BESPOKE cycling

Canada, Europe, and beyond

BESPOKE

After a pseudo-successful career as a sponsored road and mountain biker, I retired from racing and began guiding cycling trips in the mid 1990s.

I began working for Backroads in 1997 and went on to become a regional trip specialist in many regions of France, Morocco, and Baja Mexico.

In 2002 I was recruited to be one of two co-founders of Trek Travel. In addition to starting this new travel company, I was responsible for all aspects of our European trips: including trip design, contract negotiations, guide hiring and training. We were the first large-scale company to run cycling trips in conjunction with the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, and Giro d’Italia. My planning for the TdeF would begin one year in advance and ultimately I’d deliver eight distinct itineraries for each of the three weeks of the Tour (total 24 itineraries). I’d have over 400 guests, 50 guides, 16 vans & trailers and 600 bikes to manage! When Trek decided I needed to move to Wisconsin, USA, I reluctantly knew my time was finished as I wasn’t about to give up living in the mountains for the flatlands of ‘Merka.

Since then I’ve returned to Europe nearly every summer to guide custom itineraries for eager cyclists. Some of these trips have been extremely ride-focussed with big days in the saddle over high passes. And some of them have been mostly cultural with the bike as the best medium to fully experience the regions.

Our specialty is “bespoke” trips: let’s discuss your destination, dates, type of trip, desired objectives, and budget and I’ll build something for you!

Regions with cycle guiding experience

(R = road, G = GRAVEL, MTB = mountain bike)

Canada

Kananaskis Country (R, G, MTB)

Banff National Park (R, G, MTB)

Jasper National Park (R, G, MTB)

Golden Triangle: Yoho, Kootenay, Banff National Parks (R)

Okanagan (R, G, MTB)

Vancouver Island (R, G, MTB)

Québec (R, G)

USA

Moab Utah & area (R, G, MTB)

California Central Coast (R)

Oregon Coast (R)

Maine (R, G)

San Francisco Bay area (R & MTB)

France (my second home)

Alps (R, G, MTB)

Pyrénées (R, G, MTB)

Provence (R, G, MTB)

Chartreuse (R, MTB)

Vercors (R)

Ardèche (R)

Burgundy (R, MTB)

Champagne (R)

Alsace (R)

Loire (R)

Bordeaux (R)

Dordogne (R, MTB)

Massif Central (R)

Lot Valley (R)

Corsica (R, G, MTB)

and nearly the rest of the country via Tour de France trips

Italy

Tuscany (R, G, MTB)

Umbria (R, G, MTB)

Alps (R)

Dolomites (R, G, MTB)

La Riviera (R, G, MTB)

Valpolicella (R, G)

Emilia Romagna (R, G)

Spain

Pirineos (R, G, MTB)

Girona (R, G, MTB)

Andalucia

Andorra

The entire city-state: great climbs on quiet mountain roads!

Belgium

Wallonie - I got to ride with Eddy Merckx for a day!

Ardennes

Czechia (Southern Bohemia) into Austria (Wachau) (R)

Ireland (R)

County Galway

County Kerry

Connemarra

Norway (R)

Bergen, Telemark, Sognefjord etc.

Netherlands and Luxembourg (R)

Morocco (R, G, MTB)

Most of the country

Costa Rica (R, G, MTB)

The entire country

Mexico (MTB)

Baja California Sur

Bali (R, G, MTB)

Most of the country

Personal cycling trips (not guiding)

Cuba: three weeks self-supported cycle touring

New Zealand: two months self-supported cycle touring (S. Island)

Portugal (most of the country)

Denmark

Iceland (SW, S, SE)

USA: Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Napa, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming