Follow Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer along the Amgen Tour of California race route--while the race is going on. This package allows you to be both a spectator at the stages, and to ride some of the choicest sections of the course from Sonoma to Los Angeles. In 2010, the professionals climb the Angeles Crest Highway, and so do the riders on this trip. Team RadioShack may have private soigneurs, but guests of Bicycle Adventures get to stop at wineries.
Bicycle Adventures
P.O. Box 11219
Olympia, WA 98508
360-786-0989
bicycleadventures.com
Feel like bike camping across California, but not schlepping huge panniers full of gear? Consider the Sierra to the Sea Bicycle Tour. Like a pioneer's Conestoga wagon, it rolls from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, across the Sacramento and Napa Valleys, down to San Francisco. Unlike those Conestogas, you also get to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. The 420 miles are grueling, but economical. The June 2010 trip features eight days of riding, with support-and-gear (SAG) wagons, luggage valets, camping reservations and most meals, for $655. Why the reasonable price? The Almaden Cycle Touring Club of San Jose, a not-for-profit organization, puts on the event.
Almaden Cycle Touring Club
P.O. Box 7286
San Jose, CA 95150
sierratothesea.org
The characters in the movie "Sideways" may not have infatuated you, but if you fell in love with the scenery, ride it with Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours. They offer day tours, weekend tours, and all-inclusive packages with some of the Santa Ynez Valley's fancier hotels. Enjoy a "Cycle Tour and Spa Package" at the sumptuous Fess Parker Inn, which includes a fireplace room, couples massage, two wine tastings, and your choice of rides from rolling and easy to "Lance Armstrong trains here."
Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycle Tours
3630 Segunto Street
Santa Ynez, CA 93460
888-557-8687
winecountrycycling.com
