Forever Young: Bike Across Tours…Again and Again!
As we continue with our Forever Young profiles on guests, this week we heard from some Ciclismo Classico guests who repeated bike tours, including Bike Across trips. Taking a trip a second (or third or fourth) time is always quite different from that first time around and, at the same time, a bit like “”coming home.”” As one guest describes it, “”it was like the joy of seeing an old friend and it felt wonderfully comfortable to be visiting those areas again. You won’t regret it and you will have new memories to combine with your old ones!”
Paul Morocco, Bike Across Italy 3-Timer
“My all-time favorite trip with Ciclismo Classico is Bike Across Italy, which I have done three times. Initially, I rode this trip 12 years ago, immensely enjoying the ride from coast to coast visiting the quaint villages along the way, taking in the breathtaking views, and dipping my front wheel in one sea at the start and finishing by dipping my rear wheel at the conclusion in another sea.
I was so impressed with this trip that I organized a private tour a few years later for friends, three of my brothers, and one sister-in-law. None of my relatives had ever been on a bike trip. It should be noted that my sister-in-law kicked our butts on the hills! For my third trip, I was determined to be in Guibbo for the Festival dei Ceri in May. The entire town transforms with cultural events, attire from hundreds of years ago, bands, and of course, the crazy race up the mountain. Saint Ubaldo seems to always win!
This tour is not to be missed. I plan to do this trip again in 2019 with my family. Maybe next time I can keep up with my sister-in-law!”
Karen Craney – Two-Timer, Various Tours
“”As a long-time alumni of Ciclismo Classico, sometimes it is difficult to find tours that I have not experienced that will fit into my travel timeline.
Based on that, I found myself repeating tours a couple of times specifically, Piedmont, Puglia, and Sicily. Each time I repeated the tour, it actually turned out to be a fantastic experience. In each case, the tour routes had been tweaked a bit and the second time around, I felt the changes made the tour much more robust and enhanced because it was exciting to explore new regions. During the parts where the routes were similar to the first time, it was like the joy of seeing an “”old friend”” again and it felt wonderfully comfortable to be visiting those areas again. In addition, it was always great to be on tours that I was doing for the second time with both different guides (who are always fabulous) and guests who also provide a new and unique experience. My one piece of advice if you are hesitant to do a tour that you have already done is, DO IT!
Based on all of the things I mentioned, you won’t regret it and you will have new memories to combine with your old ones!”
David Rentschler, Bike Across Italy Two-Timer
“”First of all, 14 Ciclismo Classico tours under our belt clearly tells you how much we really like the program. Rosemary and I started cycling about 15 years ago to stay in shape for skiing and general health. We purchased two mountain bikes and cycled on jeep trails and the canyon roads around our second home in the Wasatch mountains near Salt Lake City. About that time, a good ski friend of ours recommended that we try a European cycling tour and the rest is history.
Ciclismo Classico’s Bike Across Italy trip is a perfectly paced tour of Western Civilization with a concentration in the Central part of the peninsula; pre-Roman, Roman, and medieval European history along the way. We very much enjoy the routes for both beauty and cycling pleasure while learning about the food and wine region by region (Bike Across Italy crosses four regions throughout the day and evenings). The Ciclismo guides have provided enthusiastic, knowledgeable direction and support on the riding and sightseeing. The fun and camaraderie that we have experienced with the friends who have joined us as well as with new-found friends has been special.
I always tell friends that in this active retirement phase of life. My mission statement is to be outside under my own power in a beautiful natural landscape. We love to be in the mountains winter and summer and the back roads and landscapes on bike tours like Bike Across Italy clearly qualify!””
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