Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine’s May and June 2013 “Train like a Local” Cycling Tours

Ever wonder how top cyclists get ready for a race? (Hint: It doesn’t always involve doping.) From May 26 to June 1 and June 16-22, Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine offers “Train Like a Local,” an immersive, six-night steroid-free bike tour exploring the foothills south of the storied Dolomites, an area widely considered to be the preferred training ground for local and race teams. Focusing on the mid-mountains – climbs ranging between 900 and 1700 meters – the tour is an ideal introduction to riding at higher elevations, preparing cyclists for more challenging ascents. The tour attracts adventurists who share a passion for cycling and culinary pursuits, pairing challenging climbs with opportunities to sample the Germanic/Hungarian-influenced cuisine of Northeastern Italy. The tour is priced $3,695 per person, based on double occupancy, and includes accommodations, all ground transportation, guide services, all breakfasts and three dinners.

Expert cyclist and mountain guide Vernon McClure – recently named one of the “Great Tour Guides in Northern Italy” by Dream of Italy magazine — and cooking instructor and chef Kathy Bechtel ( also an avid biker) lead the tours, which feature cycling routes unknown to mainstream tour companies and introduce guests to magnificent regional cuisine and local wines.

Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine is an owner-operated private guide service, creating and guiding active culinary tours in Northeastern Italy. Unique in their ability to combine active biking, skiing and hiking adventures with world-class culinary programs — including tours with James Beard award-winning chefs — Italiaoutdoors customizes vacations for groups of 4 to 12 people. Italiaoutdoors has more than 15 years of recreational programming experience in the region, plus formal culinary and wine training. For more information or to receive Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine newsletter, recipes and wine information, visit www.italiaoutdoorsfoodandwine.com or Chef Kathy Bechtel’s blog at www.chefbikeski.com.

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Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine introduces 5 biking/gastronomy tours in Italy’s Dolomites

Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine introduces five bike tours in the Dolomites starting this spring that showcase outdoor recreational grandeur and gastronomy of Northeastern Italy.

The new six-night tours are: “Train Like a Local” departing May 26 and September 1; “The Agony and the Ecstasy” departing June 9; and “The Classic Climbs” departing July 7 and September 8. Rates start at $3,695, per person, based on double occupancy and include accommodations, all ground transportation, guide services, all breakfasts and three dinners. A 15% discount is offered on the September 8 tour if both tours in September are booked.

Each tour invites a riding exploration of the Dolomites in Northeastern Italy and delves into the region’s rich culinary heritage, pairing opportunities to sample Marostica cherries and Bassano’s famed white asparagus with challenging climbs along routes unknown to mainstream tour companies. http://www.italiaoutdoorsfoodandwine.com/index.php/bike-tours-italy-ski-holidays-italy/dolomites-cycling-tours

“Train Like a Local” tour– May 26 – June 1; and September 1-7, 2013: Focusing on the “mid-mountains” with climbs ranging between 900 and 1700 meters, this tour explores the foothills south of the Dolomites, an area widely considered the preferred training ground for local and race teams. An ideal introduction to riding in the mountains, the “Train Like a Local” tour prepares cyclists for more challenging ascents in the upper elevations of the Dolomites and the Alps.

“The Agony and the Ecstasy” tour – June 9 – 15, 2013: Comprising the hardest climbs in northeast Italy (those rated at the 200-point difficulty level), the aptly named “Agony and Ecstasy” tour is designed for cyclists who have trained hard and are ready to embrace the most difficult climbs the Dolomites can offer. This tour takes guests on epic climbs through the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia, with stops to sample and savor local delicacies such as prosciutto, homemade gnocchi and grappa.

“The Classic Climbs” tour – July 7 – 13; and September 8-4, 2013: “The Classic Climbs” traces a path through the heart of the Dolomites, combining little-known passes with the renowned and rigorous bike climbs that have made the region a sought-after destination for cyclists. While exploring the Dolomites the way locals do, riders will have opportunities to experience the blend of Italian and Austrian/Germanic cultures that define this picturesque region.

Led by expert cyclist and mountain guide Vernon McClure, and cooking instructor and chef Kathy Bechtel, also an avid biker, Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine cycling tours introduce both new and accomplished cyclists to the spectacular Dolomites region, taking care to sample regional cuisine and discover local wines unknown beyond the area. Daily coaching and challenging climbs are interspersed with opportunities to explore off-the-beaten-path towns such as Rovereto, an ancient fortress town; Conegliano, the heart of the Prosecco DOCG zone; and Bassano del Grappa, for a grappa tasting.

Tours are tailored to provide a balance of activity, rest and relaxation. A maximum of 12 persons per group allows for daily itinerary customization and refinement, based on participants’ interests, pacing, and real-time “finds.”
For more information or to receive Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine newsletter, recipes and wine information, visit http://www.italiaoutdoorsfoodandwine.com or Chef Kathy Bechtel’s blog at http://www.chefbikeski.com.

Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine is an owner-operated private guide service, creating and guiding active culinary tours in Northeastern Italy. Unique in their ability to combine active biking, skiing and hiking adventures with world-class culinary programs — including tours with James Beard award-winning chefs — Italiaoutdoors customizes vacations for groups of 4 to 12 people. Italiaoutdoors has more than 15 years of recreational programming experience in the region, plus formal culinary and wine training. Programs also include cooking classes, wine tastings, and restaurant dining which explore the best in local regional cuisine and undiscovered wines. Itineraries are rounded out with city visits, shopping, cultural excursions or just relaxing. The owners — experts in fitness, food, and the region — personally lead each tour. http://www.italiaoutdoorsfoodandwine.com, 978-270-5774. Twitter @italiaoutdoors. Facebook http://www.facebook.com/foodandwineitaliaoutdoors.

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European Bicycle Tours on a Budget: 10 One-Week Tours Under $1,000

The Prague to Dresden bike trip follows the Vltava and Elbe Rivers from the cultural center of Prague through Saxon Switzerland to Dresden, the so-called “Florence of the North.” BikeToursDirect helps travelers choose tours and handles the booking and payment process © 2011 David Leiberman/news-photos-features.com.

Travelers interested in European bicycle tours can still find bargains—despite the weak dollar—with dozens of one-week, nearly all-inclusive tours in Europe under $1,000. Tours can be booked through U.S.-based BikeToursDirect, which represents nearly 50 European bicycle tour companies in 35 countries and offers more than 200 tours on its website, www.biketoursdirect.com.

The local tour companies can keep their tour prices down due to the low cost of doing business close to home and to spreading their expenses over a large, primarily European client base.   Another way travelers can save money: in addition to guided tours—with ride-along guides, support vans and dinners—most European companies offer less expensive self-guided options.

BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson stresses that self-guided tours are far from self-contained. “With self-guided tours, you have a lot of support,” he says. “Your lodging is pre-booked, your luggage is transferred from hotel to hotel, your rental bikes are delivered to your start hotel and picked up at your end hotel, you get detailed maps and route information, and a local liaison is also there to orient and assist you.”

Most European bike tours are appropriate for families and novice cyclists, and many have weekly and even daily departures. Here are ten top tours under $1,000 (per person, double occupancy, based on mid-May 2011 exchange rates):

• Danube Bicycle Path (Austria): Experience Europe’s second-most popular bicycle path, which runs along well-signed, dedicated, nearly flat bike paths through vineyards and medieval towns, taking travelers from Passau, Germany to Vienna.
• Mosel Bike Path (Germany): Explore the best-known wine-growing region of Germany along one of its most scenic rivers, with visits to castles and medieval towns. The tour starts in Germany’s 2,000-year old city of Trier and ends at the Rhine.

• Loire Valley (France): Discover the most peaceful part of the Loire Valley with its vineyards, chateaux, quiet villages and medieval towns.

• Provence (France): Take a ride through France’s sunshine country, along the Mediterranean coast and through medieval towns, with visits to architectural masterworks such as the papal palace in Avignon, the Arena in Arles and the Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard.

• Tuscany (Italy): Experience the “Italian jewel” of landscape and culture as you cycle past castles and hilltop villages, vineyards and olive groves.

• Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Germany, Austria and Switzerland):  Circumnavigate one of Europe’s largest lakes and across four islands on Europe’s most popular bicycle path.

• Amsterdam to Brussels by Bike and Boat (Holland and Belgium): Cycle between two historic cities with a stop in the Flemish port town of Antwerp, with lodging on a river barge.

• Prague to Dresden (Czech Republic and Germany):  Follow the Vltava and Elbe Rivers from the cultural center of Prague through Saxon Switzerland to Dresden, the so-called “Florence of the North.”

• Brussels to Bruges (Belgium): Explore a region rich with art and historic architecture along the Flanders Cycle Route, which features easy and flat cycling between sea, canals and dunes, with stops at churches, abbeys, castles and windmills.

• Vienna to Budapest (Austria, Slovakia and Hungary): Starting in the “city of charm,” experience untouched nature, little-known artistic treasures and cultural monuments.

BikeToursDirect bills itself as a “one-stop resource for bike tours in Europe and beyond” and helps cycle tourists find tours based on preferences like destination, month, duration, cost and level of difficulty. Clients book tours and make all payments through BikeToursDirect, usually at the same prices charged by the European companies. The site also offers helpful advice and travel tips such as how to choose a tour and what to pack.

BikeToursDirect’s primary offices are in Chattanooga, Tenn. Telephone:  1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com. Web site: www.biketoursdirect.com.

About BikeToursDirect

BikeToursDirect, now in its eighth season, serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, representing more than 50 tour companies that offer more than 200 tours in 35 European countries and is currently expanding to Asia, Africa and Australia. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process. Learn more at www.biketoursdirect.com. Telephone:  1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com.

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