I wouldn't necessarily say that organized tours are ripoffs. Some tours certainly seem to be way overpriced, but others are very reasonable. The Bike Virginia tour isn't too bad. Remember that the organizers spend quite a bit of time researching the routes, arranging the accomodations, entertainment, making up and printing the materials, transporting everyone's stuff, etc.
I rode the Oklahoma Freewheel the last two years (
www.okfreewheel.com). I think they charged $80 for the basic tour of 7 days across the state including routes, luggage transportation, accomodations, entertainment, and working with stopover towns so they are prepared for 2000 hungry cyclists to descend on their town like a swarm of locusts. Although meals were not included, $80 is a pretty good deal.
On the other hand, some tours, like the adventure cycling tours seem very pricey to me. I guess it pays to shop around.