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.
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 be 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 the 2023 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.
2023 Tour Dates
February 15th to February 19th, 2023.
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 that makes all donations to us tax-deductible)
DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1 (February 15, 2023)
Route: Uvero Alto to Cañitas
Distance: approximately 57 mi
Elevation: 2315 ft.
Max elevation: 238 ft
Min elevation: 14 ft
Total climbing: 2315 ft
Total descent: -2299 ft
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 North from our hotel in Punta Cana along route 104 which runs parallel to the beach in some areas to Cañitas, Miches. From Cañitas, we will cross the Samana Bahia via Ferry, lunch and rest at Cayo Levantado, Samana and afterwards head to our hotel in Las Terrenas.
Day 2 (February 16, 2023)
Route: Las Terrenas / Cabarete
Distance: approximately 48 mi
Elevation: 1724 ft.
Max elevation: 769 ft
Min elevation: 12 ft
Total climbing: 1724 ft
Total descent: -1712 ft
On our second day, we will continue riding north from Las Terrenas to Laguna DuDu, Nagua. We will be riding up a few steep hills at the beginning of the ride, but it is mostly flat afterwards. We will be cruising along some of the most beautiful coastal areas in the country, riding just meters away from the beaches of Nagua. 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! The ride will end at Laguna DuDu where you will have the opportunity to enjoy a splash, lunch and rest before heading to our hotel in the touristy town of Cabarete.
Day 3 (February 17, 2023)
Route: Cabarete to Santiago
Distance: approximately 45 mi
Elevation: 3828 ft.
Max elevation: 2301 ft
Min elevation: 23 ft
Total climbing: 3828 ft
Total descent: -3158 ft
We now leave the beaches behind us and head south towards the mountains. We head to Santiago, the second largest City in D.R., and will be passing by two of the most iconic beaches in the country; Sosua and Cabarete. This will definitely be one of the most challenging days, but one of the shortest. Stay hydrated. We will be by your side monitoring your needs, but be prepare as you will have the opportunity to enjoy the most amazing view of the country side.
Day 4 (February 18, 2023)
Route: Santiago to Bonao
Distance: approximately 60 mi
Elevation: 2063 ft.
Max elevation: 825 ft
Min elevation: 274 ft
Total climbing: 2063 ft
Total descent: -1834 ft
We will be riding south-east from Santiago to Bonao making our way towards 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. Safety first; we will be on a heavy traffic road know as La Autopista Duarte.
Day 5 (February 19, 2023)
Route: Circling Santo Domingo – Circunvalación to Zona Colonial
Distance: approximately 44 mi
Elevation: 2680 ft.
Max elevation: 276 ft
Min elevation: 7 ft
Total climbing: 2679 ft
Total descent: -2842 ft
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 from the northern outskirts of the city to La Zona Colonial, the historical colonial part of the City. After the ride, we will meet local leaders from the Community of Lecheria, Hato Nuevo were the social impact project will built.
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.
