Holland MI Cycling Trip June 2012

Our club ran a trip there in 2008 and those of us who went thought it was an excellent venue.  A number of people have suggested repeating the trip; so here we go….  It is quite a bike friendly town and the terrain is fairly flat which most people like.  Last time we found a number of routes on quiet roads starting and finishing near the middle of town and we can repeat some of these.  It is fairly easy to adjust ride lengths to allow for different abilities. The town is also on the shore of Lake Michigan.  Accommodation was at Hope College which is conveniently located a block or so from the town centre. The plan is to stay there again this time because of its location and the relatively low cost.

Our initial thinking was to travel Friday 8^th June and maybe get a short ride in that day.  We would then have full day rides on the Saturday and Sunday, then perhaps a shorter ride on Monday 11^th before heading home.  However there is a possibility of extending the trip a further day or so.  There are a couple rail trails I have been looking at which we could drive to and each of which we could do in a day.

To get an idea of costs the dorm rooms at the college come in suites which comprise 2 rooms each with 2 single beds.  The two rooms have a shared bathroom and the accommodation does have AC (in case it gets hot early this year.)  The cost for each suite is $140 per night so depending on the composition of the group, the cost could be as little as $35 per person per night.  Breakfast is available for $6.75 and if we have a communal dinner that costs $8.10 per person (we had one communal dinner last time, on the Sunday.)  Once across the river it is about a 3 ½ hour/350 km drive, essentially straight across the Michigan peninsular so that gives an idea of travelling cost.  We would car pool to the degree that makes sense.