Support Cycling

You may or may not be a cyclists; if you are not you should be! Cycling is not only great excercise and therefore really good for you; it is one of the sports that just about anyone can do and enjoy it. Being good is necessary to know the rewards: going outdoors, spending time with family, seeing things you never noticed before, and so forth.

Many people have discovered cycling in recent years thanks in part to the success of Lance Armstrong. His success at the Tour de France, but more important his inspiration as a cancer survivor. As a result, many more people are on a bike nowadays. This is great for everyone. Also, young people are discovering cycling.

Discover France and Pure Adventures are proud sponsors of the RacelabU23 cycling team located here is Scottsdale, Arizona. U23 indicates under 23 and therefore, youth or junior cycling. We have some great kids on this team who are going places. This is just one example of youth cycling, but teams like this exist everywhere in and outside the country. RacelabU23 needs support, and if anyone reading this blog wants to know more, please visit http://www.racelabu23.com for details. A new website will be posted within days showing the team and providing ways to donate.

Other ways to support cycling:

League of American Bicyclists: http://www.bikeleague.org
Adventure Cycling Association: http://www.adv-cycling.org
Rails to Trails Conservancy: http://www.railstrails.org
USA Cycling: http://www.usacycling.org
National Center for Bicycling and Walking: http://www.bikefed.org
America Bikes: http://www.americabikes.org
Bikes Belong: http://www.bikesbelong.org

There are of course many more sites; and on each of these you will find more links. In order to get excited about cycling, it is first important to just get out and ride. All you need is a bicycle and a helmet. You probably have a bicycle, even if its an old klunker in the garage buried under dust. Get it out, clean it up, and ride around the neighborhood. Lycra is not a requirement to bike riding, and until you want to get serious, it isn't worth the money. Eventually, a good bike that fits right is important. You needn't spend a lot of money either.

If you want to support youth cycling or cycling in general, but don't wish to ride, well thats not a problem. All of the organizations above will gladly accept a donation or volunteer time.

Thanks for supporting cycling!

New Cycling Trips in Arizona

As we are based in Arizona, and since this is where I have ridden tens of thousands of miles over the years, we are finally offering some cycling trips in this great state. I suppose it is a bit of a leap from European cycling to the far and wild west of Arizona, but its a natural progression in the development of Pure Adventures and our domestic market.

Arizona is one of the most diverse states geographically as possibly any state in the union. From desert to alpine meadows to snow capped peaks, we have it all. Wildlife is abundant, varied, and for the most part plentiful. (Although forces are afoot, as everywhere, to overdevelop everything that is beautiful!) So, this is a great place for cycling, hiking, and go outdoors. Our focus is cycling, although we can organize hiking, paddling, horse trekking, canyoneering, and other activities.

The concept is still self-guided, and so therefore still apart from the hundreds of other companies offering guided group trips. Since the state is so big we can offer combination northern AZ or Southern AZ with Phoenix stopovers, or any combination really. We have approximately 7-8 itineraries in northern AZ and the same in southern AZ. The terrain is NOT flat though, so most of the rides are for experienced riders and can be made very challenging if requested.

The site will show a new sample program featuring Phoenix plus Sedona. This is a classic and will kick this new program into gear! Send any questions!

L

Shameless (not) Promotion

Ok, following this post are a number of writeups I have done, or that our PR firm created for distribution. I just returned from several trips all over Eastern and Western Europe since November 11 and as I was on the road, I was creating entries for the blog.

I couldn't always get connected, or at the end of a long day in some remote village I didn't care about getting connected! A nice meal and a few stiff drinks usually won me over! (To try: Ratafia in Catalonia - really good stuff - smooth and even sweet digestif!)

So, below, are a number of posts; they will all remain, and this entry will get bumped down as I make more entries more often. Nonetheless; I hope readers will find them useful. Sure, its a biased bit of promotion of the tours we offer in these places, but its first hand experience and its genuine. If you love to travel like I do, and to discover some new places; these won't disappoint!

L

Catalonia - Spain; Cycling Around Girona to the Coast

Spain is a vast country and from one corner to the other there are vast differences in culture and lifestyle as well as geography that make visiting Spain something new each time you go to another region. Therefore, in Catalonia in Northwestern Spain from Barcelona to the French border and along the Mediterranean coast, there is a unique lifestyle and country called Cataluynia (Catalonia) to be discovered.

If you speak Spanish, you will quickly realize that Catalan is not the same language. Although you will be understood and appreciated for your Spanish, you may be surprised at the difference. In fact, there is much resemblance to French and Catalan could be said to be similar to both French and Italian as it is to Spanish. Notwithstanding, getting around is ever so easy and the people of the region could not be more friendly and welcoming!

As we go cycling in the region from Girona to Figueres, from inland to seaside, the over arching theme is a lovely countryside that is truly off the beaten path! There are places to buy pottery and museums such as the Dali Museum in Figueres (Catalonia being the birthplace of Salvadore Dali), and there are ancient greek sites as well as some natural parks and sanctuaries where a traveler can spend some time. In between, and along the riding routes, are many small sleepy villages that take you away to another place and time. Stone and rockwork is everywhere, and little villages like Monells and Teradellas which are entoured by stone walls and buildings are simply picture perfect! The rolling green countryside is a relaxing site for city eyes and the smells of fresh country air clear the head of dense city lifestyle. Going off the beaten patch sounds cliché, and it is a cliché to be sure, so saying so, one really has to be genuine to achieve it truly.

Hospitality is one of the great positive points in visiting and cycling on either of our tours we offer here. The choice is from B&B farmhouse living to 3 and 4 star hotels. Naturally, the hotel choice sounds like something less than hospitable, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, all the hotels offered could qualify as B&B style because of their unique charm and character as well as the fact that they are family run establishments. They are however slightly larger, located in towns sometimes, and they offer more upscale (gastronomic) dining. The difference in price is not much from B&B to Gastronomic, and a traveler will not go wrong in either choice.

All properties for lodging are stunning works of stonework, tile, and masonry. They are all well done, sometimes with so much creativity and art that the hotels themselves could be works of art. They would be fine examples for the homebuilder looking for a model Mediterranean style upon which to build his dream home. An example is in the Hotel La Placa in Madremanya, near Girona. Rooms have been outfitted with names of local trees such as “olive” or “orange” or “Cyprus” and in each room are found the very plant for which the room is named. They have fireplaces, terraces, and views overlooking the pool and surrounding hillsides. You can take a glass of champagne, sit back on the terrace and let your mind fly away over the view you enjoy! Your bed may sit below a stone and brick archway and your ceiling covered with a fresco. The dining room at the Placa is a white tablecloth ambiance in stone and brick and tile room that has a wine cellar feel to it but with natural light coming in from the garden and courtyard. You could choose to dine on the terrace instead and enjoy the scents from the herbs in the garden surrounding the terrace.

Going off the beaten trail means getting into a place where culture and lifestyle are the greatest qualities. Famous sites are not the attraction for that is what makes a path well worn. Among all the tours we offer, this is as much away from the crowds as we get. There are charming places like Provence and the Loire Valley or Tuscany that get write-ups in all the magazines and travel books, but then there are places like this in Catalonia that you won’t see on the cover of Food and Wine. So much the better for you, and your genuine discovery of this charming Spanish countryside.

Cycling Tuscany - Sure, its hilly!

Cycling in Tuscany – yea, everyone is doing it. Why us and why its different: well, we are locals! We are working with a Pienza based bike guide service and they know these roads and countryside as well as anyone. Therefore, already our clients have the best possible routes and riding itineraries possible. Service is always available and custom requests are accommodated as much as is possible.

Selling Tuscany and Italy as a destination for cycling is easy really, but the cycling itself in the Tuscany region isn’t easy! This is a famously hilly region and yes it is famously gorgeous but cyclists need to be prepared to climb some hills. The most charming villages are always perched on hilltops with fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding villages and far off villages. These villages with their cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways are every so charming. In these streets you can find arts and crafts, wine cellars, restaurants, and some museums and historical sites. Many of the hotels we use in these villages are themselves historic buildings located within the old walls of the medieval cite upon which many were founded. Religion is mostly at the heart of these villages and their locations were built for the strategic value the hilltop location offered. Whether you are a practicing catholic or not, the historical value of the religion and its role in shaping the region is fascinating and a big part of what there is to discover.

People talk about Tuscany like they do of Provence in France; that it’s the quality of life and eternal sunshine that make for perfect getaway. Its true of course, and for anyone visiting and spending only a week, it would be hard to miss, but in such a short time its also hard to fully soak in. Nonetheless, the impression one can get from knowing how it could be to live in such a lovely place surrounded by vineyards and olive groves where life moves at a pace of a former time is a vacation for the mind and spirit that will stay with you and draw you back long after you return to your whirlwind lifestyle and occupations. You can cycle for a week, relaxing and discovering, but you can return again and again in your mind for years to come!

Cycling Rural West Ireland - a rural getaway!

Everyone always says that it is the charm of the people that is most Irish and most memorable. This is true in the countryside and really makes one feel at home. After traveling in lots of countries where English is a 2nd language or sometimes not even a language much spoken at all, it was a delightfully strange experience to land in Ireland.


Upon arrival at Galway by plane, in a driving rain storm, I saw outside the small little terminal that the last taxi had just been taken. Then, the taxi driver noticed and he asked me through the window where I was going, and since it was into Galway, he said “jump in lad”. And to myself, I said, ahh, this must be Ireland.

Upon arriving at the first guest house I was booked into in Galway someone was waiting at the door to let me in quickly and offer a hot drink. Though it came to be that my guest house in Galway was not ideal for our clients, it nevertheless served me well. Knowing that the guest house is really the best way to stay in Ireland, I was more careful about the next visits I made. The houses we have chosen for our tours are really the best, because of the hosts and the attention they give.

In the tiny town of Clifden, which by the way is a metropolis compared to some of the “villages” in Connemara, I stayed in the very charming Buttermilk House. This guest house is a 3 star guesthouse operated by a vibrant Irish couple who took care to offer us tea/coffee upon arrival and sit and chat with us for some time in the “parlor” or living room. (I recently read a note about the origin of parlor – it comes from the renaissance era and is from the French word ‘parler’ which is to speak!) We chatted by the fire, which was burning peat – or compacted bog cut right out of the ground. I then met my hostess again at breakfast for a traditional Irish breakfast of ham, sausages, “pudding” which is meat, and an egg, tomato, and toast. A good fill for a busy day ahead! I really felt an affinity with many of the Irish I met, and this was no exception. Between Americans and Irish there are clearly many cultural ties and in many ways I felt not much a foreigner while there, even though I have no Irish heritage myself. This again must be what other Americans must feel when the come to Ireland.

That night I spent a few hours in the pub with some locals and had a nice dinner at the new Station House pub/hotel. Its funny how a few Guiness go down much easier here in Ireland! A pint can set you back 2 to 3 euros typically; which is pretty reasonable. Clifden being the main attraction for some distance around, people stayed in the pubs listening to traditional Irish music and even many of them speaking the Irish language.

The coast, the countryside, and yes even the hills and small mountains of western Ireland are really spectacular. Green, of course, and with the off again on again rain showers, the valleys are flowing with streams. Sheep abound, and yes, there are more of them than people by quite some large amount. One of the many beautiful locations in Killary harbor, Ireland’s only fjord. Though it does look much like the rest of the coast, a fjord is defined by its depth and flowing river at the headland. This fjord is a narrow alley of water winding its way inland some ways offering boaters, kayakers, and other adventurers a variety of experiences. The town of Leenane is located on the banks and offers pub as well as a couple of very good restaurants and places to stay.

Before returning, I did visit Westport, the other thriving ‘city’ of the west in all my travels. This is a very charming town, well developed with many more shops, restaurants, pubs, and so forth than Clifden. It is on the water and does have a port, but most of the town is built just inland as part of a planned redevelopment a long time ago by a wealthy local who didn’t like the view from his estate of the rag tag poor people that had built their shanties around the traditional port. So, they were moved. But that was a long time ago and now the port is a modern district with hotels and shopping, but it is not the center of commerce.

Cycling here offers some chateaux visits, some abbey visits, as well as impressive architectural sites. But foremost is the ambiance of the countryside as a green, natural, and undisturbed heritage with a quiet and relaxing lifestyle shared with you by welcoming people.