Bicycle touring with a lot of dough or on the cheap

The Los Angeles Times travel section reports that bicycle touring companies are becoming a growing segment in the travel industry, and many of those companies are online, although most people still contact the outfits by telephone.

The Times contacted the 3-year-old TrekTravel, a division of bike-maker Trek. Very swank offerings there. The reporter mentions a five-day tour through the Napa Valley that costs $2,495.

At the other end of the specturm is Adventure Cycling Association (the former Bikecentennial), whose most popular tour is a six-day tent-camping ride through Montana for $829.

The LATimes didn't mention it, but there are lots of people who follow the route of the late Ken Kifer, who offered bicycle camping and touring advice at his website for those who grab their gear and a map and take off, camping where they can. Costs are minimal here.

The article also didn't mention a group of bike tours that attract thousands every year — those week-long sag-supported across-state bike tours sponsored by bike clubs, charities and other non-profits.

Their costs range anywhere from $350 to $700 — depending on their food offerings — for a week of riding. Many of these bike tours change their routes every year.

I've assembled a list of 70-some multi-day bike rides in 39 states at Across State Bike Tours. They run the gamut from the 8,500-rider Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, commonly known as RAGBRAI, to an unsupported bike tour of Western Pennsylvania that can handle about 30 cyclists.