October 1st, 2010 | Comments Off

Since founding Ciclismo Classico 21 years ago, Lauren Hefferon, AKA Bici Pazza, has risen to the role of Chief Executive Biker. Recently, Ciclismo Classico has joined forces with Trusted Adventures, a partnership of nine award-winning travel companies recognized for uncompromising quality, exceptional guest care and sustainable travel ethics.

BICIKLO: What led you to create Ciclismo Classico, and what changes have you seen in cycle touring in the past two decades?

LAUREN: I fell in love with cycling at an early age and knew that it was going to be a big part of my life. I led bike tours for summer camps, then toured Europe by bike and life on the road came very naturally to me. Through cycling Under the Tuscan Sun I quickly fell in love with Italy and extended my stay to three years. I knew then that my life would rotate around cycling and not the other way around. At the time there were no tour operators specializing in Italian bike tours! I found a niche that I knew very well and knew that I wanted to be in business for myself so I made the leap.

All of Italy is beautiful for cycling. There are probably more gorgeous miles of cycling roads in Italy than anywhere else. There is also tremendous variety of terrain and culture. From the island of Sardinia to the Dolomites, Italy offers cultural and scenic diversity.

The bicycle touring business has gone through many changes. When I started, there were very few bicycle touring companies. Initially our guests were happy with simple accommodations and services. In the mid to late 90s we began to upgrade our tours with more gourmet meals and fancier hotels, but we never sacrificed the authentic Ciclismo Classico experience.

Bicycle touring has many facets now, from the hard-core cyclist to the bike tourist whose every need is taken care of – and everything in between. Since the recession in 2008, we are seeing a return to a less deluxe experience. We tend to attract guests who love cycling and are less interested in all the frills that other bike tour companies offer. Most of our guests realize that what they love is to ride and have an authentic cultural experience and that does not necessarily mean they have to stay in the best hotel all the time. People now seek something more ephemeral in a travel experience.

At the end of the day it’s the experience, the learning, the personal growth that our guests are really seeking. That is what we deliver to them and they come back again and again for this experience.

BICIKLO: Italians are known for their love of food, family and bicycles. Do those passions influence what you do at Ciclismo Classico?

LAUREN: Of course. We were the first bicycle tour operator to specialize in Italy and the main reason I chose to live and bicycle in Italy was this passion. This passion is our compass; it guides us when we go to new destinations.

We try to make every snack, picnic and meal a celebration. We work hard so everyone on a tour feels like one big family. Group dynamics can be tricky on any tour so the tour guide has to work to bring the group together. They have so many roles and one of them is like the Mamma or the Papa.

BICIKLO: You’ve set up a gift registry for those celebrating honeymoons, anniversaries, birthdays and so on. Can you explain how that works?

LAUREN: It’s clear that people take vacations to celebrate the milestones in their life. We promote and celebrate this idea by offering people the option to sign up for a tour and let others contribute to the cost of the tour. Guests sign up for the registry and then their friends can contribute whatever amount of money they want to help cover the cost of the experience.

BICIKLO: You’ve embraced social media in a big way, with your Facebook page, tweets, blogs and your own YouTube channel. Does this come from your Italian heritage and the need to build community?

LAUREN: I have always been a very social person, reaching out, connecting and sharing my experiences. Social networking is recent phenomenon but any successful entrepreneur will tell you that in order to grow a business, you have to be social and interact.

Before social media, I always wrote letters, reached out, told my story and shared my passion. I would always be the one to call, reach out, throw a party, have a slide show.

Social media is not a science; it is a powerful phenomenon to help us all do what we as humans crave to do – connect. In the old days, when I only had a couple hundred customers, it was easy to stay in touch with them by phone, writing and even personal visits. Two years ago I embraced Facebook and have been able to learn a lot more about our guests that I would have never learned in a normal transaction. Through my own posts and theirs we have found common ground.

BICIKLO: Ciclismo Classico is known for service and dedication to its guests. How do you ensure every guest has an unforgettable travel experience?

LAUREN: We hire people for their curiosity and passion, so they can pass this along to our guests. More than follow a classic tourist service model, we follow more of an educational model, meaning our guides are more like great teachers and coaches than simply tour guides. At our guide and staff training we preach “engagement”; rather than simply hand people a map and serve them, we engage our customers. We ride by their side, introduce them to our friends and family along the way and all our favorite spots. Our guides love to learn and experience their own culture and they pass this love on to each guest.

We survey and interact with our guests constantly. We let them tell us what to do. We do not assume that we know what is best for our customers. We listen carefully to our guests’ feedback and are always tweaking our tours, even those we have run for 20 years.

Ciclismo Classico is a curious company. We are curious about who we are, where we come from and where we are going. We believe in personal transformation through deeply engaging with the culture of a place. How can one race through Ireland, Italy, Spain or France without stopping to learn about the place? We want to expand our minds and our bodies on our tours.

BICIKLO: OK, one more bonus question. Do you still get a chance to go on tours yourself, and do you take your family along?

LAUREN: Because of family obligations, I do not get to lead bicycle tours any more, but I do try to go on at least one tour a year. My kids have developed into quite the bicycle travelers. This summer we cycled around Norway’s Loften Islands for 10 days, then cycled around Connemara, Ireland for 10 days. Just as I love sharing my travels with my guests, I love sharing new places with my children.

You’ll find all Ciclismo Classico’s tours at www.ciclismoclassico.com and you can follow Bici Pazza’s blog at www.laurenhefferon.com.