Bike Bourbon Country with Backroads

Biking Bourbon Country Having visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, stopping and touring historic distilleries, after rolling up and down bucolic horse country, I can easily say I can’t wait to get back. Sampling bourbon, dining on exceptional Southern food, and viewing the seemingly endless green hillsides of the Bluegrass State, it’s hard not to be hooked. We were excited to see that Backroads introduced a 5-day itinerary to this region of the country last year and it’s already immensely popular. The first trip leaves April 11-15 and if you’re a little leery of drinking high-proof liquor while biking, realize that most of the drinking is at Happy Hour and you can always grab an e-bike for those challenging hills. Please let ActiveTravels know which dates look good and we’ll check availability.

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The World is Your Oyster Volume 3: Andy Levine and Tom Coppock of DuVine Cycling

The World is Your OysterOur third episode of The World is Your Oyster brings us closer to home as we speak with Andy Levine and Tom Coppock of DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. about their new trips in Hudson Valley, Shenandoah Valley, and New Mexico.

Andy Levine started his company decades ago creating bike trips in and around the vineyards of France. Since then, DuVine has offered small group trips (only up to 14 people per trip) with fantastic guides, farm-to-table experiences and carefully curated scenic rides designed to see the world slowly and intimately. Their motto is “Bike Eat Drink Sleep” and on their trips, you’ll do each of these in style!

We were lucky enough to pin Andy down long enough to find out what’s new this year. Tom Coppock, trip designer extraordinaire, joined us as well and tells us how he planned tours in the US with the same attention to detail as their trips in Tuscany and France. He discovered that you don’t need to look beyond our borders to find the distinct character, culture, and history of different regions of the US, not to mention, exquisite culinary experiences and magnificent scenery.

Thank you so much Andy and Tom for participating in this episode of The World is Your Oyster and for sharing your passion for what you do with our valued members. If anyone is interested in DuVine’s summer or fall trips, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check availability.

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Biking and Sailing Egypt

While we’re on the subject of intriguing tours, Beyond Boundaries Travel out of Colorado Springs has teamed with Flash Tour of Cairo to create new biking and sailing trips in Egypt. So far, there are two 8-day itineraries, one along the Red Sea, heading into the undiscovered Eastern Desert. The second seems more exciting, heading to the pyramids along the Nile River between Aswan and Luxor. Since Egypt can get pretty hot in the spring and summer months, most of the biking is done in the early morning. You’ll visit Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, and many small villages that will be stunned to see a group of bikers riding by. All of the trips are guided and van-supported if you get tired, and include all lodgings and food. Trips start at an affordable $1153 per person.

 

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Bike Boston

Last summer, Boston followed in the footsteps of Montreal and Denver and initiated a bike-sharing program. The Hubway features 600 bikes in 61 stations throughout the city. You pay a yearly or daily membership fee and the cost of rental for the ride (trips shorter than 30 minutes are free) and bike from one station to any of the other stations. Alta Bicycle Share, the company that designed the bike-sharing program in Washington, DC, and Melbourne, Australia, was hired to oversee the Boston network. It was such a huge hit last summer that the Hubway reopened last week with plans to expand to neighboring Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville. Sure, there were naysayers at first who said Boston drivers wouldn’t share the roads with bikers. But that’s an absurd excuse, because now they’ll just have to get use to us two-wheelers! 
 
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Bike Bermuda with Ciclismo Classico

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of getting in shape for a multi-day fall bike trip. One of the more intriguing itineraries to come across my desk recently is a new 4-day ride around Bermuda with Boston-based biking outfitter, Ciclismo Classico. The trip is slated for 11/3-11/6, a great time of year to ride around the island. High temps in early November are in the mid-70s. Newstead Belmont Hills will offer luxury accommodations, dining, and a relaxing island vibe after cycling roughly 30 miles per day on flat and rolling terrain. The trip is being led by chef and cyclist, Jean Claude Garzia, who owns the French restaurant, Beau Rivage, on the island. Born in the south of France, Garzia has been living and working in Bermuda for more than 30 years and is the author of two cookbooks, including the latest “Bon Appetit Bermuda.” Cost of the trip is $2395 per person, all-inclusive, and the group is limited to 14 riders. 
 
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Favorite Travel Days 2011, Biking Along the Chicago Lakefront and Dining at Next

Chicagoans take full advantage of the warm weather to hit the shoreline of Lake Michigan and celebrate summer with a slew of festivals. This was certainly true in late June, when my wife and I arrived in city to grab a slice of Lou Malnati’s pizza at the big food festival, Taste of Chicago, and then wandered over to Navy Pier to rent bikes. Instead of heading north to Oak Street Beach, we pedaled south along Lake Michigan, passing Shedd Aquarium and the Soldiers Field. When we turned around, we had a glorious vista of the Chicago skyline, the City of Broad Shoulders gleaming under the cloudless sky. That night we dined at Next, the latest dining option from James Beard-award winning chef, Grant Achatz. Achatz changes the menu every three months and we were fortunate enough to dine on a prix-fixe menu that featured the specialties of Paris, 1906. Even more revolutionary is that the clientele at Next pay for their meal, drinks, tip, and tax in advance, like buying tickets for the theater or a concert. Demand is so great that ticket scalping for a table at Next had already become prevalent by the time we arrived. One taste of Achatz’s innovative fare and you understand the allure.

 

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Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Bike Ding Darling National Refuge

The best way to see the alligators and amazing birdlife at “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island is on two wheels. This way you can slow down and see birds hidden in trees that you would miss if you zipped by in a car. Get here early before it gets too hot to catch the wildlife at its most active. Then make your way over to the beaches at low tide. Sanibel is one of the finest spots on the Florida coast to find pristine seashells, especially during the months of 
February, March, and April. You might return back to your hotel room with sand dollars, whelks, even a conch shell, but realize that taking live shells is strictly prohibited. 
 
I’m off the next two weeks on a much needed break. I’ll be back the week of January 4th with my 5 Favorite Travel Days of 2015.
 
Have a Happy, Healthy, and Active New Year!

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