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Touring in the Pandemic: Part 3 of our series on Covid-19

The year 2020 will be remembered for a lot of challenges from Covid-19. I’ve blogged about this twice already, see the articles here and here. Instead of cycling, my time has been spent reading dozens of articles, reviewing best practices, and jabbering away at Zoom conference calls with other tour operators and with our hotel vendors.

Can we tour yet? Do we have guests who understand the risk, and how to stay safe? Based on all the study and discussion with other tour leaders, I think touring on a small scale will be OK.

A Qualified Start

In our first post on Covid-19, we outlined three conditions which had to be met in order to consider touring. The most obvious condition is a requirement that public health conditions allowed for travel. There are no restrictions for US Citizens traveling in to Michigan, at least at this time. We’re lucky because our tour area in the Upper Peninsula was the first part of Michigan to have travel restrictions removed, followed by the rest of the state. The Upper Peninsula is sparsely settled and is generally free of Covid-19 infections.

Condition #2 covers logistics of lodging and dining. We’ve confirmed that our hotel and restaurant travel partners have kept pace and been able to implement safe practices. From repeated online and telephone investigation and a road trip by our U.P. staff, we know all our hotels have procedures in place to protect our guests as well as their own staff. In addition, guests will get their room keys directly from tour staff, eliminating contact with the front desk.

Dining has special logistical opportunities, and a combination of outdoor dining and carry-out meals will help protect our guests. This may be our biggest challenge, but our guests are able to roll with the new style.

The third question is staff preparedness. Covid-19 has limited the number of our staff leaders who can tour in 2020, and we now have 6 leaders split between two tours in the U.P., plus one more for a private tour near Traverse City. All are engaged and have studied best practices for Covid-19, and every one believes strongly in the company policy regarding masks and social distancing.

Remember that Bike Tour Vacations is well positioned to test the waters for several reasons. Over the past 9 summers we’ve honed our skills working with small groups. In addition, we’re touring in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a region largely free from pandemic issues. Our small group size really plays into this plan.

Before Leaving Home

Social distancing brings no charm to the party. In spite of this, our guests are advised to limit contact beginning 2 weeks prior to the tour date. We’ve also relaxed cancellation policies a bit, so anyone who feels ill or has been exposed can call before leaving home to discuss options. An ill guest is not compelled to attend the tour for financial reasons.

Getting There

Our guests like to drive to the tour, and many will spend a night on the road getting to the start. Driving the car presents almost zero Covid-19 risk. The problem with driving is that you need to stop for food & fuel. We recommend bundling activities when stopping along the way, to make better use of your time spent washing hands. A stop for the bathroom can frequently be combined with gassing up the car and picking up a quick meal. Please wear a face mask when outside the car, and always wash hands or use sanitizer at each stop.

On the Tour

Outdoor cycling has minor Covid-19 risk, and we lose much of that risk by spreading out along the road, so no drafting! Our riders wear masks when not on the bikes, and practicing social distancing when we’re not riding. Our sag drivers will wear gloves and masks at the sag stops, and they will be the only ones handing out food & snacks. We also have a two-part hand cleaning routine for everyone- first use a hand wipe to remove dirt and grime from your hands, then follow up with a squirt of hand sanitizer.

We’re going to insulate our guests from hotel and restaurant staff, and vice-versa. Guests see our staff for room keys, not the hotel staff. Dining is also enhanced this summer. We expect almost all our tour meals will be served outdoors, either on a patio or at a park or picnic area. In addition, carry-out meals will make up a large portion of our dining.

These actions are a significant change from the way things used to be. Remember they provide some necessary protection for our guests, and for our many vendors along the route.

Some things are the same

We’re fortunate today to have a public tour and a private tour scheduled back-to-back on the same Pictured Rocks route. The sights here are delightful, and the cycling is superb. I’ll eat fresh Whitefish for dinner several times, and also enjoy a pasty from Muldoon’s in Munising.

Oh, I still make cheese, and a bunch of it was packaged for tour before the pandemic hit. This always tastes good with a glass of wine after a good ride!

Arriving back at Home

The CDC does not recommend quarantine on arrival back home, however several states do. Please check with local authorities and follow their advice. Remember that when you travel and arrive somewhere new, and when you get back home, you represent a bigger threat to the locals than they do to you.

What’s Next

We expect everything will go according to the plan. The reality is that conditions in the field will alter our plan, in spite of all the preparation. This information is crucial to knowing what the right course of action will be for 2021. I’ll be back about Labor Day with an update on our fun in the Upper Peninsula. Please keep riding, practice social distancing, and stay safe!