Velo EscapesHill CountryTraining Camp
From $814 per person sharing a room with a friend, or $1,293 for your own private room
The Epic
Four days in the Texas Hill Country - wine-country roads, honest climbing, and the best riding weather of the year.
The Idea
Four days built around one thing: riding your bike in the best week of the year to do it. Everything off the bike is sorted - the hotel, the routes, the key meals - so you can focus on the riding.
Home base is the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites, a boutique hotel right in the heart of downtown. Heated pool, a large hot tub, fire pits under the live oaks, and a hot breakfast waiting every morning. Walk to dinner, the shops, and the tasting rooms - all of it steps from your door.
Three rides over four days: an honest opening day, a longer day deeper into the Hill Country, and a recovery spin before you go home. The routes are scouted, and we'll share them with you ahead of time. Want to roll back into downtown early, or skip a ride entirely if the hot tub wins? That's the trip too - one route, one group, about 16 mph on rolling roads. Not a trip for beginners. Faster riders are welcome and free to ride ahead. The support vehicle stays with the group.
This is a training camp: no frills, no fuss, priced to get you here. Bring your bike and your kit. We've got the logistics.
Ride Profile
Itinerary
Arrive between 3 and 6 p.m. (check-in at the hotel starts at 3). Drop your bags. Heated pool. Hot tub. Fire pits. Walk Main Street, grab a coffee, settle in. At 6 p.m. we'll get together for a quick group meeting to run through the event - then the night is yours. Pick any restaurant you like in downtown Fredericksburg (just ask - we've got plenty of suggestions).
42.3 mi · 1,633 ft climbing
An honest opening day. A 42-mile roll through the Hill Country with enough vertical to remind your legs what they're here for, and a stop at the Valero at mile 22 to top up bottles. Afternoon: optional Hill Country winery visit for a tasting (specific winery TBD). Evening: 6 p.m. group dinner at Prometheus Pizza Trattoria - Italian, a short walk from the hotel.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner
View the route42.3 mi · 1,633 ft of climbing47.5 mi · 2,511 ft climbing
The long day of the camp. About 47 miles and 2,500 feet of climbing, deeper into the Hill Country than Ride 1 - punchy climbs, long valley roads, and a water stop at Contigo Ranch 31 miles in. Hot tub and fire pits stay open. Dinner tonight is on your own - head out to any spot you like downtown (we've got a long list of great suggestions if you want them).
Included meals: Breakfast, Snacks
View the route47.5 mi · 2,511 ft of climbing30.8 mi · 1,497 ft climbing
A recovery spin in the morning before checkout. About 30 miles, gentle vertical. Loose legs, a full hot breakfast at the hotel, goodbye until next time.
Included meals: Breakfast, Snacks
View the route30.8 mi · 1,497 ft of climbingA note on fitness and ability
Who this is built for. This isn't a trip for beginners, and it isn't built for the fastest riders either. It's built for the rider in the middle. One route a day, one group, one pace: about 16 mph on rolling roads, riding together, and the support vehicle stays with the group. If you can hold that in a group on your home roads, this is built for you. Slower than that and the day stops working, for you and for everyone else, because there's one van and it stays with the group.
Faster than that? You're welcome, and you're free to ride ahead. We regroup at the stops, and between them you're on your own.
On the big climb days there's no group pace. Everyone climbs at their own speed, the van moves front to back checking on everyone, and we regroup at the lookouts.
I ride every mile with the group.
Getting your bike here
Fly with it. Pack it in a bike travel bag. On the major US airlines it costs what any big checked bag costs.
Ship it. Your local shop boxes it and ships it to a bike shop near the start, which builds it back up before you arrive. Leave plenty of time for shipping.
Rent one. Send Mellow Johnny's in Austin your bike's measurements and they'll have a rental set up to fit you.
There are more details on packing, shipping, and renting in a guide we published on our blog: How do I get my bike to a bike tour?
Home Base
We've taken over rooms at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites, a boutique hotel a short walk from everything downtown. Heated pool with a 70-inch screen at poolside, a large hot tub, two gas fire pits, a hot breakfast every morning, free WiFi and parking.
All rooms are spacious two-queens and quad-ready. Bring your significant other - there's a whole downtown of tasting rooms, shops, and restaurants to enjoy while you ride.
Everything's within a few minutes' walk: morning coffee, group dinners, and a place to wind down after the ride. You're not stuck out at a remote camp - you're right in the middle of town.
The Riding
This is a training camp, so the riding is the point. Three routes over four days - an honest opener, a longer day deeper into the Hill Country on Day 3 (about 47 miles, 2,500 feet of climbing), and a recovery spin before you go home.
Ride ahead if you have the legs, or sit in with the group and soak up the roads.
Bring your legs. We've sorted the rest.
Race Weekend
October 23-26 is Formula 1 weekend at Circuit of the Americas, and Ole Miss plays Texas on that Saturday. If you cycle in Austin, you already know what that does to the city: it fills up, the roads get ugly, and everything in town costs more.
Fredericksburg is 80 miles west of all of it. Quiet roads, all weekend, and a town that isn't absorbing a race crowd and a football crowd at the same time.
And if you are coming from anywhere other than Austin, none of this affects you. You get exactly the same trip everyone else does.
Everything Is Handled
Two-queen rooms at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites - your own room, your own private bathroom. Not a dorm. Not a shared bunk. Significant others welcome.
Heated pool. Large hot tub. Two outdoor gas fire pits. Room to spin the legs out and recover between rides.
Hot breakfast every morning at the hotel, lunch on the road on century day, and the Day-2 group dinner. The other evenings are yours - downtown has plenty of great options and we have a list.
Gratuities for local experts, restaurant staff, and hospitality teams
Mid-ride snacks, hydration, electrolytes and fuel to keep you energized on the road
An experienced guide riding with the group for navigation and support
Cold drinks and refreshments waiting for you at the finish each day
Fredericksburg sits in the heart of Texas wine country. Quiet roads. Punchy climbs. Long, fast valleys. And after the ride - a downtown that knows what tired riders want for dinner.
Travel
Closest airports - both are great:
Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) is about 85 miles from Fredericksburg, roughly a 1h 30min drive.
San Antonio International (SAT) is about 70 miles from Fredericksburg, roughly a 1h 15min drive.
Rental cars are available at both airports.
Weather
Late October might be the single best week of the year to ride Hill Country. The summer heat is long gone, humidity drops off, and the air shifts from heavy to crisp. Expect mornings in the upper 50s - perfect for a long-sleeve start - warming into the mid- to upper 70s by midday under bright, dry blue skies.
A passing cool front isn't impossible this time of year, so pack a light vest or shell just in case. Sunrise is around 7:40 a.m., sunset around 6:40 p.m. - plenty of daylight for full days on the bike with none of the brutal summer sun.
The live oaks and cypress along the rivers start showing their fall colors. Cool roads, long shadows, easy breathing. Bring arm warmers.
"People want the riding sorted and the logistics handled - without paying for a pile of extras they didn't come for. That's this camp."
Official Partner
Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop in Austin is an official partner of Velo Escapes - and our go-to recommendation for any rider coming to the Fredericksburg escape who needs a high-quality road rental for the week.
Flying in without a bike? Reach out to the team at Mellow Johnny's directly. They know our trip, they know the kind of roads we're riding, and they'll set you up properly before you head out to the Hill Country.
Book This Escape
$814 per person, sharing a room with a friend.
$1,293 for your own private room, nobody else in it.
This escape runs Oct 23-26, 2026.
The full amount is due when you book, and it is non-refundable.
If something comes up, you can send someone in your place. Call me and we'll move your spot to them.
I'm Carey Rouse. I founded Velo Escapes and I ride every mile of this one with you.
One route, one group, about 16 mph on rolling roads. Not a trip for beginners. Faster riders are welcome and free to ride ahead. The support vehicle stays with the group. If you're wondering whether that means you, that is exactly the call I want to get. People ask me how fast the group rides and what happens if they're the slowest one up a climb. Ask me. I'll tell you straight whether this escape is right for you.
Please, if you have any questions, call me at (512) 767-0630 before you book, not after. If I don't pick up I'm on the bike, so leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I'm done riding.
Full payment at booking · Non-refundable See full booking policy →
Riders who ride with Carey
Google reviews from group rides that Carey leads. More of them, word for word, on the About page.
More About This Trip
About the routes. All three rides are scouted and ridden by us personally. We'll share the GPS files with you ahead of time. The routes range from rolling Hill Country tempo to a longer Day-3 loop deeper into the hills - different roads each day, no repeats.
Route flexibility. We reserve the right to adjust routes if weather or road conditions would make one unsafe or less enjoyable. We keep backups mapped for every day.
Time of year. Late October in the Texas Hill Country is the sweet spot - daytime temps in the 70s and low humidity. The kind of week you plan a trip around. (We did.)
One more thing. Show up, ride, and we'll handle the rest.
