Cycle of Life Adventures

This six-day tour explores Minnesota's northern woods and lake country, a region well suited to gravel and road cyclists, swimmers, anglers and hikers alike. Starting and finishing in the lakefront town of Merrifield, riders follow the well-paved Paul Bunyan and Heartland trails, along with quiet country roads through small towns on the northern reaches of the Mississippi River.

Along the way there are statues and parks celebrating Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, plus stops at Lake Itasca and Lake Bemidji, with time for lakeside swimming and fishing at several overnight resorts. The tour is timed for late summer, once school holidays end and the trails are quieter.

Overnights are spent at lakefront resorts including Chase on the Lake and a DoubleTree on Lake Bemidji, with most meals included and group dinners on several evenings.

Highlights:

• Ride the paved Paul Bunyan and Heartland trails through Minnesota's lake country
• Statues and parks celebrating Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
• Lake Itasca and lakeside riding around Lake Bemidji
• Swimming, fishing and other lake activities at overnight resorts
• Quiet country and county roads through northern pine forests
• Small towns along the northern reaches of the Mississippi River

Surface and terrain:
Well-paved rail trails (Paul Bunyan, Heartland) combined with quiet rural and county roads. Notably hilly for the region, with roughly 2,800m of total elevation gain across the tour.

Suitable for: Advanced recreational to advanced cyclists able to average 10-15mph. Tricycles and e-bikes over 42lbs are not accommodated.

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 $895 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, dinners, riding snacks, brewery tour and an occasional van ride for those who are tired. Guests will pay for their own rooms and will be responsible for their own transportation and bicycle shipment.

Our base camp hotel will be the TownePlace Suites 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 a 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.

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.

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.

Southern Vermont is an easy to drive-to destination, making this tour ideal for travelers from the mid-Atlantic to the Ohio Valley and New England.

While on the road we had requests for more in the New England area. Coincidentally, an avid cyclist guest on our Florida Four Day owns a lovely B&B in Saxton’s River, Vermont. Loaded with an entire collection of rides throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, Dave offers not only his B&B but his knowledge of the area and routes ideal for cyclists from advanced beginners to avid.

The Vermont Four Day will be based out of Moore’s Inn in Saxtons River and offer four days of riding in southern Vermont and western New Hampshire. We venture east across the Connecticut River into the small towns of Walpole and ride as far west and north to include Ludlow, Proctorville, and Ascutney, VT.

Like our other four-day bike tour, this is 4-day riding and social event designed for rider levels from recreational to advanced. We will visit and reside nightly in the historic town of Saxtons River. The group ride will be limited to 13 riders. Our B&B will be limited to the first 11 guests. There are additional B&Bs within a short drive.

Each day of cycling will take us along quiet, country roads of the Connecticut River Valley

Why this route? This is the shortest route from coast to coast at 2940 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 new year 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

Cycle of Life Adventures is taking our vast experiences of crossing the country on the Southern Tier and going the length of the US along two Epic routes following the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Range to now offering a Northern Tier adventure. We have had a very high demand for this trip over the past couple of years.

This route will take in the many sights and vistas of the Cascades, Rockies, Appalachian and Adirondack Mountains as we ride from Astoria, OR to Portsmouth, NH. While it will be a challenging ride, (it is not all mountain), we will also travel across the Great Plains and around the Great Lakes. What an extraordinary way to see and experience the wonderful country we live in. This Epic Northern Tier option will include an estimated 3576 miles over 52 days, taking you through numerous states and a portion of eastern Canada. The average mileage will be in the 75-80 miles/day range (but of course, this is impacted by availability of lodging) and daily elevations will be determined as the route unfolds. We will work to include 5-7 rest days and several National Parks in our itinerary.

Further details, such as exact dates, pricing, and routes will start to post shortly. There has been a great deal of interest already, so please contact the office to get your name on the waitlist and mailing lists to receive updates.

The Florida Coast to Coast Bike tour takes you from The Fun Coast to The Sun Coast over 5 easy days of riding. 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 in New Smyrna Beach and ending in Dunedin, 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 Dunedin after the conclusion of the tour.

Tour Highlights

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

Designed for avid cyclists, this eight-day, 585-mile (941km) winter training tour runs the length of Florida, from Amelia Island in the north to Key West at the southernmost point of the US. Along the way riders pass through St Augustine, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Florida Keys, taking in the East Coast Greenway, hundreds of miles of barrier islands and beachfront communities.

The route is almost entirely paved, with a few hard-packed sand or gravel connecting sections, and stays flat throughout with just 858m (2,816ft) of total elevation gain. A comfortable road or gravel bike is recommended. Northerly and north-easterly tailwinds are hoped for but not guaranteed.

Accommodation is in quality hotels and resorts in each overnight town, including a night on Marathon for riders to explore independently. Breakfasts, picnic lunches and most dinners are included, along with a cocktail social hour on the first evening. The tour is capped at just 13 riders, and finishes with a rest day in Key West after crossing the Seven Mile Bridge and Overseas Highway.

Highlights:

• Ride the length of Florida from Amelia Island to Key West via the East Coast Greenway
• Historic St Augustine, Daytona Beach and glamorous Miami
• Hundreds of miles of barrier islands and beachfront communities
• Crossing the Seven Mile Bridge and Overseas Highway to the Florida Keys
• Rest day in Key West at the southernmost point of the US
• Small-group tour, capped at 13 riders

Surface and terrain:
Almost entirely paved, with occasional hard-packed sand or gravel connecting sections. Flat throughout, just 858m (2,816ft) total elevation gain over 941km. Road or gravel bike recommended.

Weather:
Mild-to-warm winter conditions can be expected.

Suitable for:
Advanced/avid cyclists comfortable with long daily distances (up to 155km). No minimum age stated.