WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EAST COAST TOURS
Most of your prep for your normal ride entailed pumping your tires and filling your water bottles, a trip that requires a bike a to be shipped can be a bit unnerving. So we are going to make this as least frightening as possible. Here is what you can expect: your bike can be available when you exit the train for the start of the tour and will make it back to your home. How that happens is up to you.
OPTIONS FOR BICYCLES:
Ship your bike via UPS/FedEx to Stamford, CT. We highly recommend one of the following 2 options that have experience in bike shipping Bike Flights and Ship Bikes. We recommend you make use of your local bike shop to have an expert pack your bike if you are unsure. Here are some partner shops. One disadvantage of this is you are without your bike prior and after the tour for a few days. And if it's your only bike that can be a downer if you are addicted to riding, lol. For the tour your bike will be assembled and ready to ride and then repacked to ship home. We will arrange shipment but cost is not included. Labels can be purchased in advance.
Flying with your bike. We are accepting of this but discourage it on a few counts. One, airlines lose things, no guarantee it will arrive and if you cut it close to start day, you might not have the bike for the tour start. Two, what to do with the bike box after bike is put together. Our tour vehicles cannot carry the box along the tour. OK to store it at the HQ in Stamford if you ship it there. Three, travelling with the bike and box after the airport arrival can be a pain. An advantage is you are traveling with your bike and not without it prior or after the tour.
RENT A BIKE! This will eliminate the shipping anxiety. We have a few partner shops that we can arrange a pick-up and have the bike ready at the start. Or you can go by beforehand to arrange a proper fit. Weekly rental costs are up to $200/week which is close to round trip shipping costs. Less headache. Please arrange with Wheel Tales in advance so we can assist for the best deal and fit.
ARRIVAL IN NY: Besides reasonable and frequent flights, one of the best things about flying into NY is the incredible transportation options. It might be overwhelming to arrive to a city as large as NY only made more intimidating if you are not used to public transportation. Highly recommended app called City Mapper is detailed down to the terminal-level. If you plan on spending a few days in NYC the app is invaluable. Wheel Tales will consider including a free Manhattan tour by bike (not your bike but using the bike share system) before or after tour depending on desire of fellow participants.
GETTING TO TOUR START: Each tour has a different start city which are all accessible by train. There are limited seats available via the van of which are first come first served.
Empire State- Available trains are boarded via Penn Station Amtrak Adirondack Line to Plattsburgh. It's a 7-hour train ride on Train #69. There is only one train daily departing at 8:15AM. Tickets are $69 one-way. Metro North tickets are $11.50 from Grand Central (NYC). There are 6 seats available in the van to travel from Stamford to Plattsburgh. There will be a host hotel in Plattsburgh (TBD).
Vermont Fall- You can board Penn Station Amtrak Ethan Allen Express for the 5-hour train ride to Rutland, VT. Scheduled departures vary depending on day of week. Tickets are $73 one-way. Metro North tickets are $11.50 from Grand Central (NYC). There are 6 seats available in the van to travel from Stamford to Rutland. There will be a host hotel in Rutland (TBD).
New England Autumn- You can take a Metro North train from Grand Central (NYC) to Stamford, CT. Off peak tickets are $11.50. There will be a host hotel in Stamford (TBD).
GETTING BACK TO NYC: Finish cities vary for each tour. Again train will be primary recommendation.
Empire State- Depending on housing availability, we will either finish in Syracuse or Albany area. You can board the Amtrak Empire Line to Penn Station with multiple trains daily. Tickets are (Syracuse) $73/(Albany) $49. There will be 6 seats available in van that returns to Stamford, CT.
Vermont Fall- We end in Plattsburgh, NY where you can take the Amtrak Adirondack Line to Penn Station. Tickets are $73 one way. As there is only one train per day, and most likely you will not be able to make it to Plattsburgh by 1:25PM on Sat., plan on staying in Plattsburgh for one night. There will be 6 seats available in van that returns to Stamford, CT.
New England Autumn- We end in Saratoga Springs where you can take the Amtrak Adirondack Line to Penn Station. Tickets are $73 one way. There is only one train per day at 4:45PM of which we should arrive with time to board on final day; or, you can choose to stay in this beautiful city for a day or two to enjoy a relaxing final tour day. There will be 6 seats available in van that returns to Stamford, CT.
OTHER TID BITS:
Riding on most of these roads is fantastic and are hard to beat but be aware that there is a reason it's so green much of the year, it gets lots of weather. If you haven't ridden much in the rain or inclement weather, take your time and be careful, especially on wet leaves. If things are even really uncomfortable, the support van is available to take advantage. We will be intersecting with a lot of early American historical areas. If you love history, you're going to especially appreciate these tours. We will provide some highlights mapped out in advance.
