Registration

• What are the fees for the 2008 tour and what do I get?
  • The tour fee for 2008 is $615 which includes, most meals (see Food below), SAG support and route information, camping sites, a water bottle, and a cycling jersey.  Depending on the selections made during registration, there are additional fees that may apply. There is a bus transportation fee of $30 from the Holiday Inn in San Jose to the ride start and $15 fee for bus transportation from the ride end in San Francisco back to the Holiday Inn in San Jose. An advanced bus reservations are required. If you transport your bicycle in a Bike Case (either hard or soft), there is also a $25 fee for storage and handling.
• When does registration open?
  • Registration will open Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 6 pm PST. Note that In 2007 the Tour filled in one hour.
• How do I register?
  • Registration will be conducted online at this website starting Tuesday, January 15, 2008, at 6 pm PST. Once the tour is full those who register will be placed on our standby list.
• Can I register more than one person at a time?
  • No, you can only register one person at at time using our online registration form. We recognize that some small groups of individuals will want to go on the tour if they go together. In the Comments and Special Request section at the bottom of the registration form, please make a note of the names of the others in your group. If one person in the group registers before the tour is full, we will make every effort to get the others, so identified, into the tour, provided they also register within a few hours.
• When are the fees due?
  • When you register you can pay online using a credit card using our secure service. Payment can also be sent by check. If payment is not mailed within 10 days of submitting your registration, you may lose your place. 
• What is your cancellation policy?
• In the event that circumstances require that you cancel your participation in this year’s Tour, please notify the Registration Coordinator as soon as possible.  Please review our 2008 Cancellation Policy.
• How many riders?
  • Sierra to the Sea is limited to approximately 130 riders, which with the addition of our volunteer Staff totals to some 150 bicycling enthusiasts. We all wear names tags, so by the end of the week you will have swapped cycling adventures with many new friends.
• Where and when does the tour start?
  • The Tour starts Saturday, June 14, 2008 at:

    Holiday Inn San Jose (formerly Hyatt San Jose)
    1740 North First Street
    San Jose, CA 95112
    408-793-3300

    Note this is the same hotel used last year but a different hotel than was used in prior years. The hotel offers a special rate for guest of Sierra to the Sea bicycle tour so be sure to ask for that. For those that reserve a place on the chartered buses, it leaves at 8:30 AM for the trip to the ride start and the Tour's first overnight campsite. The bus transportation fee is $30 to the ride start and $15 from the ride end. Note that there is no refund for these bus fees if you cancel your reservation.

• What if I don't want to take the bus from San Jose to Bear Valley or from San Francisco back to San Jose?
• Guests are welcome to get to the ride start on their own, whether driving or cycling and/or do the same after the ride end. 
• When do we sign-in for Tour?
  • The Tour's Registration Center will be open at the Holiday Inn San Jose from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, June 13th, and from 7:00 to 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 14th. If you are joining the Tour at the ride start, the Registration Center will be open from 7:00 to 8:00 PM on Saturday, June 14th at the ride start in Bear Valley

What to Bring

• How much baggage can I bring on the tour?
  • Two duffle bags limited to 40 pounds each. No hard suitcase or backpack frames. Tour baggage is subject to being pushed, pulled and pilled in its weeklong truck ride, so a sturdy duffle bag is a must. In the unlikely event of rain, all campsite gear will be covered; but unless your duffle bag is waterproof, you may want to put your gear in plastic sacks inside your duffle bag.
• Are tents and sleeping bags provided?
  • No, each rider who chooses to use a tent and sleeping bag must provide their own.  Late in the week we spend two nights near the ocean, where overnight dew makes a tent welcome.
• What kind of bike will I need?
  • We recommend a well-maintained multi-speed road bicycle with triple chainrings. Some riders ask if they can get by with a double chainring. A strong, skilled rider could do the entire route with a double ring and many do. However there are a lot of variables in that equation. The weight, fitness and age of the rider, quality of the bike, the size of the rear cluster, any added loads on the bike, miles that day etc. Each rider will need to make their own judgment taking into consideration these factors.
• What else about the bike?
  • We strongly recommend two water bottles or hydration pack. You may want to consider a handlebar bag or other carrier for jacket, sunscreen, camera, route/cue sheets, etc.
• Are there items that should NOT be brought on the tour?
  • Items NOT to bring at all include: Ice chest, coolers, lawn chairs, camp stoves, boom box radios and anything in a glass containe.  Please avoid bringing fragile or breakable items, including electronic gear, as we load and unload about 200 bags every day.
• Do you have a checklist of other items to bring?
• We will provide that in the tour package that will be emailed to registered guests before the tour.

Transportation

• How do I get to the ride start in Bear Valley?
  • At the time of registration you can purchase a bus ticket from the Holiday Inn in San Jose. Your luggage and bicycle will be transported. Bicycles must be boxed prior to transport in either a cardboard bike box or a bicycle hard case (extra fee for using a hard case).
  • You may also arrange your own transportation to the ride start and check in for the tour there on the Saturday evening.
• How do I get back from the ride end in San Francisco?
  • At the time of registration you can purchase a bus ticket back to the Holiday Inn in San Jose. Your luggage and bicycle will be transported. Bicycles must be boxed at the ride end using the same bike box you used to transport your bike to Bear Valley. These bike boxes are transported along the tour route so they will be available at the tour end.
  • You may also arrange your own transportation from the ride end if you wish.
• Can I park my car at the Holiday Inn while on the tour?
  • Free parking is allowed for the duration of the tour at the Holiday Inn San Jose for those guests who are staying there prior to the bicycle tour. There is no other parking provided.

Camping

• Is camping included in the tour?
  • Camping is provided every night. You need to supply your own sleeping bag and tent.
• Is all my gear transported to the next campsite each day?
  • Yes, we transport your two bags between each campsite. 
• Is there a motel option?
  • Yes, click the tab above on Motels for more information.

Motels

• Will you shuttle me to motels?
  • Transportation of an overnight bag will be provided to and from any of the recommended hotels in Calistoga on Wednesday only. Saturday in Bear Valley and Monday in Ryde, we camp right by a hotel.  For all other days, each rider is responsible for his/her own transportation between campsite and hotels, including bicycles and overnight supplies. We recommend bringing a daypack into which you can stow these supplies at the campground so you can bicycle to your hotel on these nights and return them to the campsite in the morning.
• Can you tell me more about baggage handling in Calistota?
• For Calistoga bags will be dropped at only the three hotels listed on Wednesday afternoon and will be picked up on Thursday morning (they must be ready by 8:30 am). 
• Do you make motel reservations for me?
  • You are responsible for your own hotel reservations and payment.
• Do you have a list of local motels?
• Below is a list of local hotels near each camping site. Other hotel accommodations are not recommended as they may be located far from camping and dinner. Rates do not include local taxes.

Routes

• How many rest stops each day?
  • Typically two. For day 6 route, we have only one stop. For the last day into San Francisco, with only 40 miles and towns along the route, there is no rest stop. Weather conditions might necessitate some changes to the daily rest stop plan.
• How many SAG vehicles?
  • This year there will be three SAG vans. One will be on constant patrol and the other two will typically set up and staff the rest stops then sweep the course.
• What is the daily mileage and feet climbed?
  
  

  The 2008 route for each day will be as follows
  Day	Mileage	Climbing		Day	Mileage	Climbing
  Saturday	None	None		Thursday	58 mi	2,200 ft
  Sunday	72 mi	5,500 ft		Friday	56 mi	3,200 ft
  Monday	73 mi	2,400 ft		Saturday	40 mi	3,300 ft
  Tuesday	61 mi	1,200 ft		Total	417 mi	21,800 ft
  Wednesday	57 mi	4,000 ft		Daily average	60 mi	3,100 ft

  
  
• How will I get maps or route sheets for each day?
  • Your rider packet, provided to you during registration, will have a daily map and a route "cue sheet" with turn by turn directions.  We also will have a "big map" in camp that covers our entire central California route in great detail as well as the surrounding roads and towns!
• Are GPS routes available for the tour?
  • Yes. Go the Where We Go section and for each day you can click the title bar on the map. That will take you to a website where you can download a GPX file.

Weather

• What will the weather be like?
  • The weather for the most part is clear in June, although showers are possible. Temperatures during the tour, however, can range from near 100 degrees in the Sacramento Valley to 35 - 60 degrees in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and along the coast. Bring appropriate cycling clothes to accommodate these temperature extremes.  Early in the week, most wear shorts, t-shirts, and sandals.  In Duncans Mills and Olema, evening and morning fog prompts many people to layer, wearing wool caps and gloves (One guest: "My only footwear are cycling shoes and river sandals; sandals are great in the heat, convenient in the showers, and with wool socks they are warm when it's cool out."). For current weather conditions click the link below.

General

• Is there a masseuse available on the tour?
  • We will have two massage therapists on tour, who will provide afternoon and evening massages for $60 / hour.  Check with them on tour for availability and to sign up for a time.
• What if I have a mechanical problem with my bike?
  • We have a superb mechanic along on tour.  He rides each day, but is available in the evening to help with many repairs.  Major repairs or replacement of specialized parts may require going to a bicycle shop.  Please have your bicycle in good condition before embarking on the tour.
• Can I buy an extra jersey, beyond the one I get for doing the tour?
  • This has not yet been decided.
• Are there any videos of past tours.?
  • Watch short video clips from the tour: Pacific Coast Highway & Tomales Bay & Go For 50. (These files play in Microsoft's Media Player or Apple's Quicktime Player).
  • Bob Thompson, an ACTC club member, also produced this 30 minute video of the 2006 tour.
• What if my question is not answered here?
  • Please email Registration Coordinator with your question at: