2023
Maine
Trek Across Maine is a three-day fund-raiser for the Maine Lung Association that routes bicyclists 180 miles across the state. The bike tour rolls from the Brunswick Rec Center in Brunswick Landing. Dates: June 16-18, 2023
BikeMaine This three-day event features curated routes (both long and short) through the Katahdin region that you can enjoy at your own riding pace with full on-route support. Based in Bethel in 2023. Dates: Aug. 24-27, 2023
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Maryland
Greatest Bicycle Tour of the Historic Canal – A family friendly bicycle tour of the C&O Canal Towpath. Transportation to the start in Cumberland; ends in Georgetown. 184 miles. Dates: July 8-11, 2023
C&O Canal/GAP — This is a fully supported bike ride along the canal to Cumberland and then along the GAP rail-to-trail bike path to Pittsburgh. Camping and indoor accommodations. Offered by Adventure Cycling Association. Dates: Sept. 16-23, 2023.
Wheels of Love is a one-day charity bike ride in District of Columbia and surrounding areas. The ride benefits the ALYN Hospital / ALYN Woldenberg Family Hospital, Israel’s only pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility. Dates: June 12, 2023
See also:
Self-guided bicycling tours in Maryland
Massachusetts
Farm Ride — Ride your bike for 1, 2, or 3 days through the agricultural areas around Amherst and Northampton. Based at University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Multiple ride options. Dates: Aug. 11-13, 2023
Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) — is a collection of one- and two-day charity bicycle tours across Massachusetts to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The longest cycling tour takes riders from Sturbridge in the west to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod. Dates: Aug. 5-6, 2023 (Registration opens January.)
Cape Cod and the Islands— A self-contained loop tour of the Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard. 240 miles. Presented by Adventure Cycling Association. Dates: Sept. 9-16, 2023
Cycle Massachusetts (formerly Mass BikePike Tour) — Cyclists can choose the full week of touring (Saturday through Friday) or shorter options of 5 days (Monday through Friday), 4 days (Saturday through Tuesday), or 2 days (Saturday and Sunday). Full week features a loop ride from Amherst with three host towns. Daily options of 30- to 70-mile distances. Dates: 2023 dates to be announced
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I like week long bike tours especially state run tours. I have done Md, Va, Co, Fl, Wi, Ga, and now looking for other state rides. I camp and if far away (I live in Md) I don’t mind renting bicycle. Please give me any suggestions you have on another state that will help me explore new areas, thanks, Reggie.
Reggie,
I’d have to suggest the Katy Trail Ride – they don’t have the 2014 ride’s page up yet but keep your eye on ; registration will open on March 1 and it will fill up in only a couple of days. You can also see stories and photos of prior rides there, but in short it’s five days of adult summer camp. It’s a very well supported, very well organized ride limited to 300 people, and you know you’re having a good time when you wake up in the morning and the first thing you notice is not that your legs are sore from pedaling, but that your abs are sore from laughing. A friendly crowd – once including the guy who turned me on to a ride I’ve done seven times now in your state – on the C+O.
As far as renting a bike vs. bringing one – if you’re of more-or-less average size you’d have no trouble renting a bike for the Katy Trail Ride. If you’d rather be on your own bike, the Capitol Limited and Texas Eagle on Amtrak are a great way to travel with a bike – I bring my own to the C&O that way every year.
Good luck!
Jon
my html tags did not make it through the previous comment correctly – I was trying to direct you to http://www.mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park for the Katy Trail Ride here, and the ride in Maryland I like is http://www.sanmar-tgbt.org/
Another great week long ride to consider is BikeMaine, sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. Now in its second year, BikeMaine 2014: Peddling the Waterways, will take up to 350 riders along back roads showcasing some of the most spectacular rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastline Maine has to offer. The all inclusive fee will have you camping in the heart of 6 different communities (3 of the camping villages are on the water), and eating locally produced, in-season food, including a straight from the sea lobster bake. Come find out why riders last year said BikeMaine had the best food ever on a ride of this type. Daily rides average 58 miles, with additional miles offered on 4 of the days. The event begins on September 6th in Westbrook, located adjacent to Maine’s largest city, Portland. Registration is open. Check us out at http://ride.bikemaine.org.
There’s good reason Maine is called Vacationland!
I am in the process of trying to ride across each state. At this point I have done
Michigan (PALM), Ohio (XOBA), Wisconsin (GRABRAWR), New York (FANY),
North Carolina (Cycle North Carolina), Georgia (BRAG), Iowa (RAGBRAI), North Dakota (CANDISC), South Dakota (RASDAK), Nebraska (BRAN), Kansas (BAK),
Oklahoma (Free Wheel), Tennessee (BRAT) which fits your parameters of week long. Some are not state run but have been around for a long time. There are a slew of shorter rides that are good examples of the states like Virginia (Cycle Virginia), Indiana (TRIRI and TRIRI-SE), Minnesota, (BAM). Several states had rides but were discontinued for various reasons. Just check the Internet for “cross state bicycle rides for ?” inserting the state you want. Most rides have camping options with indoor options in case of storms. etc.
Good luck on your quest.
Sanderson (Sandy) Palmer
GOBA in OH is good (June), and the BON TON ROULET (Finger Lakes) and Erie Canal Tour are in NY during July. All are week long tours.
Reggie,
You should come up to Massachusetts for the autumn Berkshires to Boston Tour. Its a cross state tour that captures the best of New England cycling from the beginning of fall colors in the berkshires to the energy of riding through the closed streets of Boston in the annual Hub on Wheels. We had several Maryland riders come up for last year’s tour and expect more this year. Registration opens on March 1, 2014 and you should register early because the 225 slots are expected to fill up quickly.
Learn more at http://www.berkshirestoboston.com
Gary Briere
Berkshires to Boston Tour
Hi Reggie
Take a look at Cycle Massachusetts State Bike Tour. This year, besides Massachusetts, we’ll do some riding in RI, CT and NY.
Discounts through February. Hope you can make it.
Bruce
I’m planning to do the Cape Cod Pilgrimage this September. Have cycled through parts of Europe but never in the States – looking forward to it.
Must do RAGBRAI across Iowa