California wine country

If you are more into the gourmet experience and feel like combining fine food and wine with biking, try one of these companies.

Wine Country Bikes in Sonoma offers biking trips where you learn about wine at the same time. They have different levels and trips, everything from one-day rides to bed & breakfasts to luxury bike tours. This is a great way to see the vineyards in Sonoma.

getaway adventures offers bicycling, kayaking, and hiking tours in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Their experienced guides are knowledgeable about wine, local restaurants, history, flora, fauna, and the best trails and roads.

Pedaling through europe

Travel in Europe does not need to be exclusive and expensive; a cheaper option and great site for ideas is the european Cyclists Federation.

The ECF was founded to support and promote the exploration of Europe by bicycle. One of its initiatives is EuroVelo, which began in 1995. One objective of this project is to establish high-quality biking trails in all European countries. Currently, a network of 12 pan-European cycling trails spans more than 65,000km/40,000 mi.

Each of the 12 paths has its own character and charm. For instance, EuroVelo 1 is the Atlantic coast route. It starts at the North Cape of Norway, the northern tip of Europe, and ends at the southwest tip of the continent, at Sagres, Portugal. Along the way it crosses Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, France, and Spain.

Biking in style

Butterfield & robinson, founded in 1966, is a great choice for a more advanced and possibly luxurious biking or hiking trip in Europe, or even more exotic destinations such as China, Vietnam, and Africa. This year Butterfield’s offerings include biking trips to Sicily, Argentina, and Namibia. Coming up next year is Kerala. Biking is a highly encouraged mode of transport to and from work for the staff—so much so that the company received the top prize in Toronto’s Bicycle Friendly Business Awards. 0

Hiking along the Amalfi coast (above); biking through Burgundy (below).

What you’ll need

• A good helmet. Professional travel agencies will not allow you on the tour without one.

• enough cash to cover snacks, water, and entrance fees to parks.

• A bottle for water when biking in summertime.

• Clothing that fits comfortably and allows your skin to breathe.

• Basic first-aid kit.

• medical insurance in case of accidents.

For more info Biking Dutchman bikingdutchman.com email: biking@uio.satnet.net Wine Country Bikes winecountrybikes.com email: info@ winecountrybikes.com getaway adventures getawayadventures.com Butterfield & Robinson butterfieldandrobinson.com european Cyclists Federation ecf.com Cyclotourism in europe biking-europe.com