Big Bend Epic Tour

DAY 1: We’ll pick everyone up from the El Paso International Airport at 11:00am for a 3-hour shuttle to Fort Davis and the start of our tour. If you’ve driven, then you can meet us in Fort Davis and leave your car at the starting hotel during the tour. We’ll have an orientation, rental bike fitting and dinner together tonight.  0 miles.

DAYS 2-9: We’ll run this tour as we do our cross-country and epic tours. We start early with a light breakfast provided by the hotel. Then we’ll pack our bike bags with snacks of raisins, nuts, energy bars and peanut butter sandwiches. We’ll make sure we have an extra layer of clothing and perhaps a rain jacket with us. We leave on our own, usually between 7-8am and cycle at our own pace.

About every twenty miles, we’ll meet our SAG vehicle. It holds water, snacks, tire repair tools and a first aid kit. Even if you don’t need anything, you can stop to chat and talk about the wonderful tailwind or the panoramic view. If you’re too tired to bike anymore, you can take a ride in the SAG vehicle to our hotel for the night. The SAG makes sure everyone is in safely at the end of the day.

There will be few places to stop for lunch on our routes, so our SAG vehicles will be stocked with abundant snacks. Once at our hotel, you'll find your luggage, (delivered earlier by the WomanTours van and trailer), and can check in to your room. You can also grab a quick late lunch on your own before dinner.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

• Big Bend National Park
• Big Bend Ranch State Park
• Rio Grande
• Chisos and Davis Mountains
• Chihuahuan Desert
• Santa Elena Canyon
• Fort Davis National Historic Site
• Mining ghost town of Terlingua
• Artsy town of Marfa

Most of our hotels are simple, family-run places, and most of us will be in double occupancy rooms. We rotate roommates every night, unless you’ve requested a specific roommate or to upgrade to a single room. There will be time to shower before dinner and perhaps take a dip in a hotel hot tub.

If anyone has experienced bike problems during the day, we’ll use the time before dinner to work with the guide to fix it. Then we eat dinner together, served buffet-style outside.

Our traveling chef creates hearty and healthy dishes from our trailer kitchen. While she will accommodate guests with specific allergies and provide a non-meat protein source for vegetarians, she cannot always adhere to everyone’s likes and dislikes. We ask that you be flexible. If you require a vegan or gluten-free diet, there will be a $50 surcharge.

After dinner, our guide will hold a map meeting to discuss the highlights of the day and to go over the details of the next day’s route.

We’ll have one layover day on this tour to give our bodies a chance to recover and to take a guided float trip down the Rio Grande. No trip to this area would be complete without getting on the river. It is responsible for so much of the life that surrounds us, and its huge s-curve through the Chisos Mountains gave us the name "Big Bend." We’ll celebrate the end of our adventure at dinner on our last evening together. 51 miles on average per day.

DAY 10: After breakfast, we'll shuttle you back to the El Paso airport, arriving by 12:30pm. 0 miles.

CANCELLATION & REFUNDS: To sign up for this tour, we require a nonrefundable deposit of $300. The balance of the tour price is due 75 days prior to the tour, by January 20, 2021 and is nonrefundable. We offer a 2% discount for paying by check.

DISCOUNTS: Save additional 2% if you pay by check.

TRIP INSURANCE: We strongly recommend insurance, and will provide you with a source for insurance upon receiving your tour deposit.

SAG VOLUNTEERS: We use 3 volunteers to drive a support car during this tour. Each driver works once every third day supporting the riders until the last cyclist finishes for the day. She provides food, drinks, flat tire assistance and moral support, and becomes an integral part in the success of the tour. In return, each volunteer receives a discount of 40% off the tour price. If you’re interested in a position, please contact us.