International travel can be tiring and stressful with early departure times, layovers, and long flights. Add to that a bicycle trip where you are putting in lots of miles while visiting various places, usually for one day, then packing up and leaving the next day for somewhere new.
By the time the trip is over, you really haven’t seen or experienced much, and you’re more tired than relaxed. The best way to experience a place and gain a strong sense of its cycling, culture, language, history, food, and wine is to stay in one place while exploring, such as in Tuscany. That is the kind of trip Bici Italia wants you to experience when you book a trip with them.
Who Is Bici Italia? What’s Its Travel Philosophy?
Bici Italia (Italian bikes) was founded in Tuscany in 2009 by Mark and Kristine. Mark is a former pro cyclist who worked in the cycling industry for years. He does all the route planning and also builds his own bikes. Kristine is a former corporate office worker who now indulges her passion for travel with the company through event planning and other guest services.
Mark and Kristine wanted to create a bicycle travel company that goes beyond the standard tour where guests are constantly packing and unpacking and moving around from town to town.
Their travel philosophy is this: “A tour with us is cycling your way – custom planned routes, at your pace, and flexible. A tour with us is enjoying time off the bike with friends and family, participating in your hobbies and interests, like a local, on your terms. We provide all the logistics, and you RIDE, EXPLORE, EXPERIENCE.”
In other words, this is travel without the moving around part. Mark and Kristine say that, as a guest, you can ride in the morning, return to the villa, and then go out sightseeing. Later, you return to the villa for a sunset dinner. That is pretty much the structure of Bici Italia’s trips.
Types of Tours Hosted By Bici Italia
Bici Italia has two types of tours it can offer its guests. The company can design a custom tour based on your interests. That doesn’t just include road riding but gravel and mountain biking are also possibilities. And if you are traveling with someone who is not a cyclist, activities for them can also be included. Guests can bring their own bikes or can rent from the company.
And when it comes to the cycling, your trip is designed with “…rides and daily excursions crafted to your request [that] ensure you make the most of your time on and off the bike – no getting lost on the bike, no wasted time on the ‘wrong roads’, and no time spent researching routes and unique experiences…“
The other type of tour you can do is structured around the pro races held in Italy, specifically the Tuscany region and its provinces. Those are Strade Bianche Pro, Giro d’Italia Abruzzo, Giro d’Italia Tuscany, Nova Eroica Tuscany, and L’Eroica Strade Bianche.
Cost of Trips, Duration, and What’s Included
Both the custom and the bicycle racing tours are the same or are similar in terms of duration and cost, which is 7 nights. Inclusions are as follows for a custom tour, but the race tour inclusions are similar. The cost is $5,000 per person.
- Meals at Onsite Restaurant; Limited Beverages
- Airport Transfer from/to Florence Airport (Tuscany) or Pescara Airport (Abruzzo)
- All Sightseeing Transportation
- All Sightseeing Admissions, Winery Tours, etc.
- Cycling Guide with Custom Routes
- Mechanical Assistance
- Private/Reserved Area Relax (Indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi)
- Complete Concierge Services
- Room or Apartment Snack and Beverage Basket
NOT INCLUDED:
- Bike Rentals
- Dinners at off-site restaurant(s) in village
Last Thoughts
If your ideal bicycle travel journey involves staying in nice accommodations in close proximity to good cycling, sightseeing, and relaxation, as opposed to moving around from town to town every day, then a trip with Bici Italia might be for you.
You will ride roads that appeal to your comfort level, which will be clearly mapped out so you never have to worry about getting lost. You will get true cultural immersion and even get to take an Italian cooking class.
This is how travel should be where you can really get a feel for a place, for its towns, and the country itself. The price seems high but totally worth it for what is included. I must say, after researching Bici Italia, I’m feeling interested in doing a trip with them. Maybe I’ll see you riding the roads of Tuscany soon.
Share this:
