Bicycle Tour of Athens, UGA, and Madison, GA

Athens is the quintessential college town, as well as a progressive cycling community.  Well underway is an ambitious plan of paved bike trails, including the North Oconee River Greenway and the Firefly Trail.   Dominated by the University of Georgia campus, Athens has a pleasant, artsy vibe.  Unique local restaurants and shops line Clayton Street, Broad Street and others for block after block.  The UGA campus definitely deserves a visit.  Walk through the famous Arch to see a beautifully landscaped campus with buildings dating back to 1806.  

We'll have bike fittings, orientation and lunch at our upscale hotel in the heart of downtown.  Afterwards we'll enjoy a bike ride in and around town and campus to see a few of the spots that make it unique.  Afterwards we'll enjoy getting to know each other at a private event space downtown.

After breakfast at the hotel you will have the option of commencing today's ride from there, or taking a quick shuttle out of town to start riding in the Georgia countryside.  Today's route will include lovely country and quaint crossroad communities.  One version of this route was named the best route in Georgia a few years ago.

Back in Athens for a second night, you have time to explore downtown and the UGA campus.  We recommend trying a flight at Creature Comforts Brewing Company, a successful local brewery.  Dinner will be on your own this evening, with plenty of options within walking distance of the hotel.  Athens has become a true foodie town, with restaurants such as The National and Last Resort Grill earning an excellent reputation.

We'll ride from downtown Athens to the lovely community of Winterville.  The two communities are now almost entirely connected by the rapidly expanding Firefly Trail.  That launches us onto a wonderful bike ride into the surrounding countryside.  The route over gently rolling terrain will take us across the longest historic covered bridge in Georgia, where we will enjoy a bountiful picnic lunch.  Ultimately we'll pass back through Winterville on our way back to Athens.  Dinner will be as a group tonight at an outstanding restaurant.  

We leave Athens behind today, heading south through a combination of farmland and forest.  You'll get to bike across another historic covered bridge on the way.  Our ultimate destination is the stunningly beautiful town of Madison.  Founded in 1809 as the county seat of Morgan County, it was named for James Madison, who was inaugurated as the 4th U.S. President two months prior.   Saved from destruction during the Civil War by a Union sympathizing mayor, Madison has a remarkably intact and well-maintained inventory of antebellum homes and business structures.  Madison has been called "one of the 50 most beautiful small towns in America" by Architectural Digest, and "one of the South's prettiest small towns" by Southern Living Magazine.  Our lodging for two nights, the James Madison Inn sits across from a town park, and nearby streets are lined with restaurants and boutique shops.

Our layover day in Madison provides multiple cycling route options, so you can choose the distance that appeals to you.  Some of the prettiest scenery of the tour may exist in this area south, east and west of town.  Numerous equestrian estates dot the landscape.  The small former railroad town of Rutledge has a few charming shops and cafes, but mostly the ride will be in rural countryside.

Our last day takes us back to Athens.  Yet another day of pleasant cycling on smooth and scenic Georgia roads awaits.  We'll bike through sleepy crossroads communities of Bostwick and Bishop before reaching Watkinsville, just south of Athens.   We'll get you back to your car in time for a late lunch, showers and departure.