Describe the Provence bike week : Perfect. A great couple. As there were only two I gave them the ‘private tour’ experience and did what they wanted to do . They did lots of shopping, as well as biking almost every day except day 4. They really enjoyed their provence bicycle vacation and we’re easily adjusted to vacation mode as on day 2 they were an hour late for the ride.
Describe the group/couple: A very fun couple. Carlos is a big talker, not to mention his wife Fabiana doesn’t really speak English, so Carlos did lots of talking and translating for me. They were very easy going happy people—great duviners.
Provence bike tour Hotels: They liked Mas de la Rose the best.
Provence Meals: They loved every meal. They thought the dinner at Hotel Castellas was too much food and they preferred all the other meals.
DuVine bicycles: Not one problem.
Weather: Strong mistral until the last day. Luckily, Carlos loved the mistral. Fabiana didn’t care for it so much, but I think they both realized how hot it actually was when the mistral finally stopped.
BTA moment: Showing them the slideshow. They weren’t expecting that and I took lots of photos of just them, so it was very personal and they really enjoyed it.
Seeing Fabiana making it up the day 5 hill. It was great cheering her up.
I also cut up oranges for them on the top of hills, when we had no van support using my opinel.
improve: I would carry two panniers, one for the first aid kit, water, etc. and the other for all the shopping these two did. It would have saved me lots of time because I often had to go back because I couldn’t carry it all.
Comments: Big thanks to Camille & Claire for helping out this week. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them this week.
Merci to everyone who made my birthday special. I appreciated all the notes from everyone in Boston and the surprises from Andy with the help of Camille. Thank you!!
The Oliveira’s are duviner’s for life! They want to come on another trip every year
June 26, 2009
Provence by Bicycle
June 23, 2009
Piedmonte Italy Bike Trip – Day 1
DuVine Bicycle Guides– David and Tom
Italy Arrivals– All arrivals good, especially since we contacted David and Belinda about taking the proper train so as not to arrive two hours late.
Describe The Group– A good natured, average bike skill level, highly educated if slightly reserved group. David had proposed to Belinda a few days prior, and they are in love with everything and everyone. Chris and Jody, who had done the Ireland tour two years ago, are good natured and skilled cyclists. Pam, from Toronto, is also a skilled cyclist and an enjoyable conversationalist.
Weather– Sunny, in the upper seventies low eighties with a mild breeze. Perfect cycling weather.
Day One Piedmonte bike ride– David and Belinda are not strong cyclists, and the hill leaving Acqui Terme to head into the vineyards above town was difficult for them, though they absolutely weren’t interested in van support. David was visibly stunned by the beauty of the landscape. the ride past vineyards was really lovely.
Piedmonte Hotel– Everyone is very happy with their rooms, and, in general, pleased with the hotel.
Dinner– Once again, the staff at La Curia was superb, and the dinner was marvelous. Practically every member of the group used their newly-learned Italian to give effusive feedback to our maitre ‘d, Franco, who was highly skilled.
Other comments– We took a passaggiata after dinner, from town back to the hotel, which was magical, and set a tone that will bode well for the rest of the bike tour.
All the best,
David and Tom
June 19, 2009
Beer and Bike Tour
Join me in wishing our very own Andy lots of luck, good karma, sunshine and safe travels tomorrow on the Harpoon B2B ride from Boston to Windsor, VT. As a rather daunting 149 miles with over 7,800 ft of climbing awaits…perhaps a bit of an old Irish blessing is in order:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
Good luck, Andy!
Hmmm. The Harpoon Brewery to Brewery ride is all about biking and beer…sounds familiar, no?
Don’t forget…you, too, can share in the spirit of bicycle and brew on DuVine bike tour of Ireland. You may not have to ride 149 miles, climb the same grades as in the Green Mountain State, or be rewarded with a cold Harpoon – but you’ll definitely enjoy cycling the Emerald Isle and sipping a (albeit ‘warmer’) Guinness.
Tuscany Biking Trip
Highlights from DuVine bicycle Guides on our Tuscany Bicycle Vacation June 14-19
Dania’s performance in her kitchen continues to evolve into a shining unique and personal experience for the guests. You can see this clearly on everyone’s faces. Betsy said that they had never experienced that high a caliber dining experience with any B & R tour they had been on.
Day two’s Innocenti wine tasting was accomplished by Tom and I on the back terrace of La Chiusa, as Vittorio’s wife is dying, most likely passed on by now. I met with him, gave him our (and yours, of course) condolences, and suggested he charge us for a regular tasting. I just broght the bottles down to La Chiusa. Umberto and the whole staff were very accomodating.
Day three’s visit to Cesare Castelli’s place out in the countryside kind of took top honors for the week, I think, as you’ll see by the photos. He almost never gives tastings or tours. had set this up months ago, and, well, Tom and I wish we could do it every week. At least we have some very nice images for the brochure/website. What a charmer. Every woman on the tour wanted to take him home with them. Estraordinary hospitality, and over the top unique and personalized experience.
Day four Tom and I were taken out to dinner at Enzo, arguably Siena’s finest restaraunt, by five of the seven guests. Really a treat.
Day five’s bike tour in tuscany dinner included a special cake for Dave and Amy, here on their honeymoon. Celi, the past DuViner (Burgundy) and I lead the group in a stirring rendition of We’ve only just begun, followed by an impromptu Oh Darling… It was a big hit.
Finally, working with Tom is a great pleasure, as you know. His history narratives become a kind of soundtrack for the whole tour, and it is really quite impressive.
So, in a nutshell, each and every guest seems really, truly, deeply, blown away.
Tuscany by DuVine
June 18, 2009
Get Bold on a Bike Tour in Italy
Summertime and the livin’ is easy? Or is it? The season also brings with it more free time for the familial obligations that are virtually impossible to fit in during the ’school year’ – especially family reunions. And, depending on your family…this can either be a blessing or a curse. If the latter rings true for you…I offer this suggestion: why not escape on a bike tour in Piedmont and get bold with some Barolo?
If you are looking for a great excuse to avoid that family reunion – I guarantee that “so sorry, I’ll be in Italy that week…” will work. So start plotting your Piedmont alibi – a great way to literally run for the [Langhe] hills from that obligation – and where the only rivalry you’ll be feuding over are the merits of a Barolo vs a Barbaresco. If you’d prefer savoring some fresh-grated native truffles rather than Aunt Edna’s stuffed mushrooms – start packing for Piedmont and congratulate yourself on such chicanery.
June 11, 2009
Bike Trip to Napa Valley
The cycling route to Napa is paved with vines…it is truly astonishing how endless the rows of grapevines extend.
Day Four took us on our journey from the country quiet of the Alexander Valley to the ‘bustling’ little town of St. Helena in Napa Valley. A rather comical greeting awaited us upon crossing the line into Napa – the “Welcome to Napa Valley’ sign (usually a picture-perfect shot to photograph) had a port-o-potty marring the view! You’d think there would have been a bit of foresight in its placement…perhaps a scosh to the side? Nonetheless, a rather amusing sight..
Our first 30 miles were spent on a cycling through the Alexander Valley, with a quick pit stop at the vintage Jimtown store – a great little throwback to the old school days – with some incredible homemade food (including a to-die-for fig/olive spread!)
Stopping for a visit at Fieldstone Winery was a treat. Probably one of the best tours I’ve experienced was with their winemaker Pat – who gave a unique and fascinating tour of their small vineyard which has been in the same family for generations. A sampling of Fieldstone wines (or should I say…a blind taste-test per Mark’s suggestion) turned out to be great fun – with a picnic lunch following on the grounds of the vineyard.
Back on the road again to Napa – and another 25 or so miles later – including the best downhill so far (yes, it was a bit of a steep climb to earn…but well worth it) – we arrived in St. Helena. A post-ride beer and off to change for dinner in town.
Rounding off the night was a visit to the local bar, the Cantina, for some drinks…and to celebrate Mark’s impressive riding ability. Barely on a bike before the trip, he has managed to hang with us on every extended ride option – logging some major hours on the bike. A great celebration in his honor.
June 10, 2009
Sonoma wine bike trip
Today truly felt like a stage…an extended one at that! What started out as an intended 50 mile max ride, ended up a 60+ whirlwind of steep climbs and a race to the finish.
The day started with a quick ride through the heart of Sonoma and Dry Creek Valley…endless rows of vineyards along traffic-free country roads…to our first stop at Quivera Vineyard – a bio-dynamic (aka ‘organic’) winery. After a tour of the bountiful grounds (it is also an organic farm and includes everything from flowers, vegetables and herbs to chicken for eggs, goats for cheese, and of course, pigs…[I needn’t mention what the fate of one of those will become this coming fall)…as the vineyard also hosts dinners which include all ingredients produced on the farm.
After a tour and tasting at Quivera…we headed off to see Lake Sonoma. A missed turn and an epic climb later…Les and I finally made it back down to where we were supposed to meet the rest of the group at the overlook point above Lake Sonoma. (whoops!) Although, we both agree, the unexpected (and seemingly endless climb) was the best detour of the day!! Remember that one, folks…a challenging climb is always best served impromptu.
And if that weren’t enough…after lunch in the active town of Healdsburg, Les and I headed out for more. Another unforeseen climb and 25 miles later, our ‘domestique’ Fred carried us along the final stretch home at an 20+ pace…(and, yes…both Les and I were on hybrids!!) It was a great day of adventure and stage-worthy riding.
Needless to say…we were quite hungry upon returning and hadn’t but 20 minutes to get ready for dinner. We couldn’t have asked for a better meal to top the day off – some incredible haute cuisine at Dry Creek Kitchen and the lively square bustling with people and live music. What a day it was!
June 9, 2009
Sonoma Bicycling tour
Day 2 Live and direct from Dede Sullivan, Marketing Manager for DuVine Adventures.
Wow. What can I say? What an extraordinary day we had bicycling in Sonoma.
Bright sunshine and a cloudless sky greeted us upon waking this morning as we breakfasted overlooking Bodega Bay. After a brief encounter with a wild turkey and some playful rabbits outside the hotel, we were off to begin our 60 ride up the coast, through the forest and into Sonoma Valley.
With Fana our guide leading the way, Les and Mark joined me for the first rolling section along the rugged route 1 coast…a picture-perfect day along the Pacific. I may be impartial in my estimation [as I am a coastal person at heart] but this, by far, was the best and most impressive scenery of the day – not to be missed! Fresh salt air and sea breeze kept us cool as we rode along this endless stretch of undeveloped shore. Just water, uninhabited land, cows and the occasional surfer van as far as the eye could see.
We met up with the rest of the group at a funky cafe in the small town of Duncan Mills for a quick coffee and then Marianne and Pat joined us on bike for a ride through redwood forests to a well-earned and very satisfying picnic lunch in the Armstrong Redwoods State Park underneath the sun filtered shadows of these colossal trees.
Onward and upward…another 15 miles brought us to our 1st stop at the Hop Kiln winery…for a private tasting outside on the grounds with a rather unique and entertaining character, Don, who shared some great stories and insider info on California wines. And for those of us who braved the last 5 miles (after the tastings…) we made it back to the Madrona Manor for a quick dip in the pool and some lounging time in the sun.
Dinner was an absolutely fantastic Italian meal in downtown Guerneville with our waiter Martin (also a photographer who was willing to snap some great photos) and another private tasting with guest, Mike…who shared with us some rare, smaller produced wines…and a first tasting of a yet to be released Zinfandel! An amazing end to an incredible day.
Stay tuned for more on our tour of California…and some pics!
June 8, 2009
Day 1, Napa Valley Bike Tour
I have to admit, after a day like today, I wonder why I ever left the West Coast. I can’t quite articulate what “it” is…but the views and vistas along Pacific coastal route 1 are enviable and inspiring – especially on bike. Today was no exception [I'm sure Les, Pat, Mark and Marianne would second my notion.] Lucky are our guides, Fred and Fana who get to experience this on a regular basis!
After leaving the urban sprawl of the city, we emerged 90 minutes later in the serene and remote coastal region of Bodega Bay (a la we’re not in San Francisco anymore – and, in many ways, a rather enchanted place itself). Sweeping vistas of the Bodega Bay and Doran Beach dominate the landscape, and are bordered by a endless wildlife reserve – that includes a bird sanctuary which makes for some great viewing…as well as the slowest-moving deer I’ve ever encountered!
We all headed out for our preliminary ride…which included some serious wind (let’s just say the kiteboarders in Bodega Bay were definitely loving life!) along route 1 and Bodega Bay. A short but sweet ride to kick off our on ‘bike tour of California wine country’. Although, lucky for us, no category climbs or grueling days of racing await us, just more of the same…great company, amazing scenery, and some serious food and beverages!
Off to Sonoma in the morning…stay tuned for more…
June 4, 2009
Cycle the Emerald Isle on a DuVine Bike Tour
Come to Connemara for some Guinness and gears on a bike tour of Ireland.
Ireland truly is a magical place – of legends, lore and vivid landscapes. Its rolling green hills extend as far as the eye can see, with roaming sheep and ancient castles dotting the lush countryside and endless coastlines that produce some of the most scenic vistas imaginable.
There truly is no better way to experience this emerld isle than on a bicycle tour. Get up close and personal with the terrain as you cycle along these rustic roads, breathing in the fresh sea air, maneuvering at crossroads to allow sheep to pass and touring the ruins of ancient castles and abbeys. And need we forget, stopping in at a local pub for a pint of the famous stout!
DuVine would like to share the best kept secret of the Irish – that everyone should experience the land on bicycle!
Try your luck – a chance at Waking [your] DuVine.
