Jim and Lucy reach the Southernmost Point of the U.S.[/caption] A South Florida run-in I was chatting with our buddy Alex Graham from Charleston Bicycle Tours one time and he told me about running into another of our partners in the Florida Keys. Alex and his wife, Karen, were scouting the route for their Florida Keys: Everglades to Key West tour when they ran across Jim Sayer, Executive Director of Adventure Cycling Association (ACA), who they knew through industry events. Jim was in the home stretch of an epic self-contained bike tour from Charleston, SC (coincidentally, Alex and Karen's home!) to Key West, FL. Jim was joined by his 14-year-old daughter, Lucy, on this 19-day, 1,062 mile journey. They rode through South Carolina, Georgia, and the entire length of the Florida peninsula, first with an organized ACA group tour and then independent with the use of ACA's mapped bike routes. [caption id="attachment_1699" align="alignleft" width="178"]
Alex and Karen in Key West[/caption] Travel styles diverged The final leg of Jim and Lucy's trip covered the territory of ACA's own Florida Keys bike tour. It's a guided group tour, but it truly adheres to the "adventure" in the Association's name as a self-contained tour. That means you bring your own bike, haul your gear, share food prep responsibilities with the group, and overnight at campgrounds in tents. It's a true adventure with the camaraderie of a group ride and mutual support to be collectively self-sufficient. By contrast, Alex was riding through the Keys to hand-pick the finest accommodations and dining for the fully-supported tour he was designing at the time. Guests on the Florida Keys: Everglades to Key West bike tour enjoy van support, luxury accommodations, catered meals and fine dining. Your only job on this tour is to get to Florida, relax, and pedal – everything else is anticipated for your comfort before, during, and after the leisurely daily rides. Then came the rain Alex and Jim saw each other on the road a couple of times on sunny riding days, but as sometimes happens in such lush, tropical destinations, they encountered one day of driving rain. Alex quickly called on his support van to load his and Karen's bikes and shuttle them to the hotel to dry out. As they drove through the downpour, though, they spotted a couple of cyclists enduring the elements – Jim and daughter Lucy! The van stopped and Alex insisted that they throw bikes on the rack and join him and Karen on the short drive (but longer ride) to a dry haven – a perfect expression of the generous hospitality and reliable support provided to every Charleston Bicycle Tours guest. Jim, though, turned down the transfer offer. He and his daughter were committed to making the full trip on human power alone and were, of course, equipped with rain gear and fortitude, embodying the hardy attitude of the Adventure Cycling Association and its mission to "inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle." Having the pleasure of knowing both of these gents, I'm confident I can summarize what they were each thinking: "He's nuts to be riding in that VAN."
"He's nuts to be riding in that RAIN."
And they'd probably both be at least a little bit correct! But I love this story because it really illustrates the spectrum of bike travel experiences that BikeTours.com supports. Most of the tours we offer fall somewhere in the middle of these two Keys tours in terms of support and services, but these extremes of luxury vs. self-contained are a great example of the diverse experiences we work to bring to our clients to help you find the adventure of *your* dreams.
By Natalie Cook, Vice President at BikeTours.com