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Vive la France!
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March 2010
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Dear friends,
 On my very first bike camping
tour around Europe many moons ago, I spent the majority of my 3 months pedaling
my Fuji Grand Tourer through La France. My grand tour, which started in Italy,
zig-zagged its way up along the Riviera, through Provence and along the Coast
of Brittany. The vistas and rugged seascapes reminded me of my first bike tour
along the coast of Maine. On a budget and embracing bike travel simplicity to
an extreme, my daily bike diet consisted of baguettes and half a round of
Camembert. 20-plus years later, I still remember how satisfying my seaside
picnic for one was. France, like Italy, tugged at my pedaling heartstrings. The
roads were exquisitely beautiful and perfectly marked, the food deliciously
simple and authentic and the cultural curiosities were around every bend,
making in hard to keep up my 100km daily goal that I had marked out on my
Michelin 1:250 map.
Over the next few years, I
returned annually - first to lead a teenage bike tour that I had designed from
Rome to Paris; and again to Northern France and Corsica to explore and research
tours for Ciclismo Classico. While there are may differences between France and
Italy, there are essential ingredients that make these two countries kindred
and idyllic Ciclismo cycling destinations: An elaborate network of smooth,
quiet wide-shouldered roads, wholesome, savory local cuisine wherever you go, a
fascinating and multi-layered culture and history, an abundance of charming
accommodations, and a long and passionate love-affair with bicycling.
This month is Vive la France
month at Ciclismo Classico. We celebrate, salute and highlight our tours in
France! Here's what's on: For Boston-area folks, we're hosting a French wine
tasting event at the Nine East Wine Emporium in Natick. (See details below.)
Even if you can't attend, don't feel left out - everyone who signs up for a
Ciclismo Classico tour in March will receive a $25 gift certificate to Twenty Twenty Wine Merchants (a great wine shop in West LA with a great website with online ordering), so you can order your own lovely bottle to enjoy at home.
Finally, we're dedicating all of our Quick Release emails to our French trips,
and this month's Ciclismo Webinar on March 19th will be all about our French
trips. Vive la France!
I'd also like to mention that we will be
donating $1675 to Doctors without Borders thanks to our guests who signed up in
February. As we all know, Haiti isn't the only land that's suffered from
terrible earthquakes recently. We were very relieved to hear that our friends and
partners in Chile were not directly affected by the weekend's earthquakes, and
our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Chile and Haiti as they struggle
through this difficult time.
Happy pedaling!
Lauren Hefferon
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Voila! An Overview of Ciclismo's French Tours |
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A menu of French tours for all levels
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Meet Gilles Guillain
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Our French Guide Extraordinaire
 If you were lucky enough to travel to Dordogne with Ciclismo in 2008, then you may already know Gilles (pronounced "Jeel") Guillain. That was his first season leading trips with us. And after a hiatus in 2009, now he's back in a big way! You can expect to see him on a number of our French itineraries along with our Italian and American guides who know France like the backs of their hands. He's on the slopes in the French Alps now (where else would he be?) taking photos of the action every day, but we caught up with him for a brief interview about cycling, France, and what he loves about leading trips for Ciclismo Classico. Click to read the full interview(You MUST read this interview - if for no other reason than to learn about Bolivia's "Road of Death!") |
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A Love Affair with Corsica |
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 Double-digit alum Jay Jacobson describes his "second home" - the French island of Corsica
As someone who has traveled to
about 100 countries (and cycled in over 50 of them!) I am frequently asked
"What is your favorite place to bike?" I am hard pressed to come up with
a venue I enjoyed more than Corsica, a highlight of Ciclismo's Mediterranean Island Hopping tour. It epitomizes the Mediterranean region.
Although it is now part of France, it represents a fusion of French, Italian,
and Corsican cultures, history, languages, terrain, cuisine and love of
cycling. Of the 60-plus bike tours I have done on six continents, this is the
only one I've repeated.
Click to read all about Jay's experience
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Cyclisme en France
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A very brief history of cycling in France
A lot has changed since 1909, when the photo on the left was taken; now, cycling is no longer only for the stout-hearted and mustachioed - even in Paris, where anyone can take advantage of the virtually free Velib bike rental scheme as the photo on the right shows.
 Ever wonder about where the Tour de France came from? Maybe you're
curious about the how the French regard cyclists in general? Or
peut-être, you're interested in what Ernest Hemingway had to say about
cycling in France?
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 Join Us for a Celebration of French Wine
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Ciclismo is hosting a French wine tasting on
March 31st in Boston
 To
top off our toast to France, please join us for an evening of French
wine tasting where you'll get a sneak preview of some of the varietals
you could taste while cycling in France with us. Selections from the
Provence, Dordogne and Burgundy regions will be highlighted and hand
selected by our in house wine experts and Nine East's wine director and
host, Harry Zarkades. Ciclismo alumni and staff will be on hand to
mingle and share insider travel tips on what's hot in the Ciclismo
world this year. We'll also have prize drawings and event-only savings on Ciclismo trips to France, Italy, and beyond! What: Ciclismo's "Vive La France" Evening of Wines When: Wednesday, March 31, 6pm-8pm Where:Nine East Wine Emporium6 Worcester Road Natick, MA 01760 508-653-6221
Space is limited. Please RSVP via email indicating your name(s) and the number of people in your party. |
Ciclismo Classico Video Contest & Film Festival
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Dates and venue confirmed!
 The First Annual Ciclismo Film
Festival Party will be held on May 20th at the Capitol Theater in
Arlington MA. The event will be a highlight of Bay State Bike Week, May 17-21! The
Capitol has just renovated its private screening room, and we'll make the most
of it with refreshments, mingling, and a viewing of all entries before the
winners are announced. You don't have to attend to win, so why not submit your
video today?
Upload any video filmed on a
Ciclismo tour to YouTube by April 30th. The five videos with the most
YouTube views will be voted on by our panel of guests, guides, &
Ciclismo staff. The winner will travel free on a Ciclismo Classico More
Miles for Less tour in 2010 and three runners up will be awarded $500
in Ciclismo trip credit. All entrants will get a free CC jersey. If you'd like some inspiration, check out CiclismoClassico.tv! Click to read full story with complete instructions & rules |
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Announcing the 13th Ciclismo Reunion Weekend |
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Fun and foliage in New Hampshire - Sept 16-19
Would you like to meet
other Ciclismo Classico alumni from the past 20 years? Are you interested in
taking your first Ciclismo Classico tour but would like to sample what our
tours are like? Craving a foliage ride this fall? Need a romantic getaway? A
fun family retreat? Join us this September in the spectacular White Mountains
of New Hampshire at the historic and breathtaking Mount Washington Hotel and Resort for our
13th Ciclismo Reunion Retreat Weekend.
Click to read more about the Reunion Weekend |
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You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to enjoy a wonderful tour in France! In
1993, once Ciclismo Classico became known as the leaders in Italian
bicycle tours, we applied our magical recipe to developing equally tantalizing trips in France.
Now we have a full menu Français, featuring 
