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Cyclomundo tours 'save some green and preserve some green'Cyclomundo is offering two different promotions for its self-guided European cycling tours in hopes of promoting ecotourism and rewarding environmentally-friendly attitudes.Currently, Cyclomundo supports cycling advocacy groups such as Transportation Alternatives (TA) in New York by providing discounts to their members. Cyclomundo is extending its support to other local cycling advocacy groups around the world. Members may qualify for a 50 Euro discount on all standard self-guided tours offered by Cyclomundo in 2010. In addition to the discount for cycling advocates, Cyclomundo is offering all clients a way to save money and to be ecologically responsible. The company offers a large selection of customizable self-guided itineraries in all regions of France and some regions of Italy, Spain and Switzerland. All clients who book tours in southern Europe for the spring or the autumn months are entitled to discounted rates. This early-season / end-of-season booking promotion applies towards standard, self-guided trips in most available tour regions. Visit Cyclomundo’s website for an extensive list of discounted tours and prices at www.cyclomundo.com. 
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DuVine Adventures announces ‘Chef On Wheels’DuVine Adventures' new "Chef On Wheels" tours offer cycling enthusiasts the chance to take a luxury tour while traveling with a personal chef. The “Chef on Wheels” series is kicking off with a trip to Piedmont featuring the Chef Josh Ziskin of Boston's renowned La Morra Ristorante.Travelers will cycle alongside Chef Ziskin, absorbing the beauty of Italy by day and enjoying Josh's culinary creations by night. The Chef will incorporate the freshest of local ingredients paired with incredible regional wines, all inspired from the surrounding land and the Piedmontese way of life. To learn more, visit www.duvine.com or contact Dede Sullivan at dede@duvine.com. For more information about La Morra Ristorante, visit www.lamorra.com.
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Timbuktu. Everyone has heard about it. But where is it?The legendary city of Timbuktu can be found at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Mali. The first edition of Bike Dreams' Timbuktu Tour starts November 19th, 2011 near Dakar, Senegal and finishes 59 days and 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) later near Accra, Ghana on January 16th, 2012.The Timbuktu Tour is a cycling expedition to a mysterious place where few have ever been before, with fellow cyclists from around the world and the warmth of the African people. Whistling birds, local tribes with centuries-old traditions, national parks with elephants, hippos and rhinos, mud brick mosques and amazing sunsets. The green banks of the Senegal, Gambia and Niger River alternate with the dry Sahel landscapes of Mali and Burkina Faso. You can expect all sorts of road conditions: gravel, smoothly paved roads, deep potholes, rocks, washboard and loose sand. Good or bad roads, one thing is clear: it's mainly pancake flat. The road conditions may vary widely, the weather conditions are continuously the same: hot and dry. The only unpredictable factor that can change your cycling day from easy to difficult is the direction of the wind. It's definitely a tour for people who like off-road cycling and don't mind some discomfort. After all, it's the deep heart of Africa.
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Protect the Earth, Protect YourselfOnly three companies won National Geographic's 2010 Geotourism Challenge, and PEPY is one of them. PEPY (Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself) organizes cycling tours that help communities in rural Cambodia improve their standards of living.PEPY's Cycle the Mekong Trip will explore the remote corners of the Mekong region in Laos and Cambodia. The journey will begin in Pakse, follow the twists and currents of the mighty Mekong River and offer the chance to visit local development projects along the way. The group will cross the border into Cambodia by land and see the stark contrast between the environmental protection in Laos and Cambodia. Trip leaders and local staff will offer insight into issues facing Cambodia today through articles, discussions with local authorities and visits to non-governmental organizations. This unique adventure will take place from March 27, 2010 to April 11, 2010. http://www.pepytours.com
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Austin Lehman partners with Bicycles for HumanityAustin Lehman Adventures has announced a partnership with Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) to create and manage a tour in Italy this fall. Their seven-day tour of the Tuscany region of Italy will help fund a bike shop and cycling center in a remote village in the far eastern corner of Namibia. The tour begins and ends in Florence and includes Siena, San Gimignano and Artimino; participants will pedal over gently terraced hills, through vineyards and olive groves to each night’s lodging.Bicycles for Humanity Founder Pat Montani and his wife Brenda were among the first to sign up for the trip. Austin Lehman Adventures has earmarked $1,000 each from the $3,398 per person trip price tag to go directly to the new bike shop and cycling center in Namibia. This trip starts October 2, 2010 and is just the first in what Austin Lehman Adventures and B4H hope is a long and mutually rewarding partnership. To find out more, visit Austin Lehman Adventures at www.austinlehman.com or Bicycles for Humanity at http://www.bicycles-for-humanity.org.
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Crowdsourcing – the future of cycling tours?Over the past few years, tour companies have made it easier than ever to do the cycling tour you want - when you want. One great example is Pedalers Pub and Grille's At Your RequestTour d'Afrique Ltd. has taken this idea a giant leap forward with their DreamTours program. DreamTours, unveiled last year on the TDA website, is described as a “better-than-custom experience”. It's also described as crowdsourcing, using the ingenuity of a large group of people to create something everyone ultimately enjoys. Once riders choose a route they'd like to travel, anywhere in the world, they announce their tour on their own DreamTour web page on the TDA site. The individual determines where the route takes them, how far they'll travel each day and whether to camp under the stars or curl up in a fancy hotel each night. Tour d'Afrique helps refine the details, costs and logistics. Once enough participants sign up, the DreamTour is given the green light, and the rider who created the DreamTour rides for free. Word of TDA's ingenious program has spread like wildfire on the web, including mentions on Innovation Factory, Ubervu, Iddictive, Springwise, even National Geographic Traveler. Judging by the reaction from cyclists and the media, it looks like they're on to something pretty unique. Explore Tour d'Afrique's DreamTours at www.tourdafrique.com/dreamtours
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Are These the Top 10 Bike Cities?Virgin Vacations and the League of American Bicyclists have compiled their list of the top 10 biking cities around the world. Is there a city they’ve missed that should be on the list? Perth? Paris? Munich? Montreal? Email us your thoughts at hello@biciklo.com.
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Talking Head is a Cycling HeadMusician David Byrne’s latest release, The Bicycle Diaries, describes his experiences cycling in some of the world’s urban centers. Berlin, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Manila, Sydney, London, San Francisco and his native New York provide springboards for Byrne’s wandering mind. During his travels, he touches on politics, prejudice and cultural stereotypes, heavy subjects made lighter by Byrne’s earnest narrative. Byrne doesn’t ride beyond urban centers (in fact, he rents a 4x4 for a trip to Ayers Rock) but he is an urban cycling evangelist. The book’s epilogue, The Future Of Getting Around, is essential reading for cyclists and urban planners alike.Byrne believes the bicycle is necessary, in part, because it encourages physical interaction. “As it (gets) easier to marshal all sorts of services from our phones or laptops and access limitless information,” Byrne writes, “the demand for the stuff that can’t be digitized becomes greater: face-to-face gatherings, interactions, experiences, tranquility.” Just some of the things that bicycling provides. http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/books/bicycle_diaries/index.php
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Biciklo Tip: Get More Out Of Google MapsWhen you’re looking for details about a particular area, Google Maps has more to offer than you may realize. You can view traffic, terrain, photos, videos, webcams, even Wikipedia entries.Here’s how. Using Google Maps, select the area of your choice. In Map mode, when you click on Traffic, you’ll be able to see the speed of the traffic on the major roads in real time. Switching from Map mode to Satellite mode will let you zoom in on the roads and buildings in the area, almost to street level. Switching to Terrain view will show you the topography of the area. Here’s where it gets good. When you click on the More button, a drop-down box will appear. Check the options listed, and you’ll see them displayed on the map. You’ll be able to view photos of the area, videos taken in the area, webcams and any Wikipedia entries related to that destination. There are hundreds of thousands of images of the most popular – and most obscure – corners of the world. It’s not the same as being there, but it’ll certainly give you a very good impression of what you’ll find there. http://maps.google.com/
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New bikebritain Tour – 7 towns in 7 daysA fully supported 800 km loop across English and Scottish border country, the inaugural bikebritain ride will run from August 14 to 21. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided for participants with drinks available en route, and overnight accommodation will be tents with rider support, physio, massage, hot showers and entertainment.Beginning at Newcastle Racecourse in Gosforth, the route heads west through Kielder Water to the Scottish town of Castle Douglas. Heading northeast through the Scottish borders, the route continues on to Moffat, Jedburgh and Alnwick, cycling past Bamburgh Castle. Following the coast, the route turns south and finishes where it began at Newcastle Racecourse, 800 km later. With stunning scenery and spectacular views, bikebritain promises to be a beautiful week’s ride. The cost is £795, and a percentage of the fee will directly support initiatives in local communities. http://www.bikebritain.org
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Northern Exposure tour is a Hammerfest – seriouslyWell, it ends in Hammerfest, actually. Hammerfest, Norway. One of the most interesting new tours for 2010 is Greenrock's Northern Exposure Tour. This unique tour takes you across the Arctic Circle in the constant dark of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. Setting off on February 6, the 7-day tour travels from Tromsø, across snow and ice, for a total distance of 468 kilometers. The cost of £2150 includes international flight, transfers, accommodation, road support, maps and GPS support.http://www.greenrock.co.uk/Greenrock/GR_Northern_Exposure.html
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Two New Zealanders launch Takaro TrailsJenny Ryan and Christine Gavegan have recently launched a New Zealand cycling tour company, Takaro Trails. They’ll offer day-long mountain biking on cross country trails in the country’s Hawke’s Bay area, as well as three and five-day tours of farmland, vineyards and villages. For Jenny and Christine, having fun is as important as enjoying the outdoors, hence the name of their new venture. Takaro is the Maori word for ‘play’ – an essential element to every holiday.Takaro Trails’ self-guided cycling tours provide everything from top-of-the-range Scott Sportster bicycles, training on basic bicycle maintenance and free hi-visibility vests through to route maps that showcase the best scenery, accommodation, food and wine the area has to offer. Ryan and Gavegan believe biking provides the perfect balance to the plethora of gourmet treats around the region just begging to be enjoyed. “Everything tastes even better when you’ve had to work for it,” Ryan says. “There’s no guilt about savouring everything on offer, because you’ve used up plenty of energy getting there!” http://www.takarotrails.co.nz/
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