Routes Bicycle Tours debuts New Mexico’s only Bicycle Adventure Showcasing the World-Famous Annual Pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayó
SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 15, 2018 -- Routes Bicycle Tours (www.routesbicycletours.com), a bicycle tour company based inside the historic La Fonda On the Plaza hotel, is proud to announce the launch of their highly anticipated 2018 Sacred Sights bicycle adventure tour to Chimayó on Good Friday (March 30).
On Holy Week (and Good Friday) of each year, thousands of pilgrims make the journey to El Santuario de Chimayó, a beautiful and sacred shrine in the Sangre de Christo mountains of Northern New Mexico known for the well of healing earth (El Pocito) it contains. Faithful pilgrims sometimes journey hundreds of miles on foot to reach the Santuario. By Good Friday, the highways north of Santa Fe are lined with the striking sight of people carrying crosses, ofrendas (offerings), and flowers. This annual pilgrimage is impossible to fully experience by automobile or bus due to road closures and passes through sacred Pueblo lands that are typically closed to public group access. Routes is proud to have the distinction of being the first and only tour company with the skill, the expertly-designed route, and the permission to make this annual pilgrimage by bicycle.
Routes’ Sacred Sights experience will begin at the historic La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel (www.lafondasantafe.com) over breakfast & yoga. After warming up, guests will join the pilgrims and pedal north along the ‘High Road to Taos’ (a spectacular Scenic Byway) to the Santuario. In Chimayó participants will witness the church’s Good Friday processionals, meet local artisans, and taste the delicious heirloom red and green chiles for which Northern New Mexico is famous. The group will also enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch before returning to Santa Fe by-bike through the beautiful landscapes of Nambe and Tesuque Pueblos. Routes will cap the experience with a champagne social at the elegant Gruet Winery Tasting Room (www.gruetwinery.com/).
El Santuario de Chimayó is a National Historic Landmark and has been a place of worship since long before its construction in 1813. Generations of Native Americans, Hispanics, New Mexicans, and people of all faiths from around the world have traveled to the site of El Santuario to ask for healing and to offer prayers of thanksgiving and petition in hope of a miracle. El Santuario de Chimayó (often referred to as the ‘Lourdes of North America’) currently receives over 300,000 visitors per year and is one of the most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites in the United States. Sacred Sights is the first professionally-led bicycle adventure tour that showcases the annual, 200+ year-old Holy Week pilgrimage.
“Making this sacred journey on a bicycle immersed in the beautiful landscapes [of New Mexico], together with pilgrims from around the world is an experience people will never forget,” said Josh Arnold, who owns and operates Routes Bicycle Tours with his wife, Heather. “Being on bicycles gives our guests the opportunity to ‘get off the beaten path’ and see true hidden gems, Pueblos and historic sites many visitors aren’t aware of.”
Guests can purchase tickets for Sacred Sights on the Routes Bicycle Tours website http://bit.ly/ChimayoBicycleTour or by calling (505) 933-5667 during business hours. This is an intermediate/advanced all-inclusive (and all-beliefs/faiths) bicycle touring experience, which travels 58 miles round-trip between Santa Fe and Chimayó on the day of March 30th . All tickets include a continental breakfast & yoga warm-up session, a premium bicycle rental for the day (and all associated equipment), bottled water, an heirloom chile tasting & gourmet picnic lunch in Chimayó, all grounds tours & related experiences, a special memento to take home, and a champagne reception to follow at the Gruet Tasting Room in Downtown Santa Fe. Packages begin at $447 and can be upgraded with an Extended-Stay Package that includes two room nights at La Fonda On the Plaza Hotel, a tasting of local craft beers, a delicious New Mexican dinner at one of Santa Fe’s top-rated restaurants, and a private City & Art Tour of Santa Fe, The City Different. Spaces are extremely limited on this tour, and tickets will sell out quickly.
About Routes Bicycle Tours
Voted the top bicycle touring company in New Mexico on TripAdvisor, Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals (www.RoutesBicycleTours.com) is a family-owned bicycle tour and rental boutique based in the historic urban cores of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM with a focus on providing unique, memorable experiences and products for their guests. Founded in spring 2011, Routes is the only company in New Mexico to feature professionally-guided bicycle tours and rentals throughout the year. Daily, custom, extended, and seasonal packages are available including the ‘Turquoise Trail Adventure’, ‘Bikes & Brews’, ‘Signature Santa Fe City Tours’, ‘Lights and Luminarias’, and ‘Bikes and Balloons’ in October. Snowshoes and snow-experiences are also offered in the winter months. Media Contact: Heather Arnold, Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals, Inc. (505) 550-8018 heather@routesrentals.com
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