I have been riding a bike as long as I can remember.
Usually it was a hand-me-down from my older sister, but the time came for a “decent” bike when I started participating in the sprint triathlon circuit. So of course I chose it based on the color–hot orange. I was a mediocre swimmer and an average runner, but I made up all my time on the bicycle. I moved on from the triathlons soon after I won my first and only trophy–Best in Age Group–but I kept biking.
One of the first dates I had with my husband, Scott, was mountain biking. It was mostly hills, and some were pretty steep! I quickly realized that the hot orange number was out of date and I needed a new ride. I bought a Gary Fisher. Twenty four years later we still have that bike, although it has received a few upgrades. Scott rides it with knobby tires while I ride my Trek 7700 Hybrid (which was my upgrade around 2004).
I am not a serious biker by any stretch of the imagination. Living in Madison, Wisconsin I have several friends who work in the bike industry and we heard about a Trek Travel trip to the California Wine Country. It may have even been one of Trek Travel’s first years in business. It sounded good to me and a group of us signed up.
I had no Idea this trip would be so life changing. My trip preparation included working with Carmichael Training Systems. There was all kinds of technical advice to take advantage of, which was too much work for me. But I gleaned one suggestion that that has stayed with me. “Ride at least 100 miles per week and you will be ready.” No problem. I can do that.
On our first trip, we were lucky to ride with Frankie Andreu, who is a nine time Tour de France finisher. I learned from one of the best. I can still hear him say, “Get on my wheel!” So I did. (Did I mention he was really cute, too?) I completed every climb on every ride, although there may have been a few choice words along the way. “One Hundred mile per week and you will be ready.”
It became my mantra. “One Hundred miles per week and you will be ready.” Every day I can, I jump on my bike and ride. When asked what I am training for I reply, “I am training for life.” One hundred miles per week provides a goal to work toward, a sense of accomplishment, and a strong and healthy body. Did I mention all the calories burned? Sometimes I ride alone, sometimes with friends, other times I meet people on the trail and ride with strangers for a while. Camaraderie comes easily.
One wedding anniversary I received a square box…surely a beautiful watch or bracelet. As I opened the box my husband said, “You might not like this at first, but you will come to love it.” It was a Garmin 305. He was right. I love this piece of equipment. Time, distance, average speed, calories burned, routes ridden. I keep track of everything!
Last summer the beloved 7700 was not rolling along as she once did. Because I had a flat, I stopped into a bike shop. While I was there I asked for an opinion on the overall condition of my bike. The guys kind of laughed. You need a new chain, new cassette, brakes, brake cables, tires and a few spokes. Is it worth it I asked? They said, “Are you kidding? This is a great bike!” This one is made in the USA and definitely worth updating. I am now ready to roll into my next decade with this bike.
Over the years with Trek Travel I have climbed Mt. Ventoux in Provence; I achieved a speed of 47 mph on a descent in Utah riding from Bryce Canyon to Zion; we rode the 78 mile “High Road” from Santa Fe to Taos. We have ridden through Chianti tasting wine, eating delicious food and enjoying the beauty of ancient Italy.
What is it about natural disasters that bring out the best in people?
When central Alabama was hit in 2011 by a series of tornadoes, “the best in people” was about the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. These towns, from tiny Cordova, which looked like a set from The Walking Dead when the tornadoes ripped through like a zombie attack, to Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama and site of the most casualties, faced one of the lowest moments in their histories.
But sometimes, it’s disasters like this that cause true rebirth.
Bo Jackson is Alabama’s Jens Voigt. Many Alabamans don’t know Jens, of course. But if you describe Jensie’s toughness, grit and happy-go-lucky attitude, they’d think you’re talking about Bo Jackson. He is known as the most famous two-sport athlete in the world, and the most famous export of Alabama, an All-Star in both baseball and football, and winner of the Heisman Trophy at Auburn. He never quits. And that’s why he’s here. Because when Bo heard that this area, including his hometown of Bessemer, was severely damaged, his first reaction was to call his friends at Trek Bikes and reach for a bike.
John Burke, CEO of Trek, says it best. “Bo is one of the greatest sports legends of the last 100 years, and an even better person. What could I say when he called? This is an incredible opportunity to do good for a lot of people. The next thing I know, we’re driving 18 hours down to Alabama to join him and help out the victims of the tornadoes.”
Cycling has a way of making your senses come alive. Discovering the world on a bike is exciting. It’s visceral. You get closer to the road, the people and the curves of the earth than you can in a car, bus or a thousand on-line virtual tours. You smell the smells. Feel the air. Drink in the history.
Normally, bicycle tours are reserved for the fragrant olive groves of Tuscany and the epic views of the Alps. But it works just as well when you’re trying to get a sense of the rubble of a place that’s been battered. It’s the same ride. The same discovery. And in both cases, you learn to love the people you ride with and the destinations you visit.
Bo wanted to do something big for his home. He wanted to raise $1,000,000 in disaster relief. And he wanted to do it in a way that would draw out the communities together, as one people, getting to know the countryside together and rediscovering what makes Alabama great. There’s no better way to do that then on a bicycle.
Trek Travel saw his vision and got behind the mission. They sent Rebecca Falls, trip designer and tour expert, down to help. That was the beginning of Bo Bikes Bama, a five-day journey across central Alabama on bicycle. It was also the beginning of Bo Jackson’s third athletic career.
Bo is telling his own legs to “Shut up.” If you ask him, he “doesn’t know why” he chose a cycling tour as his fundraising method, but if you ride along with him, you learn quickly. And mostly? It’s because he’s not good at it.
He lumbers up the hills. ESPN’s Greatest Athlete of All Time is no match for the slow rollers of the Deep South. But he’s there. Chugging along. The big, hulking NFL engine that could. Like in all of cycling, there’s a romance in his struggle. He’s there not as the famous pro with all his pro friends making an appearance for charity like it was some golf tournament. In Bo Bikes Bama, he’s a man of the people. Struggling right along side friends, neighbors and countrymen. Riding through their hometowns on bikes with the victims’ names etched on his top tube, and taking the same rests at the summit of every climb.
He’s no pro cyclist. But in a state known more for its love of the SEC than the TDF, he’s Alabama’s hero on two wheels.
This is what Trek Travel is all about. You wouldn’t count Cordova, Alabama among the likes of Andalucia, Spain, or the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. But Trek Travel is here, riding bikes, exploring the undiscovered reaches of a place that wasn’t built for bikes. Rebecca Falls should know. She’s from Tuscaloosa, and she’s completely impressed at what bikes have done for her home.
“How cool is it to get road bikes into communities that don’t traditionally connect with bicycling?” She asks. “As one of the most well-known and well-loved Alabamians, Bo Jackson is an incredible advocate for cycling in our home state.”
Bo Jackson understands this, almost implicitly. It might be why he chose cycling unconsciously. He knew that bikes are the great equalizer. They bring people together, and closer to the world around them. They’ve made him an athlete once again. And they’re going to change this place.
Sometimes, discovering the world on a bike isn’t all wine-tasting and epic selfies. Sometimes, it takes a natural disaster to show you a side of a place that you never saw before.
Cycling is something that I will do for the rest of my life. It’s something a grandson can do with his grandpa, and everyone in between. It’s something people do because it brings joy to their lives – the breeze in their face, the smiles of friends, the adventure and of course the places you can explore.
My name is Cooper Farrell, or Coop, as many call me. I am from the Santa Ynez Valley, home of the Danish enclave of Solvang, but more importantly, a cycling paradise. Back in the day, the USPS team would hold their winter training camps here. More recently, Solvang became famous for the blistering times set in the individual time trial of the Amgen Tour of California. To me, it is simply home. Cyclists hear of the Bulldog Café as something like a historic site, while to me it’s where I start my Saturday group rides. I began cycling in early 2011, after chasing Martin Mortensen (Leopard-Trek rider in 2011) in a follow car through the Santa Ynez hills I know so well. After that, I took my mom’s aluminum road bike for a couple twenty mile spins, and the rest has happened in a blink of an eye.
I joined the local cycling club which had a small junior team with about six guys. At the beginning, my friend told me stories of the infamous Figueroa Mountain, and the brutality of the Saturday group rides. Rather than discouraging me, they inspired me to I train my butt off. Eventually I conquered the Fig, and occasionally took home a stop-sign-sprint prize at the end of a long Saturday morning.
In the summer of 2012, I was offered an internship at Trek Travel. I jumped at the opportunity, and next thing I knew I was on a flight to meet the team in Megève, a small ski town in the Alps of France. I was really nervous. I was 15 years old, and now as an 18 year old, I realize how crazy that is. The title I gave myself was ‘Assistant Guide’. I think was fitting. My main objective was to help with some of the more tedious parts of being a guide. I put together the route profiles with descriptions of the climbs and other notable sections. I filled water bottles, helped with luggage, put bikes on the roofs, set up snack stations, and put together bike racks.
Of course the best part of my job was the riding, and the people I met while doing so. Alongside the guides, who couldn’t have been nicer, the guests were all true lovers of cycling and the Tour de France. They were some of the kindest people I have ever met. I rode with just about every person: old, young, beginner, expert – all ages and all skill levels. I knew the guests were the first priority, and they always reciprocated and in some ways made me feel like a celebrity. They loved seeing a 15 year old kid riding some of the most notorious climbs and routes in the world, and I loved experiencing them with the guests. I remember one guest, Nick, who loved to race with me up the climbs. It almost turned into a daily thing and was certainly one of the most memorable parts of my journey.
Cycling is a special thing. It has the ability to break through age, gender, skill, and experience. I rolled through the foothills of the Pyrenees with a father and his daughter, I raced up Col de Madeleine with Nick, I got descending lessons from Hershey down Le Col des Aravis, and I was dragged backed to Megève behind a man and his wife after I bonked during a long day. All this while being in the midst of the best cyclists in the world and having VIP access at Le Tour–literally hanging with the pros. It couldn’t have been more awesome. I am grateful to Trek Travel for giving me this incredible opportunity, thankful for the guides who made it a fun and meaningful experience, the guests who were the icing on the cake and made me a little less homesick 6,000 miles away from home, and finally my mom, for letting me use her bike to get me hooked on a great sport with great people.
Wisconsin native, Colorado transplant and world-traveler Londa Dewey tells us about why she enjoys cycling. After pedaling in places far and wide there are a few rides that stand out above the rest.
“Riding a bike is a great way to get and stay in shape, however there’s also a wonderful social component to it. My husband and I choose to do a Trek Travel trip each fall because I truly enjoy the social aspect of the trips as well as the incredible destinations we get to see. The trips give us the motivation to ride, and we have so much fun training with friends. I don’t have a favorite ride because there are too many to choose from. But I’ll give you my top three:
On a recent Trek Travel trip, we rode around Crater Lake in Oregon. The morning started cool and sunny, which was a welcome change from rainy conditions the day before. Riding around the lake provided so many spectacular views of the clear blue water. The combination of hills and altitude was fun and challenging. Mid-way through the ride we got off our bikes, hiked to the lake and took a boat ride with the ranger. It was a great day.
Then there’s our trip to Costa Brava, Spain. Another great trip and another favorite ride. The morning was sunny and beautiful, but I was a bit nervous about the winding coastal road we were supposed to climb. Once we started riding, it was fantastic. Every turn provided a new view of the Mediterranean. The challenge was rewarded when we stopped at a village to explore and enjoy a wonderful Spanish lunch.
Lastly, the ride from Vail Village up Vail Pass is incredible. It is about 24 miles round trip, but the altitude and elevation gain makes it quite a challenge. At one point, the bike path parallels I-70, so we were riding next to semi trucks as they labored up the pass. It’s hard to believe how fast the pro riders go up the pass. I was just thrilled to complete the ride and enjoy the glide down. Whether we ride west through Glenwood Canyon or east over Vail Pass, the colors of the aspen trees and sounds of roaring rivers provide amazing scenery for the ride.
So, I ride because I love enjoying the outdoors, exploring new areas and spending time with friends. Even at home in Wisconsin, our rides allow time to enjoy the rolling hills and countryside that make our state so wonderful. I also love the challenge of conquering a hill or the sense of accomplishment when completing a long route. And most of all, I love the camaraderie of riding a bike with family and friends.”
Julie Farrell does not consider herself a cycling enthusiast, but she has learned to embrace her ‘uncool’ cycling tendencies. By comparing bikes to designer shoes and cycling clothes to Audrey Hepburn’s fashion, Julie offers ten reasons why women should ride bikes…and we can’t help but to agree with her wholeheartedly.
Words by Julie Farrell
I recently came across some disappointing statistics on women and bicycling. It seems that the number of women considered non-enthusiasts declined by 13% from 2000 to 2010. That said, female enthusiasts, those who ride 110 days/year or more, are on the rise, increasing 8% during the same timeframe…while the same statistic for men showed an increase of 15%.
I suppose I fall in the non-enthusiast category – I ride about twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less – but approaching enthusiast status. Those stats made me wonder though; why don’t more women ride bikes? So like a good egocentric woman, I thought about myself; why do I ride bikes?
Like millions of other American girls, I started riding bikes in my neighborhood. It was the standard mode of transportation for all the kids on our block. I had a sweet purple-flowered-banana-seat Schwinn, and Rich and Darren down the street rode green Stingrays. We clipped playing cards in the spokes with wooden clothespins to make us sound like motorcycles (or at least annoy the other neighbors), and tried to pop wheelies – I never managed one. I would pump desperately to get my speedometer up to 20 mph, particularly past the Blogg’s house, whose nasty little dog Boots had taken a bite out of my leg on one of my expeditions down our street. I remember furiously riding to the Circle K to restock our corner lemonade stand with candy that we were selling at a hefty mark-up.
Growing out of the one-speed era, we graduated to ten-speeds. Sarah and Rich scored the coveted Schwinn Varsity bikes. For some reason, my dad decided that a green ‘Tiger Cycle’ was a superior ride to the bright yellow Schwinn Varsity that I wanted so badly…I’m pretty sure the superiority lay in its price. It was not unlike the polo shirts my sisters and I received one Christmas that sported a pony sans polo rider (ala JC Penney). Stifling my pride, I slung my tennis racket in my backpack, and road summer after summer to tennis clinics on that green machine.
We dragged the green machine from my home state of Oregon down to UC Santa Barbara for college. Here I learned that not only was my ‘Tiger Cycle’ uncool, the whole genus of ten-speeds was uncool. As my mom and sister and I explored the campus, we gawked at all the bronzed surfer guys and gals coasting along on their groovy beach cruisers. Here, the more retro the bike, the hipper it was. Although the green machine got me safely home from many a late night at the library or a fraternity party, I was relieved when it was mercifully stolen from the sorority bike rack during freshman summer. I really did lock it up. My friends and I hit the garage sales that next fall, and I managed to find a vintage purple Schwinn one-speed with a basket in front…the very essence of California cool…I had arrived.
My experience with bikes thus far was similar to most girls I knew growing up. We all had bikes. So what changed? Why aren’t we all still riding bikes? I suppose those early bursts of two-wheeled freedom were overtaken by cars and life in general. We became old enough and finally had the means to own cars. They got us where we needed to go. There was no time to get there on a bike. You can’t commute 30 miles in LA traffic on a bike, nor arrive at work wet with perspiration.
Some of us became moms, some of us embarked on careers, and some of us did both. In my early 20’s, my boyfriend (now husband) and I bought mountain bikes and occasionally rode them on weekends. But for the most part, bikes were not a big part of my life, nor any of my friends’ lives. I squeezed in tennis, found squash, tried my hand at step classes (I wasn’t quite coordinated enough for Jazzercise, and besides, I loathed leg-warmers), and spent time on boring treadmills.
And then it happened. Shortly before I turned 40, we moved from Santa Barbara to the glorious Santa Ynez Valley. My new BFFs were tennis players, but they quickly introduced me to their other passion: cycling. Going downhill fast initially frightened me, particularly clipped-in to my pedals. My first real road bike had sticky gears (or possibly a crummy pilot), and I fell once or twice whilst performing an untimely and unsuccessful gear shift. The good news is I was only going about 5 mph, the bad news is it scared me and it hurt.
Two years ago my husband and sons bought me my dream road bike for Christmas. It’s a Trek Project One Domane. And guess what? It’s bright yellow. It has Ultegra Di2 electronic shifters, which means that even if you’re a knuckle-dragging buffoon, you can’t screw-up your shifting – it’s smooth as silk. To my sons’ horror, I’ve decided to ride it with paddle pedals…as in, I don’t clip in. Once again, I have positioned myself squarely in the uncool category, but this decision has thoroughly liberated me from any anxiety around being able to clip-out in time for a stop or other unexpected condition. Heaven. Riding my new Domane is like walking into a party decked out in Chanel with an Hermes handbag on my shoulder…it feels really, really good.
So why don’t more women ride? Perhaps it’s fear from not riding for so many years, or perhaps they’ve stigmatized it as some kind of hard-core super jock sport for the über coordinated. Whatever the inhibitions, I’d like to offer the reasons that women should ride bikes: 1. It’s Low Impact: At 49 I’ve had the joy of four knee surgeries all due to other sports. Cycling is actually good for my knees. 2. You Get To Be Outside: Many of my friends are into the Bar/Barre method or Bikram yoga. Good for them. Personally, as a card-carrying germaphobe with a strong sense of smell, I can’t imagine anything more unappealing than exercising in a hot room with people dripping with sweat reeking of acrid onion body odor. 3. It’s Social: Cycling allows for a variety of skill sets. You can ride, chat, and laugh with both family and friends. Ever get the giggles in a yoga class? Tsk, tsk. 4. You Can Solve Problems: Take off for an hour or two on your bike and you’ll find it to be some of the best contemplative time in your day…and it smells good too. 5. It’s High Fashion: One day you can sport the Audrey Hepburn look on a city bike replete with basket, and the next day you can harness your inner Catwoman in a sleek, all black road suit. 6. Great Shopping: Bikes are like Jack Rogers sandals; you want one in every color. From colorful retro bikes to sexy racing bikes to sporty mountain bikes, you’ll soon find yourself filling your garage the same way you do your closet. 7. Awesome Trips: What could be more romantic than a cycling trip from ancient winery to renaissance castle via the picturesque French countryside? The big bonus? No guilt devouring the baguettes, frommage, and red wine because you’ve already worked-out. Companies like Trek Travel are developing more and more cycling trips that cater to all levels of riders and budgets: from beginners to experts, and from luxury seekers to adventure mongers. 8. You Can Be A Role Model: I want my boys to see me as a contender, a participant, someone who is actively engaged in life. I want them to see that they can marry a partner, someone with whom they can have fun throughout their lives. 9. You Get Fit: After all, it is exercise. 10. It Makes You Feel Young Again: The other day I threw my tennis rackets in my backpack and rode my bike the two miles to the court. Bam! I was 13 years old again, only with a cool bike and no ugly perimeter perm. It felt great. There is something uniquely liberating about riding a bike. Feeling the wind in your face, the sun on your back, and the pavement speeding by below. There’s nothing quite like it. I’m convinced that feeling youthful inside is half the battle in this process we call aging…
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Ultimate Luxury:
Savor some of the most spectacular, 5-star properties in the world. Exuding luxury and elegance, these one-of-a-kind accommodations offer the chance to rejuvenate at award-winning spas, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more.
Luxury:
Enjoy luxurious accommodations handpicked for a refined experience. From signature spa treatments to delicious local cuisine, you’ll be more than provided for; you’ll be pampered.
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These handpicked hotels provide relaxation and fun in a casual and comfortable environment. Delicious cuisine and great service mix perfectly for a memorable stay.
Combined:
On select cycling vacations, you’ll stay at a mix of Explorer and Luxury hotels. Rest assured, no matter which hotel level you’re at, our trip designers carefully select every accommodation.
Road: 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 25 mi (40 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).
Gravel: 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 20 mi (35 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).
Hiking: 1-3 hours of hiking. Up to 5 mi (8 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).
Level 2:
Road: 2-4 hours of riding. 20-35 mi (35-60 km). Up to 2,500 ft (750 m).
Gravel: 2-4 hours of riding. 15-30 mi (25-45 km). Up to 2,000 ft (300 m).
Hiking: 2-4 hours of hiking. 4-8 mi (6-12 km). Up to 1,500 ft (450 m).
Level 3:
Road: 3-5 hours of riding. 25-55 mi (40-85 km). Up to 4,500 ft (1,500 m).
Gravel: 3-5 hours of riding. 20-40 mi (35-60 km). Up to 3,000 ft (900 m).
Hiking: 3-5 hours of hiking. 6-10 mi (9-16 km). Up to 2,000 ft (600 m).
Level 4:
Road: 4+ hours of riding. 40-70 mi (60-110 km). Up to 8,000 ft (2,400 m).
Gravel: 4+ hours of riding. 30-50 mi (45-80 km). Up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m).
Hiking: 4+ hours of hiking. 7-15 mi (11-24 km). Up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m).
What are your trip styles?
Classic - Reserve:
Savor the finer things as you relax in luxurious 5-star accommodations and wine, dine, and ride in some of the most unforgettable destinations around the world.
Classic - Signature:
Explore beautiful destinations by bike, enjoy extra inclusions, savor delicious local cuisine, and enjoy the perfect mix of accommodations.
Classic - Discover:
Enjoy a casual cycling vacation with fantastic routes and comfortable accommodations.
Ride Camp:
Train like the pros in some of their favorite riding destinations.
Pro Race:
See the pros in action at the biggest cycling events of the year.
Cross Country:
Tackle an epic adventure that takes you point-to-point across mountains, countryside, and more.
Self-Guided
Enjoy a bike tour on your schedule with just your chosen travel companions.
Sometimes it’s more convenient and comfortable to have your own room while on vacation. We understand and that’s why we offer a Single Occupancy option. The additional price guarantees a private room all to yourself
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