Guest Posts

10 Trip Club: The Dingwalls

Posted on January 15, 2016 - 3:40 pm by keith_ritter

In October 2006, Deb and I hopped on a series of flights from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Florence, Italy. Deb was a seasoned world traveler but this was to be my first international trip. It was our first Trek Travel trip to ride the roads of Tuscany, but it ended up being so much more. That trip became the first of what, to date, are ten Trek Travel trips with many more planned for the future. We have been lucky enough to cycle through Italy, France, Vermont, the Pacific Northwest and various parts of California with Trek Travel.

Words by Adam Dingwall, Trek Travel Guest

Trek Travel Guests Adam and Deb reflect on their 10 trek travel bike tours

When I got the email from Jenny at Trek Travel asking if we could contribute to the blog by picking our three favorite trips, my first thought was, “How could I choose?” Each trip has been beyond compare in certain ways. The Tour de France trip was amazing in getting to stand on the road side and watch the cyclists go by so close you can feel their motion. The descent off Mount Bachelor into Bend on the Crater Lake and Oregon Cascades trip is 20 miles of perfectly smooth pavement where you hardly have to touch a pedal. The former California Coast trip provided the bucket list experience of cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge. Choosing our three favorite Trek Travel trips would be a little like picking our three favorite kids. But seeing that we don’t have kids, we’ll give it a shot in no particular order.

Tuscany

We’ve done the Tuscany trip twice, first in 2006 and again in 2014. Tuscany is the one place in the world I’ve been where, for me, the reality transcends the hype. The food, the wine, the people, the coffee, and the cycling are all sublime. Every moment of those trips seems to fuse into this memory of the best of my travels, it’s like one big Tuscan fresco. It’s also the trip that, in 2014, provided my all time favorite Trek Travel moment. The second day’s ride traverses the Val d’Orcia, riding up and down the beautiful Tuscan landscape and eventually rolling into Montalcino for lunch. When we arrived in town, we discovered our friends Tom and Andrea Meadows had already grabbed an outdoor table at Le Potazzine. The waiter came to take our order, starting with drinks. Tom, Andrea and Deb all ordered a glass of Brunello d’Montalcino while I ordered a coke; after all, it had been a long hot ride already and I was thirsty. The waiter sternly said, “No. Brunello” and walked away. Lunch proceeded through various courses and many glasses, or maybe bottles, of Brunello and me taking constant good natured gruff about ordering a coke. When it came time for the check, it was delivered to me along with a small, ice cold bottle of Coca Cola. Tom asked for the check to be split, but the waiter simply stated, “No. He ordered coke, he pays.” I loved it, happily paid the check, and then sought out the waiter to get our picture together, which I regularly use as my Facebook profile.

California Wine Country

This is another trip that we’ve done twice, in 2012 and 2013. Deb is a big wine lover so riding amongst the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma is special for her. To be able to cycle past a winery that you are familiar with, or to discover a one that becomes a new favorite, is part of this trip. Plus, these places have wine clubs that ship straight to your house, which Deb thinks is perhaps the greatest example of commerce around. Like any Trek Travel trip, the cycling is wonderful–on lightly travelled roads and amongst traffic that is very respectable towards riders. But there are two things that set this trip apart for us. First, our favorite hotel in the world–Hotel Healdsburg–is part of the luxury trip. Second, on the 2013 trip we met three other couples that were to become our Trek Travel companions. We’ve now done Wine Country, Tuscany and Santa Barbara with Tom and Andrea Meadows, Rick and Gail Venner, and Darryl and Susan Forintos. We couldn’t ask for more fun than we get travelling with these folks. If we hadn’t signed up for Wine Country in 2013, we never would’ve met them.

San Juan Islands and Santa Barbara

I have to put these two together. These were our latest trips in 2015, so they are fresh in my memory. But the main reason is because these trips contained the two biggest climbs I’ve done: Mount Constitution and Gibraltar Road. If you ever meet me, you’ll quickly notice that I’m built a bit more like a linebacker than a cyclist. Climbing has never come easy and here in southwest Michigan the terrain on which to train for climbing doesn’t really exist. Standing at the top of Mount Constitution on Orcas Island looking across the water to Mount Baker on the mainland is an accomplishment I’ll forever hold dear. And the climb up Gibraltar taxed me in ways I never had anticipated.

It’s been an amazing ten years and ten trips with Trek Travel. We’ve made life-long friendships with fellow guests and guides. We’ve seen the world from the seat of a bike, a perspective that can’t be matched in any other way. A few years ago the president of Trek Travel, Tania Burke, along with her husband John, were in Battle Creek for Team Active Cycling and Fitness’ End of Winter Party. Deb and I were fortunate enough to have dinner with them. Tania asked us how our experiences with Trek Travel had been. “Tania,” I answered, “I still can’t think about our first trip to Tuscany in 2006 without getting goose bumps. If you told me that we could repeat any of our trips but we would have to pay twice as much, I’d write the check in a heart beat.”

There is nothing quite like Trek Travel for us.

52 Places to Go in 2016

Posted on January 11, 2016 - 8:56 pm by keith_ritter

Each January, the editors of the New York Times Travel section publish a Places to Go issue. And although the editors themselves admit that it is by no means a comprehensive list (here’s how they narrow it down)–because “there is an almost endless number of great destinations”–the locations chosen are always particularly compelling in the coming year. This year’s 11th annual Places to Go list features a few of our favorite destinations, and we can’t wait for you to experience everything they have to offer.

2. Bordeaux, France
An ancient wine region gets a stunning update.
Words by Charly Wilder

Next year will see the opening of La Cité du Vin, an ambitious institution along the coast of the river Garonne dedicated to the history of French viticulture. The undulating wooden structure, designed by XTU architects, is part of a huge greening and revitalization effort along Bordeaux’s waterways, which also includes the 2013 opening of the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Europe’s largest lift bridge, and the transformation of over 7,500,000 square feet of former docklands into more than 5,000 new apartments and public waterside attractions. In 2007, half of the restored neoclassical city was Unesco-listed, making it the largest urban World Heritage site. And all the effort has been paying off: A 2013 survey ranked Bordeaux France’s second-favorite city, after Paris. More recently, a restaurant boom has welcomed enticing openings by the likes of Joël Robuchon, whose namesake restaurant opened at the end of 2014 within the city’s palatial Grande Maison hotel. Gordon Ramsay recently took the helm at Le Pressoir d’Argent, the restaurant within the InterContinental Bordeaux — Le Grand Hotel, while the French celebrity chef Philippe Etchebest, has taken over the Café Opera in Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre. Other appetizing new entries include Franco-Chinese restaurant Dan, high-end minimalist Garopapilles and locavore Belle Campagne, in a rustic-chic townhouse in Bordeaux’s picturesque Old Town.
Experience our Bordeaux Cycling Vacation»

15. Road to Seven Lakes, Argentina
A newly paved road to beautiful vistas.
Words by Nell McShane Wulfhart

It’s no longer necessary to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle to explore the Patagonian Lake District. With the long-delayed paving of the Road of the Seven Lakes completed last summer, it is now possible to drive, cycle or motorbike (new rental companies like Seven Lakes Rides are already setting up shop) down this 66-mile route that takes in some of Argentina’s most compelling scenery. Connecting San Martín de Los Andes to the mountain village of Villa La Angostura, an hour’s drive from the skiing and snowboarding mecca of Bariloche, the route is stunningly scenic, winding its way through forested valleys and around the namesake azure lakes, taking in national parks, snow-capped mountains and abundant waterfalls along the way. The trip can now be completed in a few hours, although it’s worth stretching out the journey to take advantage of the campgrounds (or boutique hotels) and excellent restaurants along the way.
Experience the Road to Seven Lakes on our Chile Cycling Vacation»

17. Korcula Island, Croatia
Experience authentic life on the Dalmatian Coast.
Words by Katie Engelhart

Beyoncé and Jay Z called this one. The couple’s 2011 visit to Hvar Island seemed to open the tourist floodgates to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. Korcula is Hvar’s more modest neighbor. Much of the island is still untouched: dotted with blue-collar fishing villages and little pebble beaches. Instead of sticking to the Old Town, which claims to be the birthplace of Marco Polo, rent a moped and head west. Travel through olive groves and thick woodlands, and drive off-road to sample Korcula’s signature white wine, Grk, at any number of hopelessly charming family wineries. It’s bitter and earthy — and true to the region’s less fashionable days.
Experience Korcula Island on our Craotia Cycling Vacation»

29. Barcelona, Spain
Celebrating a beloved architect all year.
Words by Lindsey Tramuta

This year, Barcelona prepares for an influx of architecture aficionados as it marks the 90th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, whose work famously peppers the city. The Gaudi Exhibition Center at the Museu Diocesà de Barcelona will continue to offer an interactive deep dive with its “Walking With Gaudi” exhibition — a perfect primer for what is poised to be an important decade in Gaudian history: by year’s end, the Unesco World Heritage Site Casa Vicens — Gaudi’s first major work — will open as a public museum, and the completion of the Sagrada Família cathedral, his most ambitious work, is finally scheduled for 2026. Guests of the nearby Majestic Hotel & Spa will be offered private tours of both structures once they open.
Experience our Barcelona Villa Cycling Vacation»

31. Turin, Italy
Renewal in a former industrial capital.
Words by Robyn Eckhardt

A reopened Egyptian Museum isn’t the only draw in Turin, where projects like the warehouse district Docks Dora, home to galleries, ateliers and underground clubs; the street art initiative Arte in Barriera; and Lavazza’s new headquarters in Aurora near Porta Palazzo, Europe’s largest open-air market, are softening an industrial face. Fresh exhibition spaces and museums complement Contemporary Art Week, comprising Artissima, Paratissima and Luci d’Artista. The concurrent Club to Club is one of many music festivals (Torino Jazz, Kappa Futur, TODAYS, Movement Torino). The city, which is home to Slow Food’s annual Salone del Gusto, is also a jumping-off point for the Unesco world heritage-designated wine regions Langhe-Roero and Monferrato.
Experience Turin on our Piedmont Cycling Vacation»

43. Málaga, Spain
Beauty, but now a cultural capital, too.
Words by Shivani Vora

As home to touristy seaside cities like Marbella, the province of Málaga, part of the Andalusia region, is a popular beach destination. The eponymous capital city, however, is now a center of culture. The birthplace of Picasso and home to a namesake museum full of works donated by his family, Málaga has recently seen three major museums open. The most significant is a five-year pop-up of the Centre Pompidou, costing upward of $8 million, housed in a futuristic building on the waterfront and displaying a changing selection of 20th- and 21st-century paintings by artists like Frida Kahlo and Marc Chagall. There’s also a new branch of the St. Petersburg State Russian Museum with a collection of works by some of Russia’s most notable artists and the Carmen Thyssen Museum, featuring around 250 works from Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza’s collection of past and present art world masters, including Jeff Koons. Getting to Málaga to explore this new side of the city is easier than ever: Delta now has seasonal flights into the local airport from New York City, and there are new high-speed train routes linking it to Madrid and Barcelona.
Experience Málaga on our Andalucia Cycling Vacation»

SEE THE NEW YORK TIMES FULL LIST OF 52 PLACES TO GO»

Andalucia Part 4: Relax, Resurface & Raise a Glass

Posted on November 20, 2015 - 7:15 pm by keith_ritter

I had expected to end my days with endless local red wine, but quickly discovered that the real drink of choice for locals was the gintonic.

Words by Trek Travel Guest Erin F.
For more stories of Erin’s voyages home and away, visit her blog: VogueTrotter

On our first night, I asked the bartender at our hotel, the Reina Victoria in Ronda, to help me choose from the 60 different types of gin they had on offer. She quickly returned and served me up a softball sized coupe with a generous portion of Gin Mare. Produced in the small fishing town of Vilanova, just outside Barcelona, this tasty spirit boasts typical mediterranean flavors like Seville orange peel, Arbequina olives, basil and thyme. (And luckily for us, they’ve just started importing it in the US.)

Drink in hand, proud of having completed our first day of riding, we sat on the hotel’s deep gray outdoor sofa, nestled under a heat lamp, and watched the rain fall on the mountainside through a sea of palm trees and ethereal fog. Most people go to Spain for the sun, but in yet another unexpected twist, it was the rain that gave us our perfect vacation moment.

On the Grid in Madrid

One of the best reasons to go off the grid is the feeling you get when you resurface back on it. After a week of batting my mascara-less eyes and looking at the rolling hills rather than a scrolling iPhone screen, it felt exhilarating to arrive at the luxurious boutique hotel, Only You, in the big city of Madrid. Fancy cocktails! Facials! Fluffy white beds! Not that we didn’t stay at some lovely Andalucian hotels, but we’re city people at heart and being in the capital felt just a bit more like home.

Completely worn out after our week of cycling in the mountains, we let ourselves truly indulge, simply by doing very little. We opted to eat lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day all in our hotel–a renovated neoclassical townhouse from the early 1900’s, clad in a modern day Delft-Blue motif–and stepped out to see the Prado museum and Botanical Gardens in between meals. We also spent several rounds of gintonics at the hotel bar and learned some more about Spain’s gin craze from Only You’s head bartender, Marc Puig.

Tell me about the gin trend in Spain.

People have been drinking gin and tonics in Spain since the 70’s; however, they made a huge come back about 10 years ago aiming to become a more “premium” drink. Nowadays they are one the most popular drinks in almost every cocktail bar around the country. What I love about the gintonic is that there are so many subtle variations that everyone can find their perfect drink. It also can be consumed from the late afternoon until the moonlight; it’s refreshing and light making it easier to deal with even the hottest Spanish day.
What’s the best way to make a gin and tonic?

Take a big cold glass, filled with ice to the top, 5 cl of premium gin and a nice Indian tonic water. Absolutely superb! Add a twist of lemon for a fresh touch of citrus.
How many different types of gin do you have at the bar? What’s most popular?

At Only You, we have 44 different types of gin. I think the best we have is Tanqueray because it has just the right balance of botanicals; we serve it with a twist of lemon or orange to bring out the flavor.

In terms of the most popular – I’ve noticed a big difference between our Spanish and international customers. While the Spanish tend to order Beefeater, guests from other countries really have a thing for Bombay Sapphire and Hendricks (I mean, who doesn’t like a bit of cucumber with their gin?).

And for those who enjoy gin but not the bitterness of tonic, I always recommend a gin fizz or Tom Collins.
Why should someone stop by your bar?

Here at the Only You bar, we take our cocktails very seriously and have created the perfect drink-pairing for every gin. We carefully study the ingredients of our gins to achieve the best possible harmony for our guests.

About Erin:
Since returning to NYC after living abroad for seven years, I’m aspiring to keep the same “new eyes” that I have when I visit a place for the first time. Whether in old or new Amsterdam, walking along the canals of Venice, Italy, or Canal street in Chinatown, I want to approach it all as an first-class adventure.

EXPERIENCE ANDALUCIA, SPAIN»

Andalucia Part 3: Artisanal Tastes of Spain

Posted on November 19, 2015 - 4:06 pm by keith_ritter

On my flight to Spain, I watched a documentary called Crafted, which follows the lives of three artisans–a chef, a knife welder and potter–as they reject mass production and carefully hone their craft. It was directed by Morgan Spurlock of SuperSize Me and sponsored by none other than…Haagen Daz? Yes, the ice cream brand owned by the mega food conglomerate General Mills.

Words by Trek Travel Guest Erin F.
For more stories of Erin’s voyages home and away, visit her blog: VogueTrotter

This is just one example of how established brands spend big bucks trying to reposition themselves as artisanal, dusting off their “heritage” and recycling it for something more valuable. At the same time, smaller startups often build their whole identities around their hand-crafted products, which in reality doesn’t always mean better quality. Yet at the El Vinculo olive oil mill in Andalucia, Juan Urruti and his family have genuinely been living the artisan lifestyle since the mill was founded back in 1755.

Perched above the stunning Zahara reservoir, next to Grazalema National Park, El Vinculo is not only one of the oldest mills in the region but also one of the last to use traditional cold press methods of production. This means they hand pick the olives, mill them immediately after harvest to lock in the flavor, press them in stacked mats to slowly squeeze out the oil and water, and finally bottle the separated oil, again by hand.

For all the love they put into their product, Spain doesn’t seem to get the same recognition for its olive oil production as, say, Italy. But it turns out they are the largest producer of any country, supplying 40% of the world’s olive oil. In fact, one of the first things you notice in Andalucia are the rows of olive trees that systematically line the landscape for miles upon miles (which makes sense considering they have 220 million of them growing across the country).

Juan’s son, Juan Jr, gave us the tour of his family’s mill and then let us sample the olive oil, along with a glass of their sherry. We snacked as he played flamenco guitar in a rustic dining room filled with antique photos of famous bullfighters and Hemingway–exactly who you’d expect in a Spanish cafe, except that these were people his family had actually encountered in their hometown. The whole experience was an authentic Spanish moment, and something no amount of marketing budget could ever mass produce.

About Erin:
Since returning to NYC after living abroad for seven years, I’m aspiring to keep the same “new eyes” that I have when I visit a place for the first time. Whether in old or new Amsterdam, walking along the canals of Venice, Italy, or Canal street in Chinatown, I want to approach it all as an first-class adventure.

EXPERIENCE ANDALUCIA, SPAIN»

Andalucia Part 2: Climb Every Mountain

Posted on November 17, 2015 - 5:57 pm by keith_ritter

If you think your Spanish jamon couldn’t taste any better, try eating it after cycling up the side of a mountain for several kilometers straight. I realize that for some this proposition may sound like anything but a vacation, but traveling across Andalucia by bike is actually an incredible way to cover a lot of ground–stopping in small villages you might not otherwise have time for–without having to rent a car or being stuck on a tour bus. It also allows you to interact with your environment.

Words by Trek Travel Guest Erin F.
For more stories of Erin’s voyages home and away, visit her blog: VogueTrotter

After much internet research–looking at high-end cycling tours that lacked top-notch bikes despite big price tags, as well as more affordable options that seemed isolating and labor intensive–we finally settled on Trek Travel.

The best part about Trek Travel is that despite their fancy race bikes and super fit cycling guides, your trip is, above all else, a vacation. No pace lines, no obligatory climbs. Don’t want to get back on the bike after too many glasses of CruzCampo beer at lunch? Just hop in Trek Travel’s magical white van and head back to the hotel to relax in the indoor pools. Or need a sugar fix to keep you energized before your final descent into town? The van’s got a full range of treats whenever you need it. In short, Trek Travel makes breaking a sweat mountainside, rather than beachside, a whole lot of fun.

Still, Jason and I were admittedly a little nervous as we waited to meet our fellow cyclists at the Seville train station on day one. Normally the notion of a traveling with anything resembling a formal “tour group” sends a chill down both of our spines (our shared distaste may be one of the reasons we fell in love). Luckily, Trek Travel treats socializing just like it treats cycling–do it at your own pace. Our group was a mix of people at different phases of their lives–CEOs, small business owners, scientists, retirees–many of whom we’d be unlikely to ever interact with back in New York, due to lifestyle or location. But much like the landscape and architecture of Andalucia–the surprising fusion of personalities and backgrounds seemed to work just fine. And together as a patchwork pack, we climbed to some of the most stunning vistas on the planet.

Unexpected Turns: Cycling Across Andalucia

Posted on November 10, 2015 - 7:38 pm by keith_ritter

The bell tower of the Seville Cathedral in Spain fuses both Arabic and Christian styles into a single structure reaching for the heavens; and typically mediterranean palm trees grow next to wintry pines on the same Malaga mountain. While the Andalucia region is quintessentially Spanish–with its flamenco dancers, sherry drinking and white villages perched upon cliffs–it also blends cultural and natural elements in unexpected ways, keeping visitors to this southernmost province endlessly intrigued.

Words by Trek Travel Guest Erin F.
For more stories of Erin’s voyages home and away, visit her blog: VogueTrotter

I’ll admit, however, that on my own recent trip to Andalucia, I arrived with few expectations. Although I had seen much of the countryside in France and Italy and Portugal, my knowledge of Spain was limited to chocolate dipped churros and pitchers of sangria from a girls weekend in Barcelona five years ago. Which is the equivalent of eating a “dollar slice” in NYC and claiming to know the south and its legendary soul food.

Ready to start our Andalusian adventure, my boyfriend, Jason, and I arrived in Seville on a rainy Saturday, confirming what all five of my weather apps were trying to tell me for days. Yet, looking at the city’s colorful buildings that still managed to pop amidst the gray skies, as bitter Seville oranges floated down the newly formed streams of the cobblestone streets, I knew something that no weather app could ever predict–we were in for a special week.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Favorite Fall Recipes

Posted on November 10, 2015 - 5:31 pm by keith_ritter

At Trek Travel, we do a little bit of exploring by bike and a whole of exploring by fork. Recently, however, we were reminded that you don’t have to travel far to eat well. With the right recipe and locally sourced ingredients, you can deliver an abundance of fresh flavors right to your table. We turned to Trek’s in house chef Dan Smith to share a few fall recipes, and below is an appetizer of some of our favorites. Wouldn’t it be great if all sports nutrition was this exciting?

BUTTERNUT SQUASH JAM
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1 small yellow onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup whole milk
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 oz. butter
1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
Instructions:
Peel and remove the seeds from squash. Cut the squash into medium size cubes. Chop the onion in to small pieces.
In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent.
Add sugar, molasses, pepper, salt and cinnamon. Reduce heat to low and stir to mix all ingredients. Allow to cook for one minute.
Add milk and stir, then add squash and cover. Allow to cook over low heat just below a simmer for 90 minutes.
Remove from heat and blend or mash everything together. Spread on toast or cornbread, or enjoy as a puree with chicken or fish.

PUMPKINS MIFFUNS
Ingredients:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt, room temperature
4 large eggs, room temperature
1.75 cups light brown sugar
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2 muffin tins with pan spray and line them with paper liners.
Combine the flour, white wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger in large mixing bowl.
Put the pumpkin, oil, yogurt, eggs, and brown sugar in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.
Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until you have a smooth batter.
Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Cool for 10 minutes and then turn the muffins out of the pans and cool completely on racks

CORN BREAD
Ingredients:
4 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs (cold)
1 cup buttermilk (cold)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn flour
1/2 teaspoon grams baking soda
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Microwave the butter until it is melted. Use a silicone spatula to stir in the sugar and salt.
Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until it is fully absorbed. Stir in the buttermilk.
Once the buttermilk is mostly mixed in, add the flour, corn flour, and baking soda.
Stir the mixture together until it looks creamy and smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Use the back of a spoon to smooth it into the corners and spread it in an even layer.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
Remove from oven and let the bread rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Get an Inside Look at Trek’s US Factory

Posted on November 6, 2015 - 3:40 pm by keith_ritter

Trek is one of the few companies producing carbon frames in the United States. Here’s what goes on in its Wisconsin headquarters.

Bicycling Magazine
By Molly Hurford | October 22, 2015

Trek’s History:

Trek has been around since our country’s bicentennial in 1976. It was founded in the small manufacturing town of Waterloo, Wisconsin, about 20 minutes outside of Madison. The factory remains in Waterloo, though much has changed since its inception. Eric Bjorling, Trek’s brand communications guru, gave us a tour that began with the mini-museum in the foyer of the building. And you might notice the heritage logo popping up more and more as the brand has “rediscovered our passion for the history of the company,” Bjorling said.

Learn more about Trek’s Wisconsin headquarters in Bicycling Magazine»

Cross Country USA Epilogue

Posted on November 3, 2015 - 12:13 am by keith_ritter

Our 3700-mile seven-week Portland to Portland cycling odyssey ended about two weeks ago…and I’ve been thinking about it ever since as I return to “normal life”. My friends ask, “What was the hardest day, the best day, the worst weather, etc.?” For a trip of this magnitude there were many bests and worsts.

Words by David Kindler, Trek Travel Guest

Among the toughest standout for me was the challenge of climbing Big Horn Pass, hour after hour, at steep grade and high elevation with wind and cold temperatures. The nothing-left-in-the-tank day after Big Horn. The hail pummeling at the top of Lolo Pass. The strength-sapping winds across South Dakota and Iowa, with that morning of I-can’t-see-but-six-inches-in-front-of-my-face stinging rain. The three days of cold rain in New York. And, how could I forget to mention baking in the sun for hours on end as we rode the flat-tire-producing interstate shoulders out West! Or those early smoky rides in Idaho? Or the days when I blew it with poor layering decisions on the day’s clothing! The list goes on, but these are rides that build character!

Then there’s the subject of how your mind and body hold up to the day-after-day grind. Some days great and some days not-so-great. Now that all the miles are done it’s easy to forget the hamstring twinges, the sore left calf that-I-hope-won’t-get-worse, the overcompensation with the right leg shifting the pain to that knee, the inevitable sore-butt days, the burning quads, and so on. Fortunately, some of us had Tara–the miracle worker masseuse (we nicknamed Tiramisu) who tended to our knotted-up muscles, patching us up well enough to keep going! Of course there were mental challenges too. Probably everyone on the trip at some point asked themselves, “What have I gotten myself into?” I certainly did. Possibly somewhere on a highway shoulder scorched by the sun, pushing just a little harder than I should have early in the trip. For the first couple of weeks I lived with the worry that a twinge or muscle pain would escalate and threaten the trip. I was extremely lucky to work through the aches and pains without facing the decision about whether to rest or ride. My roommate Jay’s mantra–just keep pedaling–applied in many situations. Many days became test of wills. Facing and overcoming these challenges has made the achievement that much sweeter!

There were so many outstanding routes it’s hard to single them out. Among the favorite moments that I recall are riding from Hood River along the Columbia River Gorge, the screaming 54.4 mph downhill from the continental divide at MacDonald Pass into Helena, the views from Big Horn, the surreal landscape of Badlands National Park, the windless day after being battling it for four days, then crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin, riding miles of gravel wherever that was, riding the rollers in wooded Pennsylvania and the feeling of getting closer to home, and meeting my Monster friends at the summit of Moosilauke then riding the Kancamangus pass together. Kudos to the guides for their research to get us onto fabulous roads, and bike paths, often skirting traffic in and out of the larger cities.

Our group was exceptionally strong – in both determination and physical stamina. On any given day a different mix of smaller groupettos formed, so in short order everyone had cycled together, and got to know one another. I’d often ride with a different group, depending on desired pace, the alluring call of a good coffee shop, weather, flat-tire occurrence, etc. Every morning without exception the group was anxious to get on the road by sunrise. One of the tougher jobs for the guides was reigning in the early birds! We quickly fell into a daily routine: up at 5-something, repack your bags and drag them to the luggage van at 6:00, eat breakfast, finish dressing and bring your day bag to the van, get your bike ready loading course routes into your Garmin (or three Garmins in my case), grabbing blinkies (Flare R taillights), and setting off on the daily ride. Usually the group stayed together for the first 20 or 30 miles up to the first van stop, where we refueled as needed with Clif bars, peanut M&M’s, bananas, etc. We’d take a short break, and hit the road again.

The line of cyclists stretched out as the morning passed. Usually we’d have another van stop and then on to lunch, around the halfway mark for the day. Lunch was typically an assortment of stuff for sandwiches, salads, fruit, and desserts. Despite burning a lot of calories, overeating was entirely possible. Learning what and how much to eat took some trial-and-error. Frequent re-application of sunscreen became ritual for at least the first half of the trip. After lunch the push was on to complete the day’s ride, especially during the hot-weather days. More van stops, lots of Coke and Gatorade as the day wore on. If we were lucky we found a milkshake “recovery drink” near the end of the day’s ride. Finally we rolled in to the next hotel. On to a hot shower, daily washing of the cycling kit, hanging it to dry, plugging in the rechargeables, resting a bit, or getting a massage, and then to dinner. Meals were most often buffet style, which catered best, since we sometimes acted like an uncivilized flock of vultures. After dinner I usually caught up on email, wrote my daily blog entry, and crawled into bed later than I’d hoped, and slept until it was time to do it all over again. And that was the cycle…for 45 days, performing 1.1 million pedal strokes and 1.6 million heartbeats to span the USA. An adventure of a lifetime!

EXPERIENCE THIS CROSS COUNTRY BUCKET LIST ADVENTURE»

Second Sundays

Posted on October 21, 2015 - 8:04 pm by keith_ritter

The flight from Paris had been cancelled because the winds were too strong to land in Florence. For any other group, this may have been a foreboding sign. But for the Trek employees who had traveled from Waterloo, Wisconsin, to experience first-hand the splendor and suffering of Strade Bianche, it was all part of the adventure.

To call Strade Bianche a road race is to misrepresent its true nature. The one-day modern classic traces a grueling route through the most beautiful and punishing gravel roads in Tuscany. From a distance, the gravel roads look white, lending the race its name, which translates in English to “white roads.”

Strade has a reputation of being hard and dangerous, with climbs that are so steep the pitches don’t translate on television and vicious winds that have sent racers barreling off the road. Climbing on gravel is a fundamentally different experience than climbing on pavement. It’s impossible to plant the rear wheel on the loose surface, so every climb becomes an exercise not just in fitness but also in agility. Even Trek Factory Racing’s top pros resolved that this race, though it has been run for only eight years and is not officially a staple on the Spring Classics calendar, is more difficult than the legendary Paris-Roubaix.

So, what were ten Trek employees from Wisconsin doing in Tuscany? Six years ago, Trek VP Joe Vadeboncoeur, who is affectionately known around the office as “Joe V” due to the bewildering number of vowels in his surname, began chaperoning trips to one-day classics. Joe, who has now ridden nearly all of the classic one-day races, designed the program to expose Trek employees to racing first-hand. “When you work in the industry,” he says, “you can’t really understand what you do and why you do it until you’ve seen the sport at the top level and actually experienced what the pros do every day. It’s a vital experience, because it alters your perspective in a way that informs everything you do from that point forward.”

Most one-day classics are accompanied by a Gran Fondo, often referred to as a “citizens’ race,” where non-professionals, recreationalists, and, yes, even a motley crew of jet-lagged cycling industry employees can ride the course a day before the pros. The ten Trek employees—creatives, engineers, product managers, and others—went to Italy not just to watch the pros, but also to test their mettle in the citizens’ race.

Joe V’s love affair with the Classics began decades ago. Each spring, as the weather was warming, he’d wait with anticipation for those second Sundays in March and April when the biggest one-day races were held. For Joe V, the charm of the Classics is unpredictability.

“We all love the Grand Tours,” he says, “but at the start, there are only a handful of real contenders. A week into a three-week race, usually only one of three riders can actually win it. Two weeks in, only one of two riders can win.”

In the one-day classics, on the other hand, there may be fifty or more riders who have a real chance to win. With 1K to go, there are often a dozen or more riders barreling toward the finish together, and this is where the beauty of the classics shines. One-day classics are usually won by the hard-men of the sport, those strong, calloused riders who win not just on fitness but also on strength of character.

And herein lies the lesson at the core of Joe V’s program. There is no better way to build strength of character that will improve work than to go wholeheartedly into an experience like this one.

After the cancelled flight, the Trek employees made it to Florence by bussing from Bologna to Sienna. They battled the headwinds and blinding dust, the loose gravel and brutal climbs, despite having trained outside only a handful of times, at most, through the bitterly cold Wisconsin winter. Every employee finished the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo. And, when they returned to Waterloo, their approach to the day-to-day work was informed by this accomplishment. Their vision was changed, their perspective altered. It’s exactly what Joe V likes to see.

EXPERIENCE STRADE BIANCHE WITH TREK TRAVEL»

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