Hills, Thrills and Frills: The Epic tour
by Sarah Clark Allen, Office Manager
High atop King Ridge Road, the golden hillsides of California spilled for miles on either side of us. We were halfway through the day’s ride on the California Epic tour — 40 miles beyond last night’s lodging in Healdsburg, and in another universe entirely. For the last 10 miles, we’d been climbing. Higher and higher we inched past switchback after switchback, accompanied only by the sounds of the forest and our own breathing. Ten percent grades tilted to 20 percent in places, dropping us all to our easiest gear and triggering triple-chain-ring envy among those with only a double.
Then, suddenly, we emerged, sweaty but triumphant, at the top, into an expanse of blue sky and rolling, oak-covered hillsides. The pristine vista stretched to the horizon. Only the cows, staring blankly as we pedaled by, heard our victory cries.
“You’ve hit the person that wants the long miles but also wants the fine dining and hotel experience.” — Jeff Thomas, Austin, TX
And victorious we were, covering more than 400 miles and nearly 35,000 feet of climbing during the week. BA made no bones about how tough it was going to be, pointing out that three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond used to train here, and pro cyclist Levi Leipheimer still does. At the first night’s orientation, operations manager Brad Sauber, who helped develop the trip, told our group that this trip was full of “long, hard climbs” and “wicked grades.”
What kind of person calls that a vacation? Plenty, apparently, judging from the fact that BA’s original two Epic dates sold out almost immediately, prompting owner Bob Clark to add two more to the schedule. A few people in our group had cycling resumés you might expect on such a challenging tour: a triathlete; a hill racer whose 1:15:14 time in the Mt. Washington Hillclimb race was good enough to let him start with the pros; a woman with more than a dozen major cycling tours already under her belt.
But there were more moderate riders as well, including several folks from Chicago who have to travel far from home to find a hill.
We ranged in age from 34 to 72, but one thing linked us all: an eagerness for long days of riding through stunning scenery. “Most bike tours are only 20 miles a day,” said Sabrina Olsen of Riverside, Ill. “It’s not enough for us.”
Nada Pendic of Evanston, Ill., agreed, lured by BA’s promise of 60 to 80 challenging miles per day. “Long miles? Lots of climbing? Sign me up!” she said, and managed to scale all of the hills on a hybrid bike.
This group wanted tough biking days, but plush comforts at night. Other tour companies offer long miles, but you end the day in a budget motel or a tent, noted Jeff Thomas of Austin, Texas. BA’s Epic tour pampers guests with luxurious accommodations such as the Hotel Healdsburg and Sea Ranch Lodge. “You’ve hit the person that wants the long miles but also wants the fine dining and hotel experience,” Thomas said.
Outside magazine found the combination winning, naming BA’s Epic tour a 2006 Trip of the Year. BA has modified it slightly for its "Challenge Collection" and added a new Epic tour in Oregon.
Back on King Ridge, our group loved rolling along the backbone of California’s Coast Range before dropping down to the Pacific Ocean and our lodging in Bodega Bay. Jaws dropped at the gorgeous ocean vistas. Even those who had biked extensively in Europe were impressed.
“That has to be one of the best roads I have ridden on, ever,” said Jeanne O’Connor of Cortlandt Manor, New York. All of the riders agreed: It was truly epic.