North Carolina: Asheville’s Land of the Sky Bike Tour
6-Day Hub & Spoke Bike Tour
Tour Information
Nestled in the French Broad River valley and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a mecca of arts and culture, Appalachian tradition, historic architecture and natural splendor, with lots of locally produced beer, food and music to make it even more enticing.
This is a hub-and-spoke tour, where you’ll stay at the same hotel all week, giving you a taste of Asheville’s unique neighborhoods and rolling farmlands just outside the city limits. See for yourself why our guide Kimberly refers to her hometown as the “Paris of the South.”
Guaranteed
The tour still has space. Make your travel arrangements.
Moderate
Advanced
Hilly terrain with some longer climbs on paved roads. Perfect for all cycling levels, especially with the option of using an e-bike or shuttle support to make the ride more enjoyable and accessible.
5 nights lodging, 5 breakfasts, 3 picnic and sack lunches, 4 dinners, snacks, guided comedy tour, van support, detailed cue sheets, maps & GPS files and trained guides
$195 for Cannondale Quick 3 hybrid, or Cannondale Topstone 2 adventure road bike. $350 for Gazelle T10 Ultimate low-step e-bike or Specialized Vado step-thru e-bike.
Ouick
Topstone
Gazelle
Vado
We stay at one hotel for the entire tour:
Fly into and out of the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL). Then take a 20-minute taxi or Uber/Lyft ride to our hotel. At the end of the tour, we'll provide a complimentary shuttle to the airport arriving by 1:00pm. Or drive and park your car at the hotel.
Kimberly Masters
Tour Leader
Beth Orenstein
Tour Leader
What about electric-assist bikes (e-bikes)?
Electric-assist bikes - or e-bikes - have quiet, battery-powered motors that add power to your pedalng. They increase your speed and assist you in cycling up hills. Most e-bikes have a range of assistance, so you can choose how much of a boost you'd like. E-bikes make it easier to do all the miles in all types of terrain. We allow electric-assist bicycles on our tours if you'd like to bring your own. We also have e-bikes available for rent on most of our trips -- look for the e-bike symbol. We do not make e-bike recommendations if you're considering purchasing your own. We suggest you rent one on a tour first so you can try it!
I am coming alone on this tour. Will I be the only one traveling alone?
Absolutely not. Many of our participants come by themselves. That is part of the reason for the existence of WomanTours--to provide women with riding partners as well as scenic vistas and interesting tours.
What if I have to cancel a tour within the USA?
We understand that personal circumstances sometimes force women to cancel their travel plans. Therefore, we have tried to be as generous as possible with the following domestic tour cancellation policy for our regular tours:
- 75+ days before tour departure: forfeit $150 of your deposit.
- 50 - 74 days before tour departure: forfeit 25% of the complete tour price.
- 30 - 49 days before tour departure: forfeit 65% of the complete tour price
- 15 - 29 days before tour departure: forfeit 85% of the complete tour price.
- 0 - 14 days before tour departure: forfeit 100% of the complete tour price.
- No refunds are possible after the tour begins.
In addition, you may transfer $350 to another trip up to 75 days before departure. On domestic US trips (excluding Alaska,) you may also transfer 50% of the trip price, less $50 up to 30 days before departure. WomanTours will hold any “transfer funds” on account through December 31 of the following year. Any money left on account beyond this deadline will be forfeited.
Please note that our cross-country and epic tours have their own cancellation policies, depending on the tour's payment schedule. The $300 registration fee for these tours is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
Asheville Bike Tour Itinerary *Tentative Itinerary*
Day 1 We meet at our downtown Asheville hotel in the afternoon for a bike fitting and orientation and our first dinner together. If you arrive a day or two early, there is plenty to explore. Visit the historic Biltmore Estate for both architectural and natural splendor or tap into the beer scene—Asheville boasts the highest number of breweries per capita in the country. 0 miles.
Day 2 After breakfast we will hop on our bikes and mosey through town. Before you know it, we’ll be in quiet countryside, savoring farms, hills and that famous “land of the sky.” At the end of our ride, we’ll have lunch in downtown Asheville. Before dinner, we will take a guided comedy tour of downtown Asheville with some of the city’s best, and most comical, tour guides. 37 miles, ±2703’
Day 3 Today we’ll be visiting the town of Brevard. Known for being one of the “coolest small towns in America,” it has a thriving arts and music scene to explore. After lunch at the local Oscar Blues Brewery, our bike ride will meander along the East fork of the French Broad River. Keep your eye out for the white squirrels! They are unique to the Transylvania County we’re cruising through today! Dinner is on your own, though it will be tough to make a bad choice in a city that the locals have nicknamed “Foodtopia.” 30 miles. ±1904’.
Day 4 After breakfast, we’ll be cycling into the rolling hills of Leicester. Following the Lower Clear Creek and the Little Ivy Creek, we’ll make our way around to explore the hidden wonders of Asheville. We’ll have a picnic lunch while enjoying the nature around us. After our ride, we’ll have dinner together followed by a chocolate snack at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. 50 miles. ±3252’
Day 5 We leave the bikes behind today and lace up our hiking shoes as we venture into the Dupont State Recreational Forest, a 10,473-acre paradise for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. It’s also where The Hunger Games (2012) and The Last of the Mohicans (1992) were filmed. Our hike will take us past three stunning waterfalls. You’re welcome to enjoy a sack lunch today, or stop at the local Pisgah Bakehouse after the hike!
If you’re not interested in hiking, you can stroll the shops in downtown Asheville to support the local small business community. 0 miles.
Day 6 This final bike ride is all Asheville, taking us to the Montford district where we’ll be treated to some fine Arts & Crafts architecture built in the early 20th century. We’ll take a photogenic time-out to savor the Asheville skyline and share a farewell picnic lunch at our guide Kimberly’s home. Then we’ll shuttle to the airport arriving by 1:00pm. Hope to see you back again soon! 9 miles, ±1050’.