But you can also find loaded tours closer to home for a fraction of those costs.
Last year, Dee Real took some friends on a tour of the North Cascades in Washington state that cost them $800 each. That included eight nights at hotels.
She invests hours into web-researching scenic routes that would be good for bikes. Then she and her husband, Mike, drive to the area to check out the roads, hotels and restaurants.
"We want riders to have a stress-free good time ... eat, sleep, ride. It's the journey that matters. All without a single worry so that they can really enjoy themselves and the area that they are riding in," says Real.
Cyclists can burn several thousand calories a day on a trip like that. And it's a good thing, given the attention tour organizers sometimes pay to food.
For Real, this is not a career but a hobby, something she and her husband like doing for their friends and themselves.
"Typically we build a tour based on 'almost' selfish reasons ... it's an area that we want to see and ride in. And what better way than to take along 30 of your friends too?" she said.
Torosian, president of America By Bicycle, has seen many new friendships formed in his organized rides across the country. Sometimes romance even blossoms.
"We average at least one marriage every year," he said. "I get the baby pictures."
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On the Net:
America By Bicycle: http://www.abbike.com/Misc/info.shtml
Velo Classic Tours: http://www.veloclassic.com/
National Bicycle Dealers Association: http://nbda.com/
World Wide Bicycle Tour Directory: http://www.bicycletour.com/
National Bicycle Tour Directors Association: http://www.nbtda.com/default.php
