Choosing a destination for your next vacation is a tough decision, especially when you have so many great new cycling trips from Backroads to choose from this year. So, which unforgettable trip will it be? This week, we’ll give you a taste of our six-day, five-night biking adventure to California’s Big Sur Coast. Check back with us for more info on our other new trips!

If you’ve ever wanted to bike California along iconic Route 1 on the central coast, this trip is for you. You’ll enjoy a wide range of experiences, including taking in rugged cliffs plunging into the deep blue Pacific and tasting award-winning wines in the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley. You’ll also experience charming Santa Barbara, a seaside town adored for its Spanish-Colonial Revival architecture and lively waterfront, and enjoy California cuisine, which is as varied and exceptional as the rides themselves.

You might be wondering how much you’ll be biking on this amazing trip, which in one spot sees an elevation change of up to 4,500 feet. The beauty of a Backroads vacation is that the amount of biking is totally up to you. Every Backroads bike trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next, and your traveling companion’s may differ from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

If you plan to work hard and play hard on this trip, you’ll probably be interested in where you might be relaxing after a fun day on the bike. Backroads has lined up several wonderful places including Two Ventana Inn & Spa in Big Sur. This luxurious getaway is tucked away in wooded hills overlooking the Pacific. It has earned rave reviews from Condé Nast Traveler and the Hideaway Report. We’ve also lined up a stay at Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos. Here you’ll enjoy tastings for two and a bottle of Fess Parker wine. This luxurious inn features elegant rooms, each with its own fireplace.

One thing Backroads does not offer is a one-size-fits-all trip. Each trip is tailored to suit your needs, from the bike itself to the amount of time you spend cycling. See you soon in California!

So, you’ve been itching for a bicycle trip that challenges you and provides a big reward at the end, have you? Perhaps Backroads’ new Colorado biking trip is what you’ve been waiting for. After all, this is a spell-binding trip that calls for a special breed of cyclist who doesn’t shy away from heart-pounding ascents and exhilarating descents.

The best way to describe this cycling trip is big elevation, big mileage and show-stopping scenery epic in its diversity. Just imagine yourself pedaling over huge snow-covered peaks and sawtooth spires, winding through lush alpine meadows, red-rock canyons and ending up in the rugged high desert.

This six-day trip begins in Durango, where you’ll learn a little history and ride through the Animas Valley on your way out of town, a route that offers amazing views of the San Juan Mountains.

Day two includes not one, but two mountain passes, both boasting 11,000 feet. Next you’ll spend two days tackling Telluride, which includes 14,000 peaks and an amazing descent into Ouray, America’s “Little Switzerland.” Your last two days will be spent riding from the mountains to the high desert.

Don’t think this cycling vacation will be all work and no play. There will be plenty of time to enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation in accommodations ranging from a Victorian hotel in the heart of Durango to a luxurious Southwest-style hotel nestled amid the spectacular red-rock landscape of Unaweep Canyon in Grand Junction.

Backroads is offering this route for classic guests as well as singles and solos. Call us at 800-462-2848 for more information or to book a trip. You may also visit www.backroads.com/trips/bcli for more information about this Colorado biking trip, as well as the many other trips we offer around the world.

Have you ever been on a trip by yourself, or with other solo travelers? If the answer is no, perhaps it’s time to change that.

Backroads offers a host of amazing trips for singles and solo travelers in destinations around the globe. Our trips offer a variety of engaging activities from biking and hiking to wine tasting, sailing, savoring gourmet meals and even camel riding to give you the ultimate singles adventure.

Our Singles + Solos trips combine the convenience of having a professional plan and guide for your trip while simultaneously giving you the personal freedom to truly enjoy the ride without having to worry about the logistics.

Another advantage of this type of trip is that while you’re traveling “solo is that you’llalso have the opportunity to meet new people. Backroads’ Singles + Solos trips bring you together with like-minded individuals who want a truly unique and individual experience. In addition, our trip leaders love to have fun and are there to make sure you do too. They go way beyond the incredible biking and hiking by pointing out the hip night spots, recommending the latest cocktail and introducing you to their local friends. Your happiness is their priority.

If this sounds like the kind of trip you’ve always wanted to take, feel free to browse our selection of Singles + Solos trips. Want a singles tour to Europe? We offer trips through Italy, France and Europe at large. We also offer trips to Canada, the U.S., Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.

You can also feel free to read what some of our past singles and solo travelers had to say about their singles adventure.

We have trip consultants ready to help answer any questions you may have. Simply call 800-462-2848 and let  us know the type of trip you are looking for, the time frame and we’ll happily get you booked for the trip of a lifetime.

When you sign up for a bicycle trip with Backroads, you can rest assured that the bike fleet we provide is, we think, the best in the world.

Here’s a quick look at some of the bikes featured in our fleet of 4,000 bikes. Feel free to picture yourself on one of these beauties coasting down a scenic back road through Napa Valley on the U.S. West Coast or at the top of a challenging Alpine pass in Northern Italy on a bicycle tour of Europe.

Backroads Titanium Road Bike

This bike is custom-built and we offer different models based on the type of terrain you’ll be riding on. The frame is made of lightweight titanium and it features an ergonomic saddle and adjustable handlebar. This bike is included in the price of your trip.

Specialized S-Works Roubaix

Want to ride like the pros? Well, the S-Works Roubaix is the way to do it. This feather-light carbon bike features the legendary Shimano Dura-Ace drive train and brakes, as well as the top-of-line DT Swiss Tricon wheel set. It’s a three-time winner of the Paris-Roubaix and not only offers top-of-the-line performance, it also provides a pretty comfy ride. Reserving the S-Works Roubaix requires an additional $400 fee.

Specialized Ruby Pro

The Specialized Ruby Pro is precisely designed for women with short-reach brake levers, anatomically contoured Body Geometry saddles, and all-new handlebars designed with a short reach and shallow drop. This agile speed machine features customized tubing and geometry to the upgraded DT Swiss Tricon wheel set and the vibration-dampening carbon fork with Zertz inserts. It is also an additional $400 fee.

Co-Motion Torpedo Tandem

This bicycle made for two features a hand-built frame with a custom cro-moly (high carbon) steel. It has powerful Avid disc brakes and many more features that make this bike a perfect way for tandem riders to experience flat terrain. The Torpedo is an additional $500 fee.

Backroads Titanium Mountain Bike

For trips that cover dirt roads and rougher paved roads, the titanium mountain bikes are custom designed for a more comfortable ride. They are used on biking trips in Argentina, China, India and Thailand and on multi-sport trips in Costa Rica, Dolomites, Ecuador, Galápagos and South Africa. This bike is included in the price of your trip.

Click on the links above for full descriptions of our bikes, including measurements and other specifications.

Traveling with kids? Backroads also features bikes, trailer cycles and carriers just for family travel.

We can’t wait to see you on the back roads! For more information about our gear and tours, please visit www.backroads.com.

Some trips work well as a self-guided adventure, others are best organized and led by experts. Backroads has been putting trips together around the world for 30 years and we’ve not only assembled a wonderful array of trips in beautiful locations, we’ve also assembled an amazing group of trip leaders around the world.

Our hiring, training and performance management programs are second to none and it shows. We hire only 7-8% of leader applicants. Last year on average, our guests scored our 235 leaders 9.7 out of 10.

Whether you choose a guided biking tour, guided walking tour, or a guided hiking or multisport trip, each adventure is led by three leaders who know the back roads like the backs of their hands. Our leaders have been described as smart, creative, hardworking, funny, motivated, curious and engaged. In short, they’re people you’d want to travel with. Our trip leaders are renowned for their ability to transform a great vacation into an authentic, enriching—and sometimes profoundly life-changing—experience you’d never have on your own.

In addition to trip leaders, we also incorporate local guides on trips to help interpret the local culture and enhance an already amazing tour.

We invite you to read guest reviews about our leaders and submit your own reviews if you’ve experienced their talent firsthand. Come get to know our trip leaders; they’re ready to get to know you!

When you dream of your next vacation, do you see yourself lounging around and catching up on some sleep? Or do you imagine going on an adventure and creating an experience that you’ll never forget and sleeping soundly after an active day?

At Backroads, we’re all about active travel and we’ve spent the last 33 years creating trips to destinations around the globe that include biking, hiking and more. Our guests have said our trips offer a complete experience and have helped them connect with a region, a culture, themselves and with their family. That sounds a little better than just sleeping away your vacation, doesn’t it?

Here are some basics about the types of active trips we offer:

Biking Trips – We handpick the most scenic bike tours from the Rocky Mountains to the Tuscan countryside. Our bike trip leaders know the cycling routes with the least traffic and the most terrific stops — like the trattoria where you can lunch al fresco, the olive orchard perfect for a picnic and the best spot to pick wild blueberries.

Multisport Trips – These trips blend biking and walking tours with other fun-filled activities, such as kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, surfing, camel riding and more. While we handle all the logistics and the equipment, you’ll have plenty of time to explore and experience a destination to the fullest.

Walking & Hiking Trips – Our walking tours and hiking trips will immerse you in the culture and natural beauty of a destination. From traditional Andean villages to rain forest trails, when you travel with Backroads, you connect deeply with a region, become part of its everyday life, observe details that typical tourists miss and enjoy spontaneous encounters along the way.

Feel free to contact us at any time and visit our website for more information about our trips, guides, availability and pricing. We look forward to seeing you!