TOURS & CRUISES

Follow the wheel men on Tour

SPIN through Europe on four- to eight-night bicycling tours and watch American Lance Armstrong try to become the first person to win the world’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France, six times in a row.

Thirty itineraries for the July race -- from $2,898 to $5,200 a person, double occupancy -- are available from Backroads, a travel company with headquarters in Berkeley.

The tours, which blend race viewing with bike rides on and near the Tour de France route, are designed to accommodate families, singles and riders of various abilities.

“Designing trips that give guests the inside track to bike racing’s premiere event is a natural for us,” said Tom Hale, Backroads’ founder.

“We have unique itineraries that will cater to all abilities and levels of interest in the tour.”

Although Tour de France racers may bike 100 or more miles a day, Backroads riders average 20 to 60 miles a day.

Participants will stay in inns and hotels along the route; accommodations range from basic to deluxe, depending on the tour.

Cost: Included are most meals, accommodations, transfers, van support and guides. Single surcharges start at $1,000 when available. Airfare is not included.

Contact: Backroads; (800) 462-2848, www.backroads.com.

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ARIZONA

Focus on Hopi

art and history

Probe the rich culture of the Hopi during a weeklong tour that focuses on the history and artistry of Hopi kachina carvings.

The educational tour is sponsored by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center of Cortez, Colo., and begins May 10 in Phoenix.

Participants will travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., and the Hopi mesas of northeastern Arizona, visiting Native American artists and carvers in their homes.

They also will explore archeological sites and see the collections of carvings, pottery and mural remnants at the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Museum of Northern Arizona near Flagstaff.

Leading the tour will be E. Charles Adams, curator of archeology at the Arizona State Museum of the University of Arizona.

Assisting him will be Barton Wright, a scholar on kachina dolls and author; Kelley Hays-Gilpin, a professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff; and Michael Kabotie, a Hopi painter and jeweler.

Cost: $1,995 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $275), including Crow Canyon tuition, accommodations, some meals and transportation during the tour. Transportation to Phoenix is not included.

Contact: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center; (800) 422-8975, www.crowcanyon.org.

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EUROPE

Visit WWII battle sites

Roll back time six decades to World War II on 12-day tours that focus on the fight for Normandy and the battles that followed, from D-day to the Battle of the Bulge.

The escorted tours, which depart on several dates from April 15 to Sept. 9, begin in England with visits to London landmarks, such as Winston Churchill’s War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum, and a trip to Portsmouth to see the D-day Museum and British naval base.

In France, participants will visit the Caen Memorial in Normandy and Utah and Omaha beaches, and the U.S. military cemetery. Other stops will be Bastogne, Belgium, site of the Battle of the Bulge; Luxembourg to see the grave of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.; and Berlin.

Cost: $1,899 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $400), including accommodations, most meals and sightseeing. Airfare is not included.

Contact: Joan Irvine Travel of Newport Beach; (866) 508-7477 or (949) 548-3481.

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CHINA

Asia trip for art lovers

Collect art and antiques on a 22-day trip to Asia led by Harry J. Lawrence, a Laguna Beach dealer in Chinese art.

The April 8 trip, which will focus on architecture and the arts, will visit Hong Kong, Beijing, Xian, Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Highlights will include a cruise down the Grand Canal on the Li River.

Cost: $5,250 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $950), including round-trip airfare from LAX, internal flights, accommodations, meals, guides and special performances.

Contact: Far East Art & Adventure Travel Inc., Laguna Beach; (949) 494-9778.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel@latimes.com.