the Appalachian Trail on low volume surface streets to our termination point in Cherokee, NC.

This is an original route designed by Cycle of Life Adventures. This is a 28-day cycling experience that can be done entirely or in halves. The full experience congratulates you with 1,440 miles of riding and 107,000 feet of elevation gain.

The northern segment will include the wilderness of central Maine, the Green and White Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Red Mountains of Connecticut, Mountains of eastern and central PA and New Jersey, The Delaware Gap, The Pocono Mountains, and Gettysburg, PA.

After our mid-way break near Gettysburg, PA, we then have the hills to contend with. Big hills! They are beautiful, lush green and at altitude, so the temperatures will be nice for riding. Many miles of the southern segment will include the full length (105 miles) of Skyline Drive National Park and 469 miles of the Blue Ridge National Parkway.

Right out of the starting gate, you get to experience our favorite ride of this trip, the Kancamagus Highway. Then, we ride on the quiet roads and enjoy the rustic scenery of Vermont. Vermont bicycle touring is the granddaddy of bicycle travel and is still a popular destination today. Vermont and New Hampshire roads will be quiet because we are ahead of the “Leaf Peeper” season.

We visit the Robert Frost Museum and Norman Rockwell Museum. New England will be quiet at this time of their early tourist season and the rolling countryside orchards of western Pennsylvania and Maryland will be greening up. In most minds, one thinks of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts as being nothing but city. Just 50 miles north of NYC, we find some charming small towns with rolling hills, rivers and great scenery, as well as one of the Vanderbilt mansions. You will have the thrill of riding your bike across the Hudson River on the walkway bridge. Don’t blink your eyes or you will miss our tiny crossing through the state of New Jersey.

Through most of Pennsylvania, we hug the valleys between Appalachian ranges, the Poconos and some parts of the Delaware Water Gap. The beautiful capital city of Harrisburg lends to some comfortable scenic bike trails along the Susquehanna River. With a break day coming up, we have few days to take us into some of our country’s most well-preserved and educational Civil War Battlefields and the historic town of Gettysburg. There are several types of tours for the battlefields of Gettysburg National Military Park to fill your rest day. We will also be adding or subtracting guests, as this is our halfway spot and a chance for others to join us on the southern half of the trip.

From Gettysburg, we will now head to Harper’s Ferry, WV, before we take on Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. The southern portion of this epic journey takes us into a couple of wonderful National Park Inns like The Peaks of Otter, and Big Meadows in VA and Pisgah Inn in NC. These NP lodges have beautiful long-range views. There are many pull-offs, nearly 300 hundred overlooks, on Skyline and the Parkway. The road surfaces are nicely paved, but you will need bright head lamp and flashing tail lamps to find your way through the 27 tunnels that have been carved into the mountainsides along these roadways. Throw in some water shoes – we ride past cool mountain streams, waterfalls and swimming holes.

Small mountain towns of Meadows of Dan, Fancy Gap, Blowing Rock and Linville to name a few, will be our resting spots nightly before we wrap up our tour near the vibrant small city of Asheville, North Carolina. Think about meeting family and friends after the tour and stay a few extra days to enjoy local beer scene, the River Arts District and The Biltmore Estate.

Visit these sites for more information about the local areas: Bethel Maine • Norman Rockwell • Manchester VT • Jim Thorpe PA • Gettysburg • Harper’s Ferry WV • Skyline Drive • Blue Ridge Pkwy

The roads are in fabulous condition and only the northern end has any hills to speak of. The distances are modest and although there are a few days where the mileage may seem overwhelming, the support van is always there to provide a lift. The road is well marked with 442 roadside mileage markers making it almost impossible to get lost.

The Trace is rural in nature and carries no commercial traffic. That means no bus fumes, no tractor trailers, no billboards or shopping centers. We picnic almost daily, so that we can stay on the beautiful road and take advantage of great picnic and restroom facilities. In the evening, we will overnight in small southern towns just off the Trace.

The history of the Trace goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The Trace was inhabited by Native American Tribes, settlers who found their way over the Appalachian Mountains, trappers and traders heading home to the north, civil war soldiers with their horses and farmers moving their herds to market.

Small towns are scattered minutes off the Trace. The Northern terminus is just south of Nashville, TN. Other substantial towns are Florence, AL; Tupelo MS; Jackson, MS; and Vicksburg, MS. Relax and enjoy the ride!

Typical Itinerary: The north to south route is our usual route. South to north is an option for your custom tour if you would like, with the identical mileage, and with the same stopping points.

This delightful Epicurean Tour is sure to please. You will need a good day of riding and activity after an evening dining in Charleston, Beaufort or Savannah. Charleston alone boasts 600-plus eateries. The area has become a Mecca for culinary graduates. You will be surprised at Elli’s version of Frogmore Stew, as we dine under the stars on beautiful Fripp Island.

The town of Charleston is known for it’s historic district, lovely architecture, brick alleys and Civil War sites. Upon your arrival in Charleston, enjoy walking and pedaling past grand mansions, battlegrounds beneath canopies of Live Oaks. The Fall season on the South Carolina coast offers mild temperatures, lower humidity and less traffic and tourism. While the spring season offers shades of brilliant green vegetation and young birds taking flight. What a great time to cycle and work off the Thanksgiving calories.

As we head south from Charleston, we will ride through one of the East Coast’s largest protected estuarine systems: the ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee, Edisto River System). Currently, there are 217,000 acres protected by federal, state, local and private parties. Here we will enjoy kayaking and walks along raised boardwalk among cypress swamps and wetlands. Continuing south, we enjoy beautiful semi-tropic forest and white sand beaches on Hunting, Fripp and Edisto Islands.

We wrap up our final days with riding, dining, and sight seeing in and around the historic water front towns of Beaufort, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.

Why this route? This is the shortest route from coast to coast at 2885 miles, yet you’ll still have bragging rights of cycling across the country.

The timing will be perfect for those who want to get a big jump on their 2023 miles. As we progress West to East, we should have the best, consistent temperatures ranging from the 60s to perhaps the 80s–perfect cycling conditions.

While we won’t guarantee freshly paved bike trail for the entire route, we will boast that we have sought the most accommodating routes available in the area and you will enjoy scenery to include: seashores, mountains, ranch lands, wildflowers, bayous and citrus groves.

This southern route takes us through wonderfully warm towns in southern California. We climb out of San Diego and head toward the Arizona border, Tucson, Tombstone, and the Chiricahua Mountains before taking on our 3rd state, New Mexico (Land of Enchantment).

Then, we are on to Texas where we will ride 1/3 of our tour crossing TX at its widest part. We enjoy the flat ranches of western TX, the TX Hill Country, just outside of Austin, and on to the rolling hills of east TX.

From there, it’s a few days of riding across Louisiana. Time to enjoy some Cajun cooking. We cross the boot heels of both Mississippi and Alabama, then take a ferry across Mobile Bay to enter FL’s panhandle. North Florida has a varied landscape of strawberry fields, lush Live Oaks, horse farms, small college towns and orange groves, as we move toward the coast. If you are curious, try connecting the dots:

San Diego, CA · Tucson, AZ · Tombstone, AZ · Columbus, NM · El Paso, TX · Del Rio, TX · Austin, TX · LaGrange, TX · De Ridder, LA · St. Francisville, LA · Poplarville, MS · Mobile, AL · Dauphin Island, AL · Pensacola, FL · Tallahassee, FL · Gainesville, FL · St. Augustine, FL

So, you have dreamed of riding your bike from coast to coast but don’t have 55 days to trek across The United States with us. We have a nice alternative. The state of Florida is finishing up a series of bikeways that will take us from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast.

On this tour we will utilize 12 of the Florida Trails, great surface streets with 97% paved surfaces. Did you know Florida has over 100 cycling trails?

This all-inclusive tour is designed for active cyclists who love riding an average of 50 miles per day on paved trails and streets with bike lanes and shoulders. We recommend a modest pace of 10-15 miles per hour. The central Florida trails and “Old Florida” are dotted with quaint and beautiful, historic towns as well as the highly desirable white sand beach towns of the gulf coast.

Take your time and enjoy your ride. The support van will be a few miles up the road should you need assistance. We welcome e-bikes and 2-wheel recumbents, but do not have transportation space for trikes. There will be no camping with this group. Just nice hotels, B&Bs and great dining out.

The tour is a destination tour starting near Cape Canaveral and ending at St Petersburg Beach, Florida. You may opt to come early and stay late and enjoy a little warm Florida weather. We can provide a shuttle for you and your bike back to our starting point if you are ready to leave St Pete’s Beach after the conclusion of the tour.

Tour Highlights

• Cape Canaveral
• Historic Winter Garden
• Clermont
• Historic Brooksville
• Florida Trails
• St Petersburg Beach

Your cycling covers the rural counties of Buncombe, Yancey, Watauga, Avery, Ashe and Mitchell. You’ll bike the famous Blue Ridge Parkway and catch majestic views of the surrounding mountains and valley townships. Leaving the parkway and getting off the main routes, you’ll be guided through little known country roads where you find small towns, Christmas tree farms dotting the hillsides, general stores, rushing waterfalls and upscale ski town resorts.

A few of our favorite towns and stops:
Little Switzerland • Blowing Rock • Linville • Todd • Weaverville • Bakersville • Penland • Marshall

West Virginia is packed with history, heritage, adventure and good ole southern hospitality which will create a memorable cycling experience you should not miss.

This 4-day riding and social event will be designed for rider levels from recreational to advanced. We will visit and reside nightly in the historic town of Lewisburg. There will be one low cost of $695 per person for up to four days of riding and included activities and services. Every day will include shorter casual options and “advanced” options. Distances can vary from 15 miles of touring to a choice of metric century rides. The group ride will be limited to the first 20 riders. We will ride some quiet, one lane roads in great little towns near: Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs, Crow, VA and the Greenbrier River Trail.

This area is within 8 hours driving time for cyclists coming from the Ohio Valley or much of the East coast, including DC, NY, Philly, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Raleigh, and Cincinnati. If heading back to the upper East coast or toward Chicago, you can easily catch an Amtrak train just outside the Greenbrier Inn, and we can ship your bike home to you (White Sulphur Spings Amtrak does not offer check baggage service). Please call about their schedule.

Each day of cycling will take us through quiet, country roads of the scenic Greenbrier River Valley, parts of the Midland Trail National Scenic Byway, sections of the Farm Heritage Road, or along the banks of the New River (which, by the way, is thought to be one of the oldest rivers in the world) and a day of riding the Greenbrier River trail with a hybrid style bike.

The towns in the Greenbrier area offer great small-town charm, art colonies, upscale southern dining and wonderful adventure activities. You can spend one day on the New River for a day of rafting some of the best whitewater in the world. Yet another afternoon, we tour “the Bunker” beneath the historic Greenbrier Inn. After the tour, you should think about staying a few extra days, take in more rafting on the Gauley and New Rivers, fly fish the many mountain streams, zip line excursions or indulge in a little mountain biking on the many miles of trails. New routes are available for those staying after for some gravel riding near The New River National Park. We will hook you up with the best area guides.

We have made this tour super easy to get to for a super Spring Break for the whole family. Our starting point is a short drive from the Jacksonville International airport to the hip town of Jacksonville Beach.

There are so many things to enjoy in this area of Florida; Tons of history in the heart of St Augustine, beautiful state park riding in Fernandina Beach, kayaking near Amelia Island, great flat roads, upscale resorts for a little pampering, and some “Me time” to ready yourself from the hectic holiday season. Enjoy this southern adventure while having the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterways at your side.

This adventure begins in Jacksonville/Atlantic Beach with a warmup local ride if you arrive early. We venture north passing through Little Talbot Island State Park and the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve to Fernandina Beach. There is a layover day in Fernandina, so plenty of time to cycle the Fort Clinch State Park, Amelia Island or kayak the estuaries of the Amelia and St Mary’s Rivers. We pass the many marshlands and State Parks where there is a great deal of bird watching. After two wonderful evenings in Fernandina area, we head south for three days of cycling and sightseeing in the beautiful town of St. Augustine. There are lighthouses, intown historic routes and beautiful loop routes which take us to a lovely ride along the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Arrive early or stay after and play golf on numerous courses or fish along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The GAP/C&O are two of the premier gravel route bike tours in the USA, showing off our Rails-to-trails system, traveling from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, DC. These two combine for 335 miles of great car-free trails, with tons of local history, charm and cultural aspects. The GAP is a well-maintained crushed limestone trail with a max incline of around 3%. It crosses the Eastern Continental Divide. The C&O follows the tow path that was used to move coal from PA to DC via barges and a system of locks along the canal route. Both routes are part of the linear national park that goes the distance of the two combined routes.

Bicycle recommendations for this trip are a hybrid, mountain or or gravel grinder with tires of at least 32+ mm in width. The C&O can be muddy in spots, so that is something to think about, as well. Due to some tunnels over 3000 feet in length, headlights and rear taillights are required.

• Journey through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area
• Washington Heritage Trail National Scenic Byway
• Appalachian Trail
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
• Potomac Heritage National Trail
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
• Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area