La Vuelta Quisqueya is a fundraising event organized by the ALES Foundation; an NGO established in 2019 with the aim of making a difference in the lives of Dominican children. We are helping our children gain a more meaningful childhood through better education and a more engaging extracurricular social life.
Why Ride With Us?
You get the chance to meet new people, interact, and experience the joy of surmounting our cycling challenge while raising money for a good cause. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, or what you do; you are welcome to a part of us. Join us for our next ride or sponsor our projects in whatever way you can. Our events since 2019 have been a success, and we have made great improvements to enhance your experience in this year’s riding challenge. Don’t miss out.
Our five-day bike tour was designed to expose participants to the Country’s diverse ecosystems, inclusive beaches, mountains, and flat lands, as well as touristy and non -touristy areas. Our bike ride explores more areas of the Dominican Republic than any other bike ride that takes place on the island. We are the only multi-days bike ride with the main focus on helping the community and promoting the Dominican Republic as a cycling destination.
2021 Tour Dates
October 6th to October 10th, 2021.
Cost of the Tour
A minimum fundraising contribution of $3,000 per person.
What is Included?
- Full vehicle support (1-2 Vehicles) throughout the bike ride.
- 5 nights of accommodation (Different towns every night)
- 5 breakfasts, Rest stops snacks, and 5 lunches.
- The services of a Bike Mechanic professional.
- Local NYC training rides.
What is not Included?
- Dinner is on your own to allow you to explore the local cuisine at your pace. We will provide recommendations.
- For safety alcoholic beverages will not be provided.
- Non-cycling activities (excursions, massages, etc..)
- Gratuities for staff.
Level of difficulty
This is a fun bike ride not a competition. We have done our best to make the route manageable for all cyclists. We categorize this ride as moderate. However, for your safety please consult with your health advisor prior to participating.
Based on our experience, the biggest challenge is the weather. It gets very hot in the Dominican Republic, even in October. For this reason, our rides start promptly at 7 am or earlier, so that we can do our best to avoid the most intense part of sunlight. With respect to the ride, while the Dominican Republic feels mostly flat, when you are in the comfort of a car there are a fair amount of rolling hills and even a few steep uphill & downhill sections.
If either the weather or the terrain gets to be too much, there is a van that will always be available to help you finish the day’s ride in the comfort of a vehicle.
Lodging
We will be staying in small locally owned hotels. We like to support the local community and have selected hotels that are comfortable, in the heart of the community and with good service.
We have pre-arranged to have non-cycling activities available at each of the locations we will be staying from a yoga class by the beach, soothing massage, dip into the local swimming hole / beach or stand up paddle. We are not responsible for and do not vouch for these activities. Moreover, they are not included in the cost of the trip.
You can’t ride but would like to make a donation?
You can make a donation using Zelle which is an online service provided by most major banks and it allows you to transfer funds directly from your bank account without any fees. To initiate a donation, please use our email: info@alesfoundation.org
(ALES Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which makes all donations to us tax-deductible).
DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1 (Wednesday)
Route: PUERTO PLATA TO RIO SAN JUAN
Max elevation: 264 ft
Min elevation: 18 ft
Total climbing: 1564 ft
Total descent: -1583 ft
Average speed: nan mi/h
We will start our day a little earlier than all other days of the ride for quick safety talk. We encourage you to check your bike at least an hour before our planned start to make sure that the bike mechanic may have time to fix any last-minute problems. We will be heading East from our hotel in Puerto Plata along route 5 which runs parallel to the beach in some areas to Rio San Juan. We will be passing by two of the most iconic beaches in Dominican Republic Sosua and Cabarete.
Day 2 (Thursday)
Route: RÍO SAN JUAN TO LAS TERRENAS
Distance: approximately 62 mi
Elevation: 2090 ft.
Max elevation: 776 ft
Min elevation: 14 ft
Total climbing: 2234 ft
Total descent: -2232 ft
Average speed: nan mi/h
We will continue riding east to Las Terrenas. Today will be more challenging than the first day. We will be riding up a few steep hills coupled with fast descents. We will make sure to make the rest stops in some of the nicest areas of the route, so you can take a few selfies! Drink plenty of water!
Day 3 (Friday)
Route: LAS TERRENAS TO SAMANA
Distance: approximately 69 mi
Elevation: 6071 ft.
Max elevation: 1270 ft
Min elevation: 7 ft
Total climbing: 6130 ft
Total descent: -6150 ft
Average speed: nan mi/h
This will definitely be the most challenging day, but arguably this is the most picturesque section of the entire bike ride. That is why we decided to ride the entire peninsula. Make sure you drink plenty of water!
Day 4 (Saturday)
Route: SABANA DE LA MAR TO JUAN DOLIO
Distance: approximately 78 mi
Elevation: 3257 ft.
Max elevation: 1164 ft
Min elevation: 10 ft
Total climbing: 3375 ft
Total descent: -3371 ft
Average speed: nan mi/h
We will be riding south from Sabana de La Mar making our way toward Santo Domingo. We will be riding through small towns where our support of the local community is greatly appreciated. We have a couple of surprises only known to the locals. This is the Dominican Republic that even very few locals have seen. A short ride, but plenty of steep hills.
Day 5 (Sunday)
Route: JUAN DOLIO TO LECHERIA
Distance: approximately 60 mi
Elevation: 1445 ft.
Max elevation: 242 ft
Min elevation: 17 ft
Total climbing: 1531 ft
Total descent: -1445 ft
Average speed: nan mi/h
This is the shortest riding day of the entire ride. We want to avoid riding into the city, because of all the heavy traffic and driving chaos! We will be riding on the northern outskirts of the city to the community of Lecheria where we are building the playground. Today is all about our contribution to this community. We will be interacting with the community and seeing how our donations has impacted their lives.
After the inauguration of the Playground in Lecheria, all participants will be driven back into Santo Domingo, where they can continue the rest of their stay on their own.
ALES Foundation’s mission is to carry out charitable activities and advance the world’s understanding of goodwill and empathy while improving the living conditions of children and their communities. We do this by providing basic amenities that children need to grow and thrive so that they can be educationally, mentally, and socially sound. Through our cycling event were able to achieve the mission of bringing joy to the lives of children.
