WOMEN OUT WEST
PEDAL FOR A CURE BICYCLE TOUR
JULY 19–23, 2005

SUSAN G. KOMEN Breast Cancer Foundation, Central New Mexico Affiliate
Five-day Supported Luxury Bicycle Tour
Begins and Ends: Taos, New Mexico

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You can push for a breast-cancer cure while pushing the pedals on our special Women Out West Bicycle Tour, co-sponsored by the Central New Mexico Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Half of the net proceeds from your participation in our Pedal for A Cure adventure will be donated to the foundation, which works to eradicate breast cancer by supporting innovative research and community-based outreach worldwide.

You may wish to ride in celebration of a particular breast-cancer survivor, or in the name of a loved one whose life has been affected by the disease. Additional donations may be made via check, payable to the Susan J. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation—Central New Mexico Affiliate.
 

This luxury excursion covers some 223 miles amid the scenic high country of northern New Mexico. You’ll follow lightly traveled roads through alpine forests and valleys, with stops along the way to view the stunning panorama of the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge and soak in ancient mineral springs. You’ll overnight at B&Bs known for their comfort and unique ambience, rising each day to continue your ride amid the breathtaking vistas of the southern Rockies. You may spot deer, elk, coyote, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep as you traverse a region rich in the history of Native America, the Spanish explorations, and the Wild West.

The final evening features a gala banquet at the legendary Rancho de San Juan, whose award-winning cuisine and elegant decor are an unexpected delight in this remote corner of New Mexico.

ITINERARY
The tour departs from historic Taos with a leisurely ride across a sage-covered plateau, where nature has carved the impressive geological slash known as the Rio Grande Gorge. The route covers approximately 48 miles, culminating at the cozy Running Elk Lodge, a rustic retreat nestled amid mountain meadows and trout streams outside of the tiny village of Tres Piedras.

Day Two, our 50-plus-mile route will follow a little-used road amid Douglas fir and ponderosa pine into the Chama Valley, where we will spend a starlit night at the comfy and welcoming Timbers Lodge near the village of Los Brazos.

Day Three’s route covers about 52 miles amid red-rock mesas and stunning sandstone formations. We’ll take time along the way to explore attractions like Echo Amphitheater, a natural echo chamber formed by soaring sandstone cliffs. Our destination is Abiquiu, the magical adobe village that served as painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s home during the final decades of her life, where we’ll stay at one of the area’s charming B&Bs.

Day Four we’ll head some 32 miles to the village of Ojo Caliente, where you can soothe your hard-working muscles in the healing mineral springs that once provided respite to early Native Americans and the Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century. The culmination of our days together will be the gala banquet held that evening at the four-star Rancho de San Juan Restaurant, a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateau group of inns. The restaurant is known for its elegant cuisine, discriminating wine list, and sweeping views of the surrounding rock formations and bucolic river valley. We’ll stay at one of the delightful B&Bs of Ojo Caliente to enjoy the quintessentially New Mexican ambience of this historic village.

Day Five we’ll return the approximately 41 miles to Taos, crossing the sage-scented plateau and passing through timeless Hispanic settlements that make a ride through northern New Mexico a unique and memorable experience.

Join our Pedal for A Cure for an adventure of a lifetime and the opportunity to help eliminate breast cancer!