If you're looking for a quality sampling of what Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area have to offer in the way of off-road activity for you and your bicycle, look no further than our Best of the Monterey Bay Mountain Bike Tour.
(4 rides/4 nights) Tour includes:
* Reception dinner
* Four nights lodging at Seacliff Inn - pool, restaurant & short walk to beach
* Four great rides led by guides with extensive knowledge of the local terrain
* Concierge service for Santa Cruz area attractions and dining
* Discounts on bicycle equipment and repairs
Also available (charged extra)
* Massage
* Priority bicycle repair
Tour price - $795 - $895 per person
(based on double occupancy, single supplement $375)
$250 deposit, balance due within 30 days of scheduled tour
Payment by check or money order payable to Santa Cruz Bike Tours please
Santa Cruz Bike Tours Reservations
(831) 722-BIKE (2453)
scbiketours@gmail.com
P.O. Box 716, Aptos, California 95001
Skill and fitness levels
Though our rides at Santa Cruz Bike Tours don’t require you to be an expert, you should be reasonably fit prior to your tour. Going out twice a week for a few of hours of sweat breaking riding should have you in good enough shape to enjoyably keep up with group. Single track cycling skills such as negotiating switchbacks, riding on hillside trails and over and around obstacles like roots and rocks are essential to having a great and safe tour.
Featured rides
The Best of the Monterey Bay Mountain Bike Tour features three exhilarating rides, combining fire rosds and single track, that offer some of the finest mountain biking and scenery California has to offer. At times, groups may split in two to allow some riders to try more technically challenging trails. This is a vacation for you, not a race or boot camp, so we want you to be safe and enjoy trails that are appropriate for your skill level.
Bureau of Land Management trails at Laguna Seca
Home of the world famous Sea Otter Classic, this ride features rolling hills and scenic vistas in a wide open setting adjacent to also world famous Laguna Seca Raceway just outside of Monterey, California. These trails are a blast to ride, but there aren’t too many shade trees, so bring plenty of sunscreen. Check out the video below from the 2007 Sea Otter Classic(courtesy of Motion Brand):
The Forest of Nisene Marks
A beautiful and peaceful ride through the coastal redwoods, the Nisene Marks trails will see you traversing through single track along Aptos Creek and then climbing to Sand Point Overlook for a view of the Monterey Bay. The redwoods provide ample shade making the forest an ideal refuge on a hot summer’s day.
U.C. Santa Cruz and Wilder Ranch
We will climb from Wilder Ranch to the forest and meadows behind the University of California at Santa Cruz. After lunch, we will descend through a series of single track trails back to Wilder Ranch, where you can check out the old time farm which has been preserved for public viewing, cycle along the scenic coastal bluffs, and even go wiggle your toes in the sand.Tour itinerary
The Best of the Monterey Bay Mountain Bike Tour at Santa Cruz Bike Tours includes four nights plus four days of cycling (three featured rides and one flexible ride)
Sunday
Check-in at Seacliff Inn ............................ 2 - 5pm
Reception dinner* ................................... 6 - 7:30pm
Tour overview, Q & A .............................. 7:30 - 8pm
Monday
Breakfast ................................................. Served from 7 - 8:30am
Deluxe Foods**, food & drinks for ride .... 9am
B.L.M. trails at Laguna Seca ......................10:15am - 4pm
Arrive back at Seacliff Inn ....................... 5pm
Tuesday
Breakfast ................................................. Served from 7 - 9:30am
Deluxe Foods**, food & drinks for ride .... 10am
Trails at Nisene Marks State Park ............. 10:30am - 3:30pm
Arrive back at Seacliff Inn ....................... 3:45pm
Wednesday
Breakfast ................................................. Served from 7 - 8:30am
Deluxe Foods**, food & drinks for ride .... 9am
U.C. Santa Cruz trails to Wilder Ranch ..... 10am - 4pm
Arrive back at Seacliff Inn ....................... 5pm
Thursday
Breakfast ................................................. Served from 7 - 8:30am
Check out ................................................ 8:30 - 9am***
Deluxe Foods**, food & drinks for ride .... 9:15am
Group ride of choice or flex time**** ...... 10am - 3pm
* Dinner includes appetizer platters, choice of complete dinner, beverage, and dessert.
** Deluxe Foods of Aptos is Santa Cruz County’s premier gourmet market where you may purchase your lunch, drinks and snacks for the day (guides will always carry a supply of nutrition bars for bonk prevention). Deluxe has a full service deli, a gourmet selection of cheeses and olives, a sushi chef, complete salad bar, bakery, fresh Peet’s Coffee, and a wide selection of fine wines, beer and other beverages.
*** If you are not riding with the group on final day, you may check out as late as 11am.
**** Democracy rules as the group will choose from either Nisene Marks, UCSC/Wilder rides or something completely different. Guests who want some rest, wish to visit local attractions, or take a separate ride are welcomed and encouraged to venture out on their own. We will be happy to make suggestions and arrangements for spending your free time around Santa Cruz and California's Central Coast.
Bike rentals
Santa Cruz Bike Tours offers both hard tail and full suspension bikes for rent if you desire.
Hard tail ...................... $40 per day
Full-suspension ........... $60 - $75 per day
Bringing your own bicycle
If you are bringing your own bicycle, you should have it checked out by your local bicycle shop before departing, and tune up bicycle and replace worn-out parts as needed. We bring spare parts and tools common to most mountain bikes on rides, but if your bicycle has special features or specifications, you should bring your own parts and tools.
If you had to ship your mountain bike in a box, our friends at Bike Station Aptos can assemble it for you ($35 charge) and disassemble and re-box it at the end of the trip (additional $35 charge). They also do expert repair work, though you may have to rent a bicycle for a day while repairs are being made.
Cancellations
Santa Cruz Bike Tours must strictly adhere to the following cancellation policy:
Cancellation 60 days or more in advance: $60 fee per person
Cancellation 30 to 60 days in advance: Deposit forfeited
Cancellation less than 30 days in advance: Full tour price forfeited
Santa Cruz Bike Tours reserves the right to cancel tours due to lack of enough participants or any unforeseen circumstances that would make us unable to run a tour. If Santa Cruz Bike Tours can not provide you with another tour that meets your schedule and satisfaction, all funds paid will be refunded and shall constitute full settlement with you. Santa Cruz Bike Tours shall not be responsible for any additional customer expenses related to a cancelled tour including costs incurred because of non-refundable airline or train tickets and/or any related penalties. You can buy travel insurance from you travel or insurance agent to protect yourself against trip cancellation due to medical reasons plus potential travel mishaps.
Santa Cruz Bike Tours reserves the right to change rides and routes on tours because of bad weather or trail conditions.