The Official Newsletter of Tailwind Touring

Fall 2008

For those of us in the cooler climates the cycling season is slowing down and soon will move indoors, so it’s time to reflect on the tour season that was and start to plan for next year.

For us the highlights were the Quebec tour (great light show in Quebec City as part of their 400^th anniversary celebrations), the Provence tour with is blend of great history, scenery and food and wine (see pictures here), and the research of next year’s tour in Tuscany (more on that below).

In 2009 we have an exciting lineup of tours with options for non-biking participations, so start to plan which tour(s) you want to do next year.

For more information check out our web site or request a brochure by emailing us at info@... 

In this issue

• Tuscany
• The Perfect Ride
• Next Year’s Lineup

Tour de Tuscany

I have just come back from researching a tour in Tuscany for next year. Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) is located in the Central region of Italy with Florence as its regional capital and is known for its landscapes and history.

The tour incorporates three of the six UNESCO protected historical sites: Florence, Siena and San Gimignano.

Because of Tuscany’s rich history and artistic legacy some of the days will be spent sightseeing on foot, specifically in Florence and Siena. In Florence you simply don’t want to miss the Uffizi Gallery, the Academia (think Michelangelo’s David) and of course the Duomo cathedral.  Besides, Florence and Siena are not the easiest places to bike (if you want an adrenaline rush, try participating in the daily madness, aka rush hour, in Florence).

But when it comes to biking it’s the landscapes that impress you.  Pictures just can’t do justice to the variation in landscapes with rolling hills, vineyards and spectacular panoramas and did I mention the hills? There doesn’t seem to be a flat piece of ground so you are either going uphill or downhill, but the Italians have managed to plant grapevines everywhere. Despite the hills, or perhaps because of the amount of Chianti produced, you meet a lot of bikers including the local bike clubs from Florence who whizz by you seemingly without being bothered by hills 10 km long. Although it is hilly, the hills are gradual enough that it only requires an average fitness level to enjoy the climbing.

Some highlights:

• Climbing the bell tower at the Duomo in Florence and getting a spectacular view of the city in all directions
• Biking through the Chianti region and its beautiful landscapes
• The view from our hotel room in Siena – medieval roofs and a spectacular view of Palazzo Publico (town hall)
• Climbing the tower at San Gimignano in the late afternoon and seeing the shadows lengthening across a gorgeous Tuscan landscape.

To me Tuscany is the perfect place to tour: Rich in history, spectacular landscape and challenging enough that you feel you have earned your dinner in the evening. To get a better idea of what you will see, check some of my photos here: Tuscany

The Perfect Ride

We all know that any bike ride is a good ride, but some are better than others.  Here is how I see a perfect ride on a bike tour.

Great morning for a ride – the sun is shining and there is only a mild breeze to help me along.  I get on the bike after a good breakfast. A little stiff from yesterday’s ride but that will disappear once I get going. Wow, what a wonderful morning! Little traffic and all you hear are the birds singing and the sound of the bike tires on the road. What’s that ahead? A hill? It looks like a long one but not too steep. After 5 km of uphill climbing I’m at the top of the hill.  What a gorgeous view: hills and valleys and vineyards everywhere. What a great way to see the country. Much better than a bus tour where you don’t have time to see anything. Now for the downhill, pretty fast, just like riding a roller coaster. Bike touring is GREAT!

30 km gone and I’m doing OK. What, another hill? The hills seem a little steeper now and I’m huffing and puffing a little but the views are definitely worth it. Not another hill?  Didn’t I just finish one?  Don’t they have any downhills or at least a level piece of ground around here? Why is the wind always in my face? Whoa, this is hard; I’m running out of gears.  Maybe I should have a bike with 48 gears instead of 24. What’s that squeak my bike is making?  All I need is for the stupid bike to give out on me now. Another hill! I’m sweating buckets now and have to rest for awhile. Why am I doing this? I could be sitting at the pool in my hotel drinking wine if I had taken a bus tour. I think this bike riding is vastly overrated.  Tomorrow I’m going to ride in the support van instead. Someone at my age shouldn’t be doing this.

Hey, I see a downhill ahead.  It’s about time and is that my destination I see up ahead? Yes, it is! I’m pumping away at the pedals – I want to arrive looking fast and relaxed.  I finally arrive and I feel GREAT! I can’t wait to get on the bike again tomorrow!

Lineup for 2009

For 2009 we have added the Tuscany tour so our lineup looks as follows:

• Provence (7 or 10 days) scheduled for mid-May
• Tuscany (7 days) scheduled to start late May
• Quebec  (5 days) in early September
• Finger Lakes, NY (5 days) in late September

By the way, the tours are also open to non-bikers, so if your spouse doesn’t share your interest in biking, but wants to come, no problem. The non-bikers will be transported by our support vehicle to the same sights as us bikers.

Free Stuff

Don’t forget to request our "Guide to Bike Touring" which we will send to you free of charge. Simply request one from our web site www.tailwindtouring.com. We will then send you a copy in PDF format.