Bike tours can be grueling affairs, especially if they're geared for bodies by Bally instead of by bagels (a little extra cream cheese, please). Not so with Bike Riders Nantucket Weekend Retreat. This cycling tour through the picturesque -- and mercifully flat -- island off Cape Cod is leisurely, mild, and utterly peaceful. And unlike many group ventures, it's an intimate, first-class affair. (The size of the group is limited to sixteen, and you stay at the quaint Jared Coffin House and dine at the island's finest restaurants.) Plus, there's no oppressively regimented schedule. Feel like wandering the antiques stores on Main Street? Just catch up with the others later. Sights include the romantic lighthouse at Brant Point, the sprawling beaches and vineyards of Wauwinet and Cisco (stop for a beer at the Cisco Brewery, a local favorite), and the marshes and cranberry bogs of Madaket. As for the physical-exertion factor, Saturday is the "tough" day (up and cycling by 9:30 a.m.). But the reward is sweet: a sunset cruise courtesy of Captain Bruce, followed by a gourmet lobster feast with all the trimmings. All meals except lunch are included in the trip's price tag, so indulge yourself: you'll burn it off anyway.

DETAILS Bike Riders Tours (800-473-7040; www.bikeriderstours.com; $390 per person, plus $60 bike rental; the same trip is also available June 18–20, September 17–19, and October 8–10).

Related:

• Archive: “52 Weekends”
• Articles by Angie Maximo