actionchallenge from Niagara to This fabulous route takes us on a 660 km journey from the city of Buffalo through thick forests and open farmland, over high mountains and rolling hills, along gushing rivers and into the historic homeland of the American Indians. If you love challenging cycling, stunning countryside and the bright lights of the city, then this challenge is tailor-made for you. Fired up by our visit to Niagara Falls, we jump on our bikes and head deep into the countryside. As a peloton, we ride the Old Elk Run Road, a hilly rollercoaster ride with challenging climbs and fast downhill stretches through the traditional lands of the Algonquin Indians. We whizz through small farming towns, cycle along the banks of the Susquehanna River and stop to experience life in Wyoming County. We hit the foothills of the Endless Mountains, we climb into the Lackawanna Forest, we pedal through Bear Creek Preserve and we make our way over the Pocono Mountains. It s a breathtaking, invigorating bike ride giving us a unique glimpse of rural North America. As we cycle closer to NYC the pretty farmsteads give way to larger towns until we arrive in the city of Newark for our last night and a celebratory dinner with our cycling teammates. The next day we explore City before heading home with a fantastic sense of achievement and a peloton of new-found friends! at a glance Activity: Cycling - road biking Location: Niagara and, USA Duration: 10 days / 6 days cycling Difficulty: Tough Distance: 662 km Group size: 15+ trip highlights Visit Niagara Falls Cycle over the Pcoono Mountains See rural America Pedal deep into the Lackawanna Forest Cycle along the Delaware River Ride the rollercoaster hills of the Alonquin Indians Shop in City Action Challenge have been leading inspirational team adventures across the world for individuals, private groups, charities and corporate clients since 1999. Our trips enable people to experience the world s most exhilarating locations, often in aid of charity. Our Ultra Ride series offers challenging cycling trips designed to test our endurance in exciting environments. Together we rise to the challenges, achieve formidable goals and forge friendships for life. www.actionchallenge.com
introduction This fully-inclusive cycle in the USA will begin as soon as you register! You will receive a challenge pack including a training guide, kit list and discounts for all the essentials you may need. If you are raising money for a charity, we will sort out all the formalities so you can concentrate on your own preparation and fundraising. We offer pre-challenge briefings to prepare you for this tough and demanding trip. On the day of departure you will meet your group and Action Challenge leader at the airport in London. Whether you re joining the challenge on your own or with others, you will instantly be made to feel welcome. As a team we will board our flight to Buffalo, ready to take on the route from Niagara to City and the challenging bike ride of a lifetime! brief itinerary Please visit our website for more details All inclusive trip cost from 2,099 Initial 399 deposit to sign up Three payment options available. Please visit our website for more details Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Arrive in Buffalo / Niagara Olean Cycle to Wellsboro Wellsboro to Towanda Cycle the Susquehanna River Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Strousbourg Celebratory dinner in Newark Free day in New york Depart USA Arrive UK what s included International flights Action Challenge cycle leader Full support team, including local cycle guides UK medic Support vehicles All accommodation All meals, except in free time Airline taxes Treated drinking water All transfers in local vehicles Celebration dinner Invitation to a challenge briefing in London Fitness and training guide Discounts from UK retailers Reduced rates at Nomad Travel Clinics and Masta Health This is a moderate challenge as we will be cycling in excess of 80 km every day and be in the saddle for around 5-6 hours per day, over hilly terrain. It is therefore necessary to have a good level of cardiovascular fitness. Why not stay on after the challenge and explore some more of s highlights? The best times to travel are between May and September when the days are long and warm with temperatures in the low 20 s during the day and,typically around 18 degrees Celsius at night. It is, however, important to expect changeable weather.
itinerary DAY 1 - Depart UK We depart from the UK on our day flight to Buffalo. We transfer directly to Niagara Falls to see one of North Americas most famous sites, the great Niagara Falls. We then transfer to our Hotel in downtown Buffalo where we have a welcome meal before a good night s sleep. Meals: L,D* Accom: Flight / Hotel* (*dependent on flight schedule) DAY 2 - Niagara Falls Our hotel is in the centre of town and after a good early breakfast we start our ride through the downtown area. We move together for the first ten kilometres as we get to the outskirts of Buffalo, past the American Football stadium and the suburb of North Boston where we stop for a break at Georges Restaurant. Once out of town we are quickly in the lush countryside and we soon arrive at the towns of Springville where we rest and have some good food. From here we have our tough 260 m climb before its almost downhill all the way to our hotel in the town of Olean. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel Distance: 119 km Total Climb: 895 m DAY 3 - Wellsboro Today is our longest and toughest in the saddle as we make our way along the valleys of the Denton Hill National Park. We follow the Pine Creek River for part of the day, which flows into Pine Creek Canyon, Pennsylvania's very own Grand Canyon. The quality of the roads today are very good and we should pass quickly through the towns of Shinglehouse, Sweden and Manhattan, before eventually arriving in Wellsboro. Tonight we stay in one of the town s historic central hotels. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel Distance: 131km Total Climb: 927 m DAY 4 - Towanda We begin our day with a rollercoaster ride over the hills of the Old Elk Run Road as we head east through the historic lands of the Algonquin Indians. We have lunch and breaks in the farming towns of Charleston, Sylvania, Troy and Burlington en route to Towanda where we rest for the night. Eight nights in comfortable 2/3* hotels All accommodation is on a twin/tripleshare, single-sex basis and we will pair you with someone of a similar age, where possible. If you wish to share a room with someone you are travelling with, please specify this on your registration form. If you decide that you would like to have your own room on the challenge, we can accommodate this in the majority of places. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Motel Distance: 99 km Total Climb: 828 m DAY 5 - Wilkes Barre We leave Towanda, cycling along the banks of the pretty Susquehanna River. After lunch in Tunkhannock, we head into Wyoming County and soon hit the foothills of the Endless Mountains, which form part of the great Appalachian range. As we approach the West Coast, the towns we pass through increase in size and tonight we stay in Wilkes-Barre with a population of half a million, the biggest town we have passed since leaving Buffalo. Insurance - approximately 60 Visa waiver program - 15 Vaccinations - up-to-date on boosters. Tips for local staff - recommended amount $50 Airline fuel surcharge / supplement as applied by airlines. Please note that this is capped at a maximum of 150. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Motel Distance: 111km Total Climb: 1172 m
DAY 6 - Stroudsburg We start on our shortest day with only 81 km s of riding although the good hard climb in to the hills to the east of Wilkes-Barre which give us great views over the route that we cycled yesterday. It s a great day of cycling today as we make our way through spectacular scenery, into the Lackawanna Forrest, through Bear Creek Preserve, over the Pocono Mountains with its very own lake district and then dropping down into Stroudsburg. Tonight is our last night before we reach Newark and the end of our challenge. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel Distance: 81 km Total Climb: 1040m Breakfasts each morning will be at the accommodation, lunch en-route and evening meals will be at the accommodation or in a local restaurant. All meals are provided apart from those in free time. We can cater for all dietary requirements if informed in advance. DAY 7 - Newark Our ride takes us through small, pretty farmsteads that gradually give way to the larger towns of Hackettstown, Ironia, Morristown and Vauxhall as we get closer to Newark. We end our cycle at our hotel in Newark, where we relax before our celebratory dinner tonight to mark our achievement and the end of an incredible challenge. A kit list will be sent to you on receipt of registration. Many everyday items can be used on this challenge, and we offer a kit hire service to keep costs down. Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel Distance: 121 km DAY 8 - Free Day Today we make our way into City for a free day to enjoy the sights. DAY 9 - Depart City We transfer to Newark Airport in time for our return flight to London. If you are planning on travelling to the USA before the challenge or wish to organise your own flights, we do offer a land only option, with a significant discount off the trip price. You will be required to meet your group at the hotel on day two of the itinerary. DAY 10 - Arrive UK topography Road Bike (can be hired) Alcoholic drinks Drinks and food outside of meals, other than water Airline fuel surcharge / supplement as applied by airlines. Please note that this is capped at a maximum of 150. Altitude Distance
payment options A REGISTRATION DEPOSIT of 399 (for 2015) is required to secure your place. We offer 2 deposit payment options: OPTION 1: Deposit paid in full, by card at the time of registration. OPTION 2: Deposit paid in two 50/50 split payments. The first 50% is paid when you register and the second is charged to your payment card at the end of the following month. For this option, a 10 supplement will be charged with the first instalment. ATOL is a scheme that protects you from losing money or being stranded abroad if your travel company collapses. Action Challenge is 100% ATOL bonded, which provides you with full financial protection. On receipt of your registration fee, you will receive an ATOL certificate explaining your protection. Once registered, there are 3 PAYMENT OPTIONS to fund the balance of the trip cost. Full details are on our website. 1) SELF FUNDED For anyone who wants to pay for the entire trip themselves. It s then completely up to you whether or not you choose to raise any money for a charity of your choice. The total all inclusive cost of this trip is 2,099 (for 2015), which, after you pay the 399 Registration Deposit, leaves a balance of 1,700. This final balance is due for payment 10 weeks before your departure along with any fuel surcharges levied by the airline. 2) SPONSORSHIP FUNDED This is for anyone who wants to take on this challenge and will link it with fundraising a significant sum of money for a charity of their choice. You would have to raise at least 3,400 (for 2015) via sponsorship and donations from friends, family and colleagues, and be confident at the outset that you can achieve this total. Pay the Registration Deposit and nominate a charity to fundraise for. All fundraising goes directly to your charity and providing that you raise at least 3,400 (for 2015), your charity will pay for the balance of your trip costs to Action Challenge. That balance, paid by your charity, is 1,700 (the same as if you were you were Self Funded ) - the charity will retain at least 1,700 to help fund their work. You will have to pay any airline fuel surcharges 10 weeks prior to departure. how to book To book on to this challenge, please visit our website; www.actionchallenge.com for a full list of prices and all available dates. private groups If you are a charity, business, school or private group with a minimum of 10 people and fancy your own bespoke trip, please call us on +44(0)20 7609 6695 or you can send us an email to events@actionchallenge.com for more information. 3) MIXED FUNDED A mix of the 2 options above! You pay about half the trip cost yourself, and also fundraise for your charity. They pay the remaining balance of your trip costs. Ideal for anyone who wants to take on the challenge and also fundraise for a charity, BUT is happy to pay a reasonable proportion of the trip cost themselves, which with your registration deposit, is set at a level that covers at least the costs of flights & accommodation; perfect for those who feel more at ease asking for sponsorship in respect to the challenge component of their trip. Pay the Registration Deposit and nominate a charity to fundraise for. All fundraising goes directly to your charity and providing that you raise at least 2,550 (for 2015), your charity will pay a portion of your trip cost to Action Challenge. That balance, paid by your charity, is 1,025. At the same time, you will be required to pay the remaining balance yourself, which will be a figure of 675 (These two amounts add up to the same as the Self Funded final balance) - the charity will retain at least 1,525 to help fund their work. You will have to pay any airline fuel surcharges 10 weeks prior to departure. @actionchallenge www.facebook.com/actionchallenge Action Challenge UK Ltd United House North Road London N7 9DP United Kingdom