I have been interested in bicycle touring for a long time and have decided that this is the year when I want to give it a try. Since I've never done anything like this before, I wanted to find an organized group tour for my first time so that I could learn the basics and see what other people do. I am starting to get discouraged, however, as I search online and in publications trying to find one that will work for me. I seem to have too many parameters/requirements/limitations to work around:

• I am a rank beginner to the world of cycle touring. My total commute to work is about 23 miles, but other than that, I've never done any real distance cycling.
• I want to use my same bike that I always use - a Huffy comfort bike. I know that it's the "wrong" kind of bike, but I like it and I'm used to it and I know its limitations. I am willing, however, to make some adjustments to it in order to make it more suitable for a tour.
• I am a slow rider. I don't, however, need for anyone to stay behind with me. As long as I know where we're going and can see the others up ahead, I'm fine.
• I have absolutely no interest in camping. At all.
• I'm a vegan, so I either need a vegan (vegan, not vegetarian) option at meals and restaurants or a grocery store or something nearby at stops. I would, of course, also carry some emergency backup food, just in case.
• If possible, I'd like for the tour to start within a one-day drive from Memphis so that it's easy for me to get to, but I'm flexible on that part.

So, with all of those conditions, I can't seem to find anything suitable. Does anyone have any suggestions of established tours or companies that I may be overlooking in my search?

Thanks in advance!

I don't know if there is an organized bicycle tour that meets your specifications. But, if there is, you might find it in these 5 links to bicycle touring companies. Note, there are 6 in the link but one of them is Tour d'Afrique which definitely won't fit your needs.

In all honesty, it might be best to arrange your own with a friend driving a car to where you will ride every day.

While not exactly a small town, Memphis isn't going to have a lot of nearby options just because of the population density of the area (and I grew up in TN, so I'm familiar with Memphis). The closest area near you where you'll find a lot of organized tours would probably be the Texas Hill Country. If you're looking to go on a tour that's professionally run by another company, a number offer tours there. And while you could definitely get there in a day's drive, the routes are going to have some climbing.

If you go on an organized tour, most of them will provide you a bike (either a road or hybrid, but you'll want a road bike for this kind of tour). Google Texas Hill Country bike tours and you'll find Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations and a number of other companies that offer tours there.

Maybe Backroads Tours..https://www.backroads.com/, let them know about your Special Needs Diet, requirements.
see what they say..


Using their Site Menu : https://www.backroads.com/award-winni.../United-States

Memphis has an airport, UPS uses it too.. I watched package tracking as it comes in and out.

Thanks for these suggestions! I usually have no problems just doing some research and setting off on my own to learn new things, but this is one area in which my gut is telling me to try it with more experienced folks first in a professionally organized way. I don't know anyone else interested in this kind of thing and certainly no one else who could take the same amount of time off from work as I can.

Maybe something on the Katy Trail in Missouri? Several companies offer self-guided or fully-supported tours. And I did my first two long tours, the GAP/C&O from Pittsburgh to DC and the P'tit Train du Nord in Quebec on a Cannondale Adventure 400 comfort/hybrid. A comfort bike might not be the flashiest or the fastest, but what makes a road bike fast and flashy can work against you on a tour.

What's your budget? That is often a limiting factor. If, in addition to your other special needs, you want to spend no more than $50/day, I would say you are SOL.

Just me, but especially if not camping I really can't see paying a touring company. I wouldn't especially even advise going with an organized tour even if you were camping. I can see it for someone camping and new to it who may need some hand holding, but how much hand holding do you need to ride from motel to motel? In effect with no camping it becomes just day rides separated with motel stays. My advice is just get on your bike, skip the touring company, and go. I really don't see much added benefit to going with a company especially given your parameters.

How long of a tour are you considering?

Whatever you wind up doing I hope you have a great time.

I agree budget is likely to be a key factor. Given your interest in starting not too far from Memphis, I did a quick search of "Natchez Trace Bicycle Tours" since the Natchez Trace is a reasonable ride for a tour and not too far from Memphis. I can find a number of companies doing such tours on the Trace:
1. This one does pretty easy days, van support and staying in inns: https://www.vbt.com/tours/mississippi
2. This one rides the trace in about seven days: https://www.blackbearadventures.com/NatchezTrace.html
3. This one is in southern parts with moderate mileage: https://escapadesbiketours.com/our-to...race-bike-tour

All of them stay in lodging, have van support. You're paying enough that they should be able to talk in advance on accommodating particular needs. However they are also pretty expensive. Given those costs and the relative ease one can do a ride on the Natchez Trace, I'd be tempted to instead put together my own tour. Perhaps get some ideas from a book such as https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Natc.../dp/0963779869 and put together your own tour with some friends.

A different and less costly alternative but might take some more work would be to take an event type ride such as BRAG (https://www.brag.org/index.html) that is normally set up for camping and group meals and instead see if you can book motels and get meals along the way. For a ride I am doing at end of June (Bicycle Tour of Colorado), there is a company that offers hotel packages: https://bicycletourcolorado.com/index...display&pid=31 and perhaps there is something similar on other event rides closer to you. Using BTC as an example, meals you would likely need to get from communities along the way.

In summary, my guess is if you are willing to pay for an expensive tour, there are companies I expect should be able to work with you. If not, both the Natchez Trace and Katy Trail would be my candidates for putting something together myself. In addition might look at adapting an event type ride such as BRAG or BRAT (https://thebrat.org/) but then see what you can do about indoor lodging and food.

Were you looking for a supported tour? I think that you may want to look at goba.com it is a supported tour that does have good maps and plenty of riders riding at their own pace on all types of bikes (I saw one person riding a BMX once). But it is a camping tour, so you would need to make your own hotel arrangements. Also they don't provide food so you would need to find your own vegan food at the small towns that have overnight stays.

The advantage of this ride is that there are two layover days, so camp doesn't move and those days are optional riding days or rest days. But it is probably too late to get the hotels for this year, and it may be too late to register for this years ride. This is normally an indoor sleeping option on this tour.

In my opinion, the basics are pretty simple (ride your bike, do it for multiple days) and there is a wide variety of alternatives/styles to pick from. There isn't a right or wrong on those alternatives but instead useful to find what works for you. Doing your own shorter mini-tours might be other way to discover those alternatives. For example:
- supported vs. self-supported (most organized tours are likely to carry your stuff, but can also use panniers/trailer yourself)
- camping vs. motels (you know your style here)
- how long to ride each day/how far to average
- taking rest days along the way?
- cooking vs buying food
etc.

So perhaps another way to approach this is to work up with a sequence of mini-tours (e.g. weekend or three/four days) rather than go on organized tour with a particular template.

Cycle NC and Bike VA are both within a long day's drive of Memphis. I think that they offer vegetarian options for participants that use their meal plans, but I personally prefer to eat out at restaurants rather than wait in long lines for the catered meals on tours. Although most cyclists camp out on these rides, there are generally plenty of nearby motels and the tour organizers will drop off your luggage at them. Make reservations at hotels as soon as possible if you sign up for a tour because they tend to fill up fast. I have camped out and stayed in hotels while riding on organized tours. Personally I prefer camping because you get more of the "experience" that way, meeting a lot of other cyclists in the campgrounds, but it can suck when the weather is bad. Both Cycle NC and Bike VA also offer the option of free "indoor camping," which is usually shared space on the floor of a high school gym or similar buildings.

If you are a regular commuter, you should have no problem riding most organized tours. Trust me, every time I ride one of these tours I talk to people who do no training beforehand and rarely ever ride their bikes -- yet they manage to ride 50-60 miles/day for the week. Likewise, you will see cyclists riding at widely varying paces. There will be avid recreational cyclists dressed in kit who ride each day as if it were a leg in a stage race, averaging 20+ mph and racing to be the first one to arrive at the next campground. There will be cyclists just out to have a good time and enjoy the scenery, averaging 8-10 mph at best. There will even be families with their kids.

However, for your own comfort and enjoyment, I would recommend training before riding a weeklong tour. Since you commute already, you should be reasonably fit. The main thing you need to work on is riding some longer distances on the weekends. Gradually build up by riding 30, 40, 50 and 60 milers in the months leading up to the ride. Although not necessary, you will find that you enjoy the tour much more if you are used to riding long distances.

With your tight criteria you may want to put together your own group. I'd look at the crazyguyonabike.com companions section for ideas.

A big thanks to all of you for all of this helpful information and advice! A few responses:

My first inclination was to just get on my bike and go. The Natchez Trace Parkway is my goal for when I'm ready to tour alone. I've been reading up on bicycle touring, and the amount of information - sometimes conflicting information - is a little overwhleming. I was looking at an organized tour as a way to get a crash course from experienced people - an easier, hands-on way to figure out best practices, what mistakes to avoid, etc. Also, although I am darned near fearless in most other aspects of my life, I am a bit apprehensive about traveling through small towns and out-of-the way places alone on a bike. Even when I take road trips, there are still certain sections of the state/regional where I wouldn't really feel comfortable stopping. So, I thought that being with a group might help allay those fears. I am more interested in self-supported group tours than van-supported, since I would be by myself on any future tours.

As far as tour length, anything from a few days to up to two weeks would be fine for now. I don't really have any budget constraints. I like the idea of looking for a multi-day event and booking motels instead of camping. I hadn't even thought of that as an option, which is why I started this thread. I needed a little help coming up with solutions that weren't readily apparent to me.

I agree with jeneralist about the KATY Trail. Here's a tour that I've done the last 2 years and will do next month. There's a problem though: it's sold out for 2013. You could put your name on a waiting list to see if there's an opening.

https://mostateparks.com/2013-katy-trail-ride

Your bike would be fine as you want fatter tires on the crushed limestone KATY Trail. The average distance is about 50 miles a day with the longest being about 70 miles. You have all day to do it.

It starts and ends in St. Charles, Missouri near St. Louis so one day works.

While most people camp, you can stay at hotels at your own expense. There's a $20 a day fee for the shuttle back and forth to the hotels.

Vegan.
Here's what it says about meals: Every participant will receive breakfast and dinner Monday through Thursday and receive breakfast and lunch on Friday. Lunch and snacks can be purchased in the towns along the route. Typical breakfast foods may include pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, cereal, rolls, fruit, coffee, milk and orange juice. Typical dinners consist of a meat, pasta or vegetarian entree, salad, vegetables, bread and dessert.

Sign-ups start on March 1st every year. This year the ride filled up by March 4th, so you want to jump in quickly.

If you ride one of the supported tours, nothing says that you can't carry your own gear.