Frequently Asked Questions
General
What’s your cancellation policy?
Your deposit is fully refundable prior to us confirming your tour. In addition, you can cancel your tour up to 24 hours in advance to receive a refund of the deposit and final payment, except for costs related to meals or tastings purchased in advance. If we cancel due to dangerous cycling conditions, such as bad weather, extreme heat or other reasons, we will also refund you, except for costs related to meals or tastings purchased in advance. Refunds on any bikes that you’ve rented with our help will be dependent on the policies of the bike shop you are renting from. More details regarding our cancellation policy are available in our Terms and Conditions when you book.
Can I bring my own bike or can I rent a bike?
Yes, you can bring your bike, but please check with us to make sure the bike is appropriate to the route we design for you.
We also partner with local bike shops who rent high quality performance road and gravel bicycles and e-bikes. We handle the booking process for you and can typically bring the bikes to you. Finally, we can also provide you a location to ship your bike to and have it unpacked and repacked.
Can you help me with lodging, transportation and restaurant bookings?
We are a Pro Fora Travel Advisor, so we can book lodging based on your budget, interests and our local knowledge. We can also arrange transportation with partners and recommend and book restaurants for you. Please contact us to discuss.
When do you operate rides?
We run cycling tours year-around. Please refer to the calendar for dates and options or contact us to discuss something custom.
Any age restrictions?
Yes. Riders must be at least 18 to ride with us and 21 to visit wineries.
Is wine tasting required?
Cycling is the core of our tours. We consider tasting wine the icing on the cake. Accordingly, we select wineries for not only their wine, but their vistas, aesthetics, history and landscape.
How many cyclists on a tour?
Each tour has a maximum of 8 riders per guide. Groups larger than 8 can be accommodated based on availability of additional guides.
Do you offer private tours?
Yes, when you book a tour you may request a private tour.
Are discounts available for group reservations?
Yes. Please contact us to discuss rates for groups of six or larger.
Do you organize tours for corporate events or other organizations?
We do and can plan a tour based on your needs, with options such as distance, difficulty, wineries (or no wineries if you prefer), etc. We recommend e-bikes for corporate tours as they are the great equalizer in terms of fitness levels. Please read our blog post on corporate tours and contact us to start the discussion.
Can you provide automotive transport?
We work with local trusted partners for your transportation needs. We can handle transporting bikes from the shop to your lodging or start location.
Do you provide SAG support?
For an additional cost, we can contract out one of our partners to provide SAG support (a Support and Gear van that follows us and can carry spare clothes or luggage and set up aid stations with water, food, sunscreen). The SAG vehicle can also transport rented bikes, but no passengers. Otherwise, the tour is self-contained meaning that riders need to bring their own tubes to repair flat tires. If a bike becomes non-operational, riders will need to arrange transport back to their lodging via Uber or other transport services.
What about lunch?
As part of our tour planning, we will plan either lunch stops or bring sandwiches from local purveyors at an additional cost.
Health & Safety
Do you carry liability insurance?
We’re fully insured and manage our rides according to very detailed safety policies and procedures.
How do you handle accidents?
An accident response plan, for events such as a fall, is part of our safety procedures. Cell coverage is generally good throughout Napa and Sonoma Counties with EMT and hospital services available throughout. Some of our guides carry InReach satellite communicators for reaching emergency responders and for family members to be able to reach or track us.
Wineries
Are tasting fees included?
Most Napa Valley and Sonoma wineries charge tasting fees, which are not included in our prices. Many of the wineries will fully or partially waive the tasting fees if you purchase bottles or wine club memberships. As part of our tour planning with you, we will get your approval regarding tasting fees, which will be paid directly to the winery.
What wineries are part of your routes?
Because having you experience epic cycling routes is our first priority, we focus on boutique wineries that are along our tour which produce top quality wines that are typically not found in stores. Our guides are Napa Valley locals who know many of these wineries in Napa Valley and most of our guides have wine industry knowledge certifications.
If I purchase bottles, how do I get the bottles back to my lodging?
Undoubtedly you will want to purchase one or more bottles to take home or enjoy on your trip. Depending on the location of the winery and your lodging, we will try to arrange delivery back to your lodging.
Can I request specific wineries to visit?
Yes you can, as long as the winery is in a location that is safe to cycle to. In general, we prefer to surprise and delight you by letting us do the route planning and winery selection
Routes
How long are your routes?
Our routes range in length from 5-75 miles and depend on whether you choose a half-day, full-day and what stops you want to make (e.g. a winery, bakery or coffee shop).
Do you ride gravel routes?
We do lead gravel cycling tours, but typically in Marin and Sonoma counties as there are limited routes for gravel bikes in Napa Valley. Please contact us or schedule a call to discuss.
How difficult are your routes?
We design the routes to your fitness level. If you’re a casual leisure cyclist, we will design a scenic flat and car-free route for you. If you are a cycling enthusiast, you can ride a relatively flat 20-50 miles on the valley floor, finishing with <500’ of riding rollers, or explore the eastern and western hills and end up with well over 5,000’ in your legs.
The bottom line is we will design a cycling tour that will provide the level of leisure or challenge you desire.
Where do we meet to start our rides?
Whenever possible we will try to start at your place of lodging, but it depends on the route we are taking and where other riders on the tour are staying. Establishing this location will be part of the tour planning process.
Riding
How fit do I have to be?
Our tours are customized to your fitness level and our partners can rent e-bikes to give you that extra boost. Our customers are generally here to discover and enjoy Napa and Sonoma.
For more avid cyclists (triathletes that includes you), we don’t typically do paceline riding and generally ride between 15-19 mph on flats. You really won’t want to ride any faster because the views are amazing and you’re going to want to stop and—as Ferris Bueller recommends—”If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
If you like to climb, many of our routes have moderate to challenging climbs on quiet country roads. The views are spectacular from many of these climbs.
