WomanTours

New Louisiana Bike Tour Video

2009-06-12T22:04:00.006-04:00

If you've always wondered what it would be like to try a tour with WomanTours, then here's a chance to see for yourself. Annette Lein has produced an amazing short film for us, but, of course, she had some amazing talent to work with. View our first video and let me know what you think!

Biking the Bayou with WomanTours on Vimeo.

Invitation to Bike Ride for Ovarian Cancer in Washington, DC

2009-06-10T12:52:00.005-04:00

Laurey Masterton finished our 3000-mile cross-country Southern Tier tour earlier this year and raised a lot of money in the process for the fight against ovarian cancer. She's been invited to deliver the closing speech at the 12th annual Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s annual conference in Washington next month.

In conjunction with the conference, Laurey is planning a short bike ride. Everyone is invited to join her for a fun, moderate bicycle ride on July 5th at 10:00am. Meet at Temple Ohr Kodesh at 8300 Meadowbrook Lane in Chevy Chase, MD. It is one block from the intersection of East-West highway and Rock Creek Park.

Bike about 30 miles from Chevy Chase to Lake Needwood and back along the Rock Creek Trail. There won't be SAG support, but the group plans to stay together and help one another if anyone needs assistance. Bring a spare tube, water and snacks.

At the end of the ride, there will be a light lunch and time to hear about Laurey's recent ride across the country. If you’d like to join her, contact her through her blog so she knows she'll have enough food at the end. She'd love the company.

This is primarily a fun ride, but if you are so moved, feel free to make a donation to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Make checks out to Jubilee with a note in the memo line "Laurey Bikes." Have a great ride!

Bicycle Gear Auction

2009-06-04T17:06:00.003-04:00

A good friend of mine is looking to help the children of Nepal. She's organized an on-line auction and all the winning bids go straight to the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation.

There are lots of bicycling related items. Bid on a bike tour to Vietnam, a bicycle travel case, or registration for the Heart of Virginia Century Ride. Or go for the round-trip air fare on Southwest Airlines or the Marriott in Chicago or the one-week oceanside villa in Nicaragua.

She's done a lot of work getting all these donations and organizing this auction. She's also an amazing bike rider. I've never been able to keep up with her. Now I know why - she has a ton of energy.

So bid on a couple of her items and have some fun. You'll get a bargain and help some children who really need it. Thank you.

National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6

2009-06-03T10:33:00.005-04:00

Go celebrate National Trails Day this coming Saturday, June 6. Even though the day is coordinated by the American Hiking Society, trails are used by a lot of us bikers as well.

Take your bike on a rail trail and show the country that if they build them, we will come. And consider joining a group in your area to help support our trails. Pick up litter, build a trail, or attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new trail opening.

If you like to both bike and hike, consider signing up for our multi-sport Adirondack tour this fall. (Sorry - couldn't resist!)

New Texas Hill Country bike tour

2009-05-30T14:20:00.004-04:00

We finally developed the bike tour our cross-country cyclists have been asking for. Our new Texas Hill Country bicycle tour should show everyone the best territory the Lone Star State has to offer. It's always been the area our Southern Tier tour cyclists tell us they wish could return to. And who better to design it than Michelle Slusher who has led our women across the country on their bicycles half a dozen times. We'll hope to hit it at the peak of wildflower season next April 3-9, 2010.

Second California Bike Tour Added to Fall Schedule

2009-05-24T12:14:00.002-04:00

Our October Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley tour filled so quickly that we've added a second tour to our fall schedule. It will be October 26-31, 2009. You can still be added to the waiting list for the first tour if someone cancels. But we have plenty of space on the second tour.

The Santa Ynez Valley is where the movie Sideways took place. I'm not a big fan of the film, but I do love the area's quiet vineyard roads for biking and the fantastic restaurants for dining. It offers all that Napa Valley does, but without the traffic and high expense. And then there's Santa Barbara, the Silver Bicycle Community Award winner, for all of its bike paths and lanes and bike friendly accommodations. Our tour is a good combination of the two regions.

Because of this addition, we've taken our Arizona in Autumn tour off of the schedule. We've been running it the same way for years now and it's time for a face lift. There are so many wonderful places to ride in and around Tucson. We're exploring some new routes and lodgings and will be changing our tour itinerary for the February tour. Stay tuned.

Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley bike tour

2009-05-14T19:47:00.005-04:00

It's funny that I would write about biking in the rain and then a week later, be in sunny Southern California. Boy, it's beautiful here. We had to switch the days of our Santa Barbara tour itinerary because of the Jesusita Fire last week, but in the end, it all went off splendidly.

We biked all the routes as planned, just on different days. The weather was perfect, the food excellent, and as always, the women have been a blast. For me, it was wonderful working with Michelle who was able to step in at the last minute. She filled in for Patty who had a family emergency. I'm jealous of the two of them who get to do this tour together this fall. They won't have the scent of ripening strawberries in the air. Instead, they'll get to watch the grape harvest.

WomanTours founder Gloria said that this tour beat our old Napa Valley tour hands down. "The roads are so much quieter!" she said. And we still got to do our share of wine tasting!

Riding in the Rain

2009-05-10T00:21:00.001-04:00

One of the most common questions I’m asked by women new to our bicycling tours is, “Do you ride in the rain?” The easy answer is that it’s always a choice to ride. Whether it’s rainy or sunny, it’s always your personal decision. However, peer pressure can take over and before we know it, the whole group will be bicycling in weather that individually none of us would have chosen to do on her own!

So the next time peer pressure gets the best of you, be sure that you’re prepared for it. Don’t let improper clothing or technique ruin your rainy ride.

First, invest in a good rain jacket. It should be a bright color, so it’s highly visible on grey days. Look for a jacket made of a waterproof but breathable fabric and is unlined, so you won’t roast in it. It should have a back vent and zippers beneath the arms to help let your body heat out as you ride. It should have a high neck and a low back, and its hood will either detach or fold up to get out of the way.

According to women on a cross-country tour who got caught in hurricane-like winds and rain, the Showers Pass Elite jacket is the best jacket on the market. Good rain jackets aren’t cheap but they’re worth it.

If there’s a chance of rain, you may also want to start your ride by putting a blinking red light on the back of your helmet or bike seat so you’ll be more visible. Wear wool socks to keep your feet warm even if they get wet, and a helmet with a visor to keep your eyeglasses streak-free. Stuff a hotel’s shower cap into your pocket to throw over your helmet if there’s a downpour. On colder days or in the hardest of rains, consider wearing rain pants and shoe covers to keep your legs and feet dry.

Once you find yourself in the rain, ride cautiously. Roads are especially slick at the first sign of a light shower. The little water can cover oil spots on the road and make them treacherous, so be especially careful. Remember that it takes longer to slow down when you brake on wet rims. Leave more space between you and the rider in front of you. Walk your bike over all railroad tracks, metal bridges and steel grates. They’re slippery when wet and have caused many a cyclist to go down! Avoid riding over wet leaves and through puddles. It’s hard to tell how deep a puddle is and what lies beneath its water’s depths.

If you’re careful and wear the right clothing, riding in the rain can be exhilarating. Colors take on a muted, surreal look. Smells become heightened and sounds louder. It can feel as if your senses have come alive. So the next time it rains this spring, don’t run for cover. Suit up and enjoy it!

Free Bike Clothing Offer

2009-05-06T11:55:00.002-04:00

I recently received this email from one of our riders, Tracy.

I have been working really hard to lose weight and so far, I've lost about 75 pounds. I have lots of plus-sized bike clothing that I would love to get rid of so that I will not have it to fall back on. Do you know someone that would wear about a 2X or 3X that would ride or ride more if they had the proper clothes? I would be happy to give the clothes to someone who would use them to get themselves in better shape.

Anyone out there in need of some larger size bike clothes? Pop me an email and I'll forward it to Tracy. No sense in having perfectly good cycling clothes go to waste!

Cross-Country Southern Tier Tour Finishes in St. Augustine!

2009-05-02T08:34:00.005-04:00

Our group of women successfully bicycled into St. Augustine, Florida on Thursday, completing their cross-country bicycle tour. Congratulations to all of them!

Here are some of them as they wait for the police escort before cycling their last few miles of the 3000-mile trip. And Lois dips her front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean. Her smile says it all!

Kudos from a Bicyclist on our Natchez Trace Tour

2009-04-30T10:29:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful way to start the day: to open my email and see this message from Jackie of Delaware, Ohio. She just finished our Natchez Trace Tour of Mississippi.

If I wanted to do another tour, it would be with you guys. You will get an "excellent" always from me when someone asks about your company. The biggest thing is if I'm tired, I can stop riding. If there's something wrong with my bicycle, it will get fixed. If I'm the last one, someone is with me until I finish and they coach you a little to get you to finish even when I would rather give up! Oh! We are fed like it's the last supper! There's always great food.

Thanks much for a great vacation! Keep doing what you do.
Sincerely,
Jackie

Boston to Provincetown Bike Ride

2009-04-22T16:31:00.002-04:00

If you need a good reason to go out and train this spring, or if you're just looking for a real challenge, consider joining a few of us on the Outriders 130-mile bike ride this June. Bicycle from Boston to Provincetown on June 20, 2009.

This isn't a WomanTours event. There's no SAG support, but the route is extremely well-organized, very well-marked and there are food breaks every 30 miles. They cap registrations at 300 people and usually donate to worthy causes with any leftover proceeds.

It's one of those rides that makes you feel really good when it's over. We always celebrate by going out to eat and a few of us will have to helped out of our chairs to leave the restaurant. Walking can be hard after bicycling 130 miles!

It's a great event - let me know if you want to join me.

Bike to Work Week and Women's Mountain Bike Rides in Pocatello

2009-04-20T11:16:00.003-04:00

Sandra runs the west coast office of WomanTours in Pocatello, Idaho. When she's not coordinating the logistics of all of our tours, she's volunteering her time on her local Bike to Work Committee. May is Bike to Work month, so it's not too early to help plan your own community's bike to work activities. Check with the League of American Bicyclists for more information.

Sandra is also an excellent mountain biker. She's starting a women's only mountain biking group to introduce women to the joys of bicycling the beautiful trails in and around Pocatello. If you're in the area, join her!

Second Louisiana Bayou bike tour comes to a close

2009-04-18T21:43:00.004-04:00

They biked up and down the Mississippi River, staying at historic antebellum homes along the way. Here's the group just before going out to ride.

For more pictures from the tour, see Annette's and Beth's blogs.

Fund Raising on our Southern Tier

2009-04-16T21:55:00.004-04:00

Some women bike across the country on our Southern Tier tour for the challenge. Others do it to see the country or to get into shape. But then there are a few women who use it to raise money for a cause and who inspire the rest of us.

As a 20-year survivor of ovarian cancer, Laurey Masterton is one of those women. So far she's raised $33,000 for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance toward her goal of $50,000. She'd like to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show to help spread the word. She owes her life to early detection. You can read more about Laurey in a recent article from the San Antonio Express-News.

Marci Silverman has raised more than $11,000 for the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's. Her grandfather died from the disease and her boyfriend's uncles suffer from it. She recently appeared on KPLC 7 news in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Laurey and Marci and all the women on the Southern Tier are an inspiration to the rest of us. They'll finish their trek from California to Florida in less than 2 weeks. Wish them luck.

Stopping in the Southern Tier

2009-04-14T08:10:00.004-04:00

After I finished our first Louisiana Biking the Bayou tour last week, I drove to meet the group doing our cross-country Southern Tier tour in St. Charles, LA for dinner.

They didn't realize it yet, but having just finished their 3 weeks in Texas, they're now on the downward slope of their tour. The state crossings - Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will come fast and furious now. They'll be in Florida and worrying about how to get their bikes back home before they know it.

Thanks for a great dinner, Linda and Lois. And a big thank you to our volunteer SAG drivers, Jan, Nancy, Ann and Carol, who are doing a wonderful job.

Louisiana Biking the Bayou bike tour

2009-04-13T18:13:00.004-04:00

Just back from helping lead our first Louisiana bike tour and I have such great memories. The roads were a little rougher and busier than we would have liked but they were FLAT, as promised. The food was delicious, especially if you liked seafood. The swamp tour was memorable, if not for the alligators, then for the airboat driver. For many of the women, it was the furthest and longest they'd ever biked - congratulations to all of them!

Here's kudos to Karen who raised $2000 for her Slippery Rock Community Library by biking her personal best!

Click on my twitters to the right to see more images from the tour.

Bike with your Favorite WomanTours Guide

2009-03-31T13:18:00.004-04:00

Many of the women who travel with us come to bicycle with their favorite guide. If you're having a hard time choosing your annual tour, then find your favorite leader below and join her!

If you'd like to see Laurie again, then you can find her this year on:
Louisiana Biking the Bayou
Natchez Trace of Mississippi
Maryland Eastern Shore
Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Maine & Acadia National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Outer Banks of North Carolina

Michelle will be guiding the following tours:
Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks
Idaho Greenways
Glacier National Park
Sun Valley of Idaho
Moab of Utah
Santa Barbara & Santa Ynez Valley in October
Arizona in Autumn
Death Valley National Park in November

Linda B will be guiding and cooking:
Teton Valley
Idaho Greenways in July
Glacier National Park
Northwest Loop
Arizona in Autumn
Death Valley National Park in November

Patty will be guiding and cooking:
Santa Barbara & Santa Ynez Valley
Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks
Teton Valley
Utah: Grand Canyon, Bryce and Capitol Reef
Utah: Moab

Sid will be guiding:
Alaska: The Inside Passage
Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard in September
Blue Ridge Rambler
Shenandoah National Park
Outer Banks of North Carolina

Linda G will be guiding:
Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard in June
Sun Valley of Idaho
Idaho Greenways in September

Lynne will be guiding:
Louisiana Biking the Bayou
Natchez Trace of Mississippi
Maryland Eastern Shore

Kimberly will be guiding:
Blue Ridge Rambler
Maine & Acadia National Park

Denise will be guiding:
Northwest Loop
Utah: Grand Canyon, Bryce and Capitol Reef

Meanwhile, you can find me on:
Louisiana Biking the Bayou
Santa Barbara & Santa Ynez Valley in May
Finger Lakes of NY with my sister Jen
Sun Valley of Idaho
Adirondacks fall foliage

Crossing Texas on the Southern Tier Cross-Country

2009-03-28T15:24:00.003-04:00

They entered Texas on March 20 and won't leave until April 9. Texas is a very looooong state and no one knows it better than the 23 women biking across it with our Southern Tier cross-country bike tour.

The women are experiencing the unseasonably cold air and wind that is making its way across the southern states right now. Lois writes, "How to keep warm on a bike in such weather? You put on every bit of clothing you have with you and pedal as fast as you possibly can."

Their ride yesterday took them, "to the tiny town of Marathon and the unexpectedly wonderful Gage Hotel - quintessentially Texan: stuffed dead animal heads on the walls, ornate saddles displayed as art, hammered copper ceilings, heavy wood furniture about 25% bigger than usual - quite wonderful. It's a very different world, this Texas is."

On her tweets, Marci just describes every day as, "the middle of nowhere...again."

Update on Cross-Country Southern Tier Bike Tour

2009-03-24T15:27:00.010-04:00

This just in from Lois, on our Southern Tier cross-country bike ride:

Out of Silver City, we climbed through the Gila National Forest, which looks almost like Colorado.

After the stark flatness of the California/Arizona/New Mexico deserts, it was a rich visual feast. Then, the cragginess opened up into a big, wide valley - we're talking, stealing from the world of Broadway musicals, Brigadoon - total magical enchantment. I was not the only lady who admitted to riding along mildly teary & choked up at the truly breathtaking beauty and thinking, "What did I do to deserve this?"

This is the view from Emory Pass, the crest of the Black Range, elevation 8,828'. The climb, by the way, wasn't all that bad - long, but not impossibly steep and I didn't have as hard a time with the altitude as I'd thought I was going to. Note to Self: "Things are Never as Bad as Anticipated."

The end of our ride was the Black Range Lodge - dating from the 1880's, off the grid, owned and run by a couple who are into straw bale building, with two wonderful resident dogs, Pepper and Charlie.

The next morning we continued down into the valley. Now, when I think "New Mexico" I think "Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque." This wasn't that NM at all - vast farmlands of...

pecan orchards...

...pima cotton fields...

...and miles of red and green chili peppers.

Food in South America

2009-03-20T13:02:00.006-04:00

I’ve always said that the best part about our tours is the fascinating women on them. Our Argentina and Chile tour was no exception.

Meet Maggie. When she’s not laughing at someone’s joke or bicycling across the Andes, she’s cooking and managing the kitchens at her Cesar restaurants in northern California. She's even published a cookbook.

All across South America, Maggie took photos of all of our meals. She reveled in learning how the food was prepared, the spices blended, the meat cooked. She taught me to salt and soak onions to soften their bite before adding them to salsa. She taught us that congria, loosely translated as whitefish, was really eel. She showed us that no matter how full we were, we could always eat dessert.

The next time you find yourself in the Bay Area, be sure to stop by Cesar and tell them WomanTours sent you. And be sure to look for the Argentina and Chile inspired dishes on the menu.

If you’re lucky, Maggie will be on your next tour. If so, beware. All the talk about food will make you eat more!

Argentina and Chile bike tour

2009-03-19T12:58:00.005-04:00

I'm just back from a fabulous WomanTours trip across the Andes from Argentina to Chile. We learned that unlike in the USA, cyclists in Argentina have no rights to the road. That looks to be changing, as this sign in Buena Aires announcing a bike lane will show.

Our group of women kept busy. We all biked every mile over the pass through the Andes.

Some of us went rafting below towering Mount Osorno.

Others hiked the sand dunes along the Pacific Ocean.

While others - namely Jan, Sue, Kathy and JoAnn - decided it was their duty to find the best pisco sour in South America. We all had a wonderful time!

Southern Tier Cross-Country Takes off from San Diego

2009-03-15T18:34:00.007-04:00

Our 23 women are off to a great start on their Southern Tier 2009 tour. Jim Grant from the Peninsula Beacon newspaper in San Diego was on hand to shoot these photos. Many thanks to him for sending them to us.

In just 10 days, the women are almost to New Mexico. Follow their itinerary here. Or see below for a list of their blogs.

Blogs about our Tours

2009-02-26T09:44:00.008-05:00

Follow tour photographers Annette and Beth as they drive the WomanTours Subaru "Bo Peep" support vehicle across the country to get ready for our Southern Tier 2009 cross-country bike tour. They're documenting their journey via photo and video blog here.

Then follow some of the women who will bike the Southern Tier tour on their blogs:
Patty Gadarian
Marni Harang
Peggy Kehew
Nancy Kelley
Laurey Masterton
Carol Moehrke
Susan Rosenthal
Marci Silverman
Elisabeth Tully

I'm about to leave for our Crossing the Andes tour in Argentina and Chile. You can read Sue Rapp's blog about our tour while we're gone.

Hopefully, all this reading will get you hankering to get out there on your bike yourself!

Bo Peep on her way to the start of our Southern Tier Cross-Country Bike Tour

2009-02-23T08:16:00.009-05:00

Follow the trek of Bo Peep (otherwise known as the WomanTours Subaru) as she makes her way from her winter home in Rochester, NY to the start of the Southern Tier tour in San Diego. Our trusty photographers and videographers, Annette and Beth, also double as excellent drivers. Follow their week-long journey at their beautiful and funny blog.