Salzburg to Vienna by Bike with the Bambinos

A sleepless train ride marked the beginning of our Austrian bicycle adventure. We made it through the overnight train ride from Florence to Salzburg, well just barely. We had hoped for a sleeping car but ended up packing the three kids and myself into a 2nd class passenger car with two other women who were cruising through Europe in nine days. Luca was impressed that they had been to Rome, Pisa and Florence in the last 24 hours. Our very own talk show host, Luca continued to interview them about their adventures while simultaneously putting us all asleep. Since we did not have a reserved seat we had to move twice before landing in a passenger car with another traveler. Before long, feet, arms, legs and other body parts were stretching out all over the place. Dosing and rearranging ourselves continued through the night.

After switching in Innsbruck at 4:30 AM we arrived in Salzburg at 7:30 and took a cab to our first hotel of our trip. We were wiped out so Mauro, Lorenzo and Luca took naps while Valentina and I roamed the town by foot. A few hours later our bikes were dropped off and we all headed into town along the glorious river to the market place to gnaw on some local cuisine including several pretzels, Mozart Balls, fruit and strudel. We can do a lot of damage at the local markets. Then onto the Mirabella gardens to explore the flowered pathways and strange odd midget sculptures. We found a cool playground with an awesome slide while I wandered through a the setting up of an art show with the theme of Asylum. We spoke with the artists, one from Sardinia about the ideas behind their work when hunger called and we followed. After much searching we found an excellent restaurant: Zum Fidelen Affen.  I had a delicious risotto with vegetables, Valentina a fig salad while Mauro, Luca and Lorenzo had a grilled meat dish. The beers were cold and refreshing and the service very friendly.

We were tired after a long day and cycled back to the hotel to be fresh for day two. Day two in Salzburg, our first stop was the market for sandwiches and pretzels then a tram up to one of the oldest fortresses in Europe, The Fortress Hohensalzburg.  Gorgeous views and a museum with a collection of a typical fortress collection of Armor, gold, medals, wooden beds and the always popular, torture instruments. The highlight of the castle was actually the Marionette museum which was filled with beautiful puppets and scenes from the recent shows. We made our way through the museum and cycled down to the main squares bustling with street performers and oddities such as the guy seemingly balancing in air on a cane.

It took a local physicist to help us figure it out. Zig zagging through the streets on bikes is huge fun and everyone bikes in Salzburg so we feel like we fit right in with the locals From here we biked to the Hellbrum  trick fountains, the ride there proved trickier than the fountains themselves. It was long and we managed to get off the main bike path. The kids were starved, it was too late for the tour and it started to rain. Complaining ensued and the old “Mom Did it Again” routine began until I started in on the old “Don’t worry you’ll have lots of Misadventures” like this in your life speech which usually sends them running. We biked through the gardens, saw the giant fish, got a peek at the fountains and then we inhaled some cookies in a gift shop. Back to Salzburg on the main road went much faster. We were back at the square ready for a quick Lebanese wrap before the Marionette Show of The Barber of Seville. The marionettes were gorgeous but the opera was a bit hard to follow. The gestures of the puppets and the captions that were flashed helped us follow along but much to my kids disappointment, I dose off a bit but a rousing Figaro Figaro Figaro wakes me up again!

Day One, July 8: Our Austrian bike adventure officially begins! We head into Salzburg for one last Mozart ball and to visit the Salzburg Museum. We head out of town at 1:00 with me seeing “Bye Bye Salzburg”. We follow the river bike path out of town and after asking a few Salzburgians, we take a right on a small bike path following a river and heads through small neighborhoods. The climb is steady for miles as we make our way through hilly (and very pungent) farmland and towards the little village for lunch.  Valentina and Luca start singing 100 bottle of beer on the wall which drives Lorenzo crazy. I agree that this is one of the more stupid songs in the world and could never understand why anyone found it so enjoyable but they do and that’s what makes the world go round. We follow the Tirolian tower to the center of town and find a grocery store. Not too many picnic spots so we plop ourselves in front of a bakery where we also enjoy a café latte.

After lunch the scenery gets more dramatic as we head towards Lake Mondsee. It’s cow manure pungency increases as well and at one point we almost get hit with fertilizer machine as it comes a bit too close to the bike path. Riding toward Mondsee we get into a nice groove. Behind me I hear the kids chatting beautifully and playing rounds of 20 questions.  Valentina who usually squabble like old ladies get along great when they are biking. One of their favorite antics is to go no handed and to the Macarena. I only allow this on a bike path and where I know there are no cars of course. The bike path gets sketchy in this area. I believe we actually missed several miles of it and were taking the main road instead. By the town of Thalgau Luca has a small meltdown and is craving a chocolate bar so we stop at a supermarket and stock up on the sweets. They fill their bike pockets with Neapolitan wafer cookies and the stars are in alignment again!  The bike path from here is well marked, flat and gorgeous. The bike path goes along the base of a spectacular Mountain Range towards St Lorenz and Unterach. We pass lots of cyclists as we approach Lake Mondsee. The bike path along the lake continues and troops become anxious to reach the hotel. Just when we needed something to break up the monotony we get to go through a long bike tunnel that cuts through the mountainside. Lorenzo’s back begins to ache and I am thinking it’s because his muscles are very tight. He has been suffering a painful Achilles tendon and is supposed to be stretching daily.

We reach our hotel right in Unterach on Lake Atterseee by 7:00 PM. We are starved and tired and showers feel wonderful. The owner of the hotel, George, is welcoming to cyclist. After showers, we are ready for dinner. While the cream of asparagus soup is not a huge hit, we gobble up our main course of pan friend lake trout, potatoes and vegetables. After a simple bowl of ice cream for desert, sleep comes easy.

A marvelous Day on Lake Attersee. 25 miles

Today the kids slept in and the AM, after our abundant Austrian breakfast on the hotel’s lovely porch, we wandered around the craft market and into Despar to get lunch pickings. At 12:45 we boarded a lovely excursion boat that took us up the Attires to Were.  The views of the mountains, pristine landscape and the gorgeous blue water were incredible. We enjoyed our picnic lunch on deck and them moved inside out of the hot sun.  The boat was quite elegant with most passengers enjoying the restaurant and service on board.  By 2:00 we landed in Weyregg and begin pedaling North along the lake. The road was quite busy with cars all the way to Seelwachen.  In Seelwachen we managed to get off the main road and discovered an excellent public beach complete with high diving platforms and water slides. SCORE!  It was quite a scene filled with locals.  I reminded the kids that taking back roads is always the best way to find the local treasures. We made a long stop here. The kids loved the water slide and the diving platforms where the local teenagers were showing off their jumps and stunts to all their friends. Lorenzo and Valentina made it to the highest platform while Mauro and Luca made it to the second. It was tough for him but not to be outdone by his siblings, he made the jump. I was fine on the lowest level.  The water was so cold and clean, it was the perfect break from the hot sun.

After our swim stop we continued on our way along the lake. We found a small road paralleling the main road that meandered high above the lake through farmland and offering gorgeous views. In the town of Haining the road descended back to the busy lake road. This side of the lake was not quite as busy.  The road was fast and allowed us to move along at a nice clip. There were lots of great and tempting swimming spots but we kept going so as to reach Unterach by 7:00. Valentina was pushing hard in the front and it was hard to keep up with her. Lorenzo’s back began to ache so we stopped to stretch and have a snack. We kept moving along, the kids beat me to the hotel!

After showers the kids were all anxious to have some facebook time. We relaxed in the hotel’s lovely sitting room. I enjoyed a large beer and I offered the kids the local ginger ale. At 8:00 we sat down for dinner on the lake, our view and the mood could not be lovelier

Unterach to Halstatt. 40 miles

Another late start to our next destination. The kids are just beat from all the biking and I do not have the heart to wake them. They get up just before the waitresses put the breakfast away. We pack up our rooms and walk through the craft market one last time before heading out along the lake.  On the way out of town Lorenzo bike starts showing signs of fatigue. The fender is falling off so I go and find a piece of wire that I use to secure it to the bike. I think I impressed the kids with this little bike magic trick. The lake road is cool and the views are wonderful. I hate to leave this little Shangri-La. We start a long climb towards Bad Ischl. We watch the kilometer markings in the road go from one to eight while playing yet another game of 20 questions.

The descent begins at kilometer 9 and we luckily had the easier part of the climb, the descent was steeper and curvier for us. Lots of motorcycles on this road. At the base of the descent we hit another river valley, which we follow all the way to Bad Ischl. We pull into Bad Ischl, a very pretty and elegant town. We are all starved and I find a great little pizzeria. Too bad I can’t find my camera. I go a little crazy then begin retracing my tracks and ride about 5KM back on the river scanning the ground like crazy and asking cyclists if they had seen a small black camera.  I decide to give it up and ride back. Back at the pizzeria the family has already eaten. I check the bags again and discover the camera in Mauro’s pannier.. Valentina gets the whole scene on film.

I have my pizza and salad and we take a picture with our lovely hostess who speaks Italian and we head on our way up the river  30 KM Halstatt.  After watching a Rick Steves program about this charming destination, we are excited to get there. We follow the main road then get on a small bike path that follows a clear river for miles. We are tempted to hop in but feel the pressure to get to Halstatt to see the Salt Mines. It’s a glorious ride but Lorenzo finds it a bit boring. By 3:00 we make it to the bottom of the Lake and opt for the main road rather than the bike path on the west side. The road is busy with buses and cars but we just want to get there. We arrive to this lovely Austrian town by 3:30. It turns quickly magical with tiny streets and wooden houses perched on the side of the hill. Gelato calls and Luca discovers he can get his beloved ice cream cup person.

Onto the Salt Mines. We arrive a few minutes too late for the last tour. Disappointment reigned as we were all looking forward to this highlight of the day that we worked so hard to get to. After everyone gets a chance to whine and blame each other (except Mauro who says that he did not want to see them anyway) we calm down and opt to wander around the town for another hour before our little boat to the other side of the lake. The side streets up the side of the village revealed a salt history street that was quite interesting. Reminded me of the town of A in Lofoten where one singular economy drove the lives of the people. Lofoten and Hallstatt were obviously connected in some historical way since Salt and Cod are intertwined

Tired and cranky it was time for food again. After the kids enjoyed a lamb sandwich at a roadside stand (these roadside Lebanese food stands are very popular in Austria)  and I had a warm beer we got on our little boat to the other side of the lake to catch our train to Gmunden. When the train came we had to act fast to get our bikes in the rear of the train. This became another opportunity for the kids to goof around at inopportune moments. Once on the train, Mauro and relaxed and talked while our little Hooligans started singing invented Austrian songs out the window of the train. Never ever a dull moment.

We arrived in Altmunster at 7:00 and descended the hill a mile to our hotel where our cycling friends from Texas had arrived and were enjoying an intense soccer match for the women’s world cup: The USA versus Brazil. We got to learn all the players names as they went into a final kick. The USA wins. Shower and dinner which was an absolutely terrible Lasagne but we shared a lovely conversation about great places to travel. We convinced them about Italy, while they peaked our curiosity about Iceland!

Day 4 Halstatt to  Linz. 10 miles

Upon waking and reviewing the route I make an executive decision that going back and seeing the Salt Mines (and taking a rest day) would take precedence over the ride to Linz which looks uneventful and boring. Sometimes sightseeing and culture rules and this is one time the decision was easy. The kids were psyched and got up easily (well sort of). We were back on the train and took the 10:30 train to Halstatt. We were at the Salt Mines by 12:00. A very steep funicular took us to the top of the mountain where we had lunch with one of the most spectacular  “lunch” views I have ever seen. For some reason Luca was in his Dr Jeckle mood so that put a bit of a damper on our lovely lunch. It’s hard not to let these moods get into my head and he knows this.  Was a good family picture moment but Luca would not cooperate so it was just Lorenzo and Valentina.

After lunch we took the tour of the Halstatt salt mines which was incredible and so worth a return visit. The tour took over two hours and descended deep into the salt mines for a detailed, multi media immersion into the history of salt and mining since prehistoric times.  I had no idea that salt was like the petroleum of its day and was the driving force behind the Austrian economy of the day. Of course the children loved the tour. They got to go down a wooden slide though the mine, watch a movie underground about salt, see immense blocks of salt glowing with light and ride a mining car. Our tour guide gave an extensive tour in German and pretty good snippets in English.  After the tour we descended back down the Trail of Salt and down the funicular to ride around the opposite side of the lake to catch the train to Gmunden before heading on to Linz.  We had a nice little visit of this charming town on Lake Traunsee. I had forgotten about the big downhill to the Lake. We were starved and stopped at bakery for snack before heading over to the Tuscany Park then back up the hill to catch our train to Linz. We arrived in the Linz train station at 9:30 and raced through town and along the Danube at dusk. It was quite beautiful this time of day. We arrived at our modern hotel on the Danube at 10:00 just in time for a dinner on the Patio. The hotel was modern and business like but the rooms were big, clean and perfectly fine for a good night’s sleep, which we needed!

Day 6 Linz to Grein: 37 miles

The last ones to a large Austrian breakfast, we get another late start to Grein. The first 10 KM are flat and ugly as there are factories in the distance and the river is dirty. The head wind and our noon hunger does not help. We stop for lunch at a Despar. The kids fight over a fanta and there is already much dissent. Valentina is complaining of a bad headache. Luca just wants her to “shut up” and ride. Lorenzo stirs the pot on both sides.

The riding becomes more pleasant and in the shade as we near our lunch spot in the town of Ybbs where we stopped for pizza and to briefly check out the bicycle museum. As we approach Grein there are more and more cornfields. The ride is along the river and in the shade all the way to Grein. The flat riding is beginning to get to me. Although I can see why the Danube is a popular area to ride, it has not been one of my favorites. Simply not enough variety in the scenery to rank high on my list. While the maps are highly detailed, I need to see the big picture on a less detailed map. As we approach it’s already 7:30 so another late dinner awaits us. Our hotel in the main square is lovely and right next to the oldest theatre in Austria,  The Stadttheater Grein. We eat dinner outside but we are all exhausted from cycling. Valentina barely makes it through dinner. Good night!

Day 7 Grein to Krems: 50 miles

In the AM before leaving we finalize our Paris plans, have breakfast and get on our way. Well it is never that simple, movement forward quietly and efficiently is always a challenge. Before leaving we enjoy a short visit to the tiny theatre next to our hotel that included a toilet right next to the audience so there’s no need to take an potty break from the show. There is also a hole in the wall where prisoners were allowed to view from. From Grein we continue our tour down the river, more shaded routes.  As we ride a cargo ship is making its way down the river so we begin race with it. The non-trafficked cycling is peaceful and gives us all a chance to take it easy and talk about whatever crosses our minds. Several games of 20 questions evolve as we steadily make our way towards Melk. Lorenzo’s gears give out and I switch bikes with him and make a  10K sprint towards Melk to see if I can find a bike shop open. I arrive in Melk with address in hand and I get sent on a wild goose chase in search of a bike shop to no avail. I return to the center of Melk, sit down at a café and guzzle down two lemonades while waiting for the crew.  When I see them, I jump out into the square and wave them on. It’s hot, late and Mauro is done. He asks about a bus to Krems. I encourage Lorenzo to bike with me all the way. He opts for the Krems challenge and so the others want to ride too. We insist that they take the bus so Lorenzo and I can hit the road towards Krems. We take off and I tell Lorenzo that as long as we keep the pace of 13 mph we will be in Krems in two hours.  The ride from Melk to Krems is the most beautiful of the entire Danube trip. Pity the others don’t get to experience it up close. A stay in Melk would have been better then ride another stay closer to Vienna. Oh well. The ride dips up and down and along the Danube. We get on the right side thanks to a  dad and his pack of young Ausrtian cyclists off for a swim. We push hard but not too hard. The light is beautiful and the landscape evolves from flat to gently rolling apricot orchards and vineyard. This was the landscape that I had expected for the whole trip. Lorenzo is loving it too. At one point, a bus goes by and toots its horn. It’s Mauro, Luca and Valentina in the public bus. We are ten KM into the ride and know that we are making good time and having a better time on the bike. Lorenzo cannot resist stopping and picking apricots so we do. We enjoy the spray of the sprinklers watering the fields. We keep pushing along. I am so thrilled and thankful to be riding this 20KM with Lorenzo. He is wonderful company and it remains one of my most special memories of our entire tour. As we reach Krems, I ask a completely tattooed cyclist how close we are to Krems. He tells us 2KM! It’s 8:00 so we are 15 minutes within our time goals of reaching our hotel before dinner. We cross the bridge at Krems and I follow the last direction to the hotel, The Arte Hotel. We make it to our hotel by 8:20. Luca is mad at me for not letting him come. Of course it worked out perfectly so I choose not to argue, enjoy a hot shower and we bike to our lovely restaurant  “Crems” 2 KM away in the historic center of town. By dinner I am forgiven and we enjoy fish and other Austrian fare then a large gelato for all next door. While a passeggiata around the town would be nice, we head back through the dark streets.

Day 8 Krems to Vienna

The last ride of our European adventure begins with repairs at a bike shop. A couple of the bikes are showing signs of wear and tear so we take them for a little tune up that costs $18. On our way towards Vienna, we ride through more apricot orchards and corn fields towards wine country. Castles in the distance. I choose to ride away from the Danube in hopes of finding villages and a bit more rolling roads to add some variety to the flat river riding. The kids are in a rambunctious mood. What else is new but we have three close calls on the bikes. First Luca rides right into a corn field. While admittedly it was funny, the distracion concerns me. Next Lorenzo, riding too close and not paying attention slams into a young cyclist who stops suddenly. Last Luca and Valentina slam into each other. Luca goes down and seconds later a large truck come barreling down the road. Enough is enough. We stop in our track and reinforce safe riding. For the most part, they have learned well but when boredom sets in, their riding gets sloppy.

We descend from the rolling hills towards Traismeyer where we seek out lunch. We find a little café with a Charlie Chaplin theme (go figure) serving Middle Eastern sandwiches. We order, sit down but the three musketeers will not sit still and the horsing around begins. The apricot tree in the courtyard becomes a war zone as Luca and Lorenzo start hurling tiny fruits at each other. We bring it all to a halt to each our lunch and get on our way. Next stop is a Dinosaur Park that gets Luca mildly excited. We pass by it but it is closed. We move on and head towards the Danube for our last 20 miles of River riding. The kids get the idea of riding through a corn field which I quickly nix but opt for photo ops on top of Hay Bales which once again turns into a circus of jumping from Bale to Bale and of course someone gets hurt. We move on from that activity towards our final destination: Tullin. It’s a lovely village with a magnificent fountain.

I propose the Vienna Challenge: 40 KM ride into Vienna. Mauro insists we all take the train. Luca and Valentina are tempted and opt to join me. We take off at 5:30 and I set the pace. We have a strong tail wind so we’ll make it easily but we plug on. After one hour we do a mileage check and we discover only 10 more K to Vienna!  We pass by some very cool murals and then see a snack shop. We all could use some sugar so we stop for ice cream, drink and coffee. A mom and her kids is sitting there too and when we tell them how far we have ridden that day (70KM) she is very impressed (which pumps up Luca and Valentina). We keep following signs to Vienna but as we pass under overpasses and other large roads I am concerned that we missed a turn somewhere. Graffiti is everywhere and the scene turns from Bucolic to urban very fast. Bike lanes are great but it’s easy to follow any lane you see which of course can bring you off track quickly. Luca and Valentina are unshaken and having a blast talking. On perhaps one of the busiest path we have been on, Valentina sees a raspberry bush. They stop and start picking  while I try to figure how to get us the hell out of here. I ask a few people. No one knows but eventually I ask a local cyclist, Ziggy, who offers to escort us the whole way through the maze of roads to our hotel. As close as we were it ends up taking us an hour to wind our way through the city. We arrive at our hotel. Lorenzo pokes his head out the window. We take our final group portrait  with Ziggy and head up to our rooms for showers. 80KM! Bravi.  While not my favorite from a cycling point of view, the memories that we shared bring us together and keep us coming back for more. It’s been a wonderful journey. On to Paris!

Top Cycling Resolutions from Far and Wide

One of my 2011 resolutions is to have more days like this one in Ireland!

What are your bicycling resolutions for 2011? We have collected resolutions from our Facebook Fans from Far and Wide. What they all have in common is that they are as unique and varied as the cyclist’s themselves. The resolutions vary from cyclists that simply want to commute more to those that plan to compete in the world’s most challenging events like RAAM and Paris-Brest-Paris. Our Ciclismo Classico team picked their favorites and there a tie between Lisa Weissman and Lynda Beaulieu both of whom have some very hefty goals. I ride weekly with Lisa and one of my goals for 2011 is to keep up with her.

My bike resolutions: Bike 5K this year: Do lots of weight training, yoga and skiing so as to be a stronger cyclists this spring. Return to Ireland and Sardinia on family bike trips (who wants to come?), Do RAGRBRAI with my family (need to find an operator). Raise 10K for my 21st Pan Mass Challenge cancer fundraiser ride. Details about their resolutions appear at the end of the list. It’s not too late to add yours; let’s grow this list and see all of the possibilities. Add yours to the comment box. Grazie and good luck!

John Dobermiller: ‎3500 miles, with 100 of my rides as commutes to work. A tour of the Vineyard and the 2011 Jingle Ride.

John Ouillette: I would like to do 2 Century rides this year including the GRR.

Marco Kalle Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Amstel Gold race, Ride for the Roses... Just to name a few… ;

Lisa Lowe:  Mine is to buy a bike and actually go on a Ciclismo Classico tour. I do a lot of spinning and am ready for a new challenge. Any suggestions on rode bikes?

Miguel Medina:  To ride my Orbea without training-wheels in 2011… I’m tired of being laughed at when riding!

Kirsy Acosta: Increase my cadence, so I can do a century at least in 530 hrs!!

Ciclismo Back Office Wiz Marc Mastrolia: To ride regardless of weather. Stay warm, Pedal faster!

Estelle Klein: To increase my own self motivation to continue to ride and inspire others who have not yet taken the challenge– especially the special needs kids who I work with

Ciclismo Super Sales Director Christy Mraz: My biking resolution is to put more mileage in and work on relaxing on my descents. Apply all the great tips Sandro gave me on tour.

Dynamo European Operations Magician Davide Marchegiano: My 2011 resolution is to put in more miles (not difficult considering the scarce mileage of 2010) and to ride up some of the Alpine passes in my area, that I sinfully skipped in 2010, like the Col de Joux and the Colle del Nivolet: I miss them!!

Meshaun Cundiff: Get back on my bike after I’m done with Physical Therapy and teach my baby girl how to ride her new Fuji!

Melanie Schrock Perry: I will be attempting to drop 20 pounds and do the Ride Across Indiana (160 miles) for the first time in 2011. Not that difficult for many, but for a 43-year-old who just rode her first century last summer, I’m feeling pretty excited about it!

Whitney Claire McKim: Ride my first metric century at the Wild Goose Chase. Make a better effort to commute to work on the bike!

Jeff Feinsod: Increase my mileage and overall stamina on the bike. Better my time over last year in the American Zofingen Duathlon in May.

Enrico Pizzorni: drop 10 kilos, shave legs, finish the Mongolia Bike Challenge, ride with wife and kids

Yvonne Beecher: Spin Odyssey, Bloomin’ Metric, RAGBRAI, PMC and Hotter ‘N Hell 100 are at the top of my list of goals for the year. Oh, and maybe driving the sag truck for my friends who are doing Paris-Brest-Paris 2011!

Kelly Lynn: Work on increasing my cadence and getting faster on a hill

Lynda Beaulieu: Work on power-to-weight-ratio, and to complete Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k, Grande Randonnee this August

Susan Vance Resolution: To just keep riding, stretching, exercising, eating healthily, and…keep riding! This resolution will help you get through your trials for 2011.

Stephen M. Pratt: To top 5,000 miles and raise more than $5,000 for cancer support program

Charlotte Pierce: Get in the habit of taking the bike on errands around town.

Mark Newsome: Qualify for RAAM

Lisa Weissmann: ‎5,000 miles, B2B for first time – and enjoying many, many rides with my cycling friends

Here's Lisa climbing the mountains of France

Lynette Chiang: To continue to ride exactly as I have always done – when I want, where I want, how I want!

Christos Laganos To work hard on my bike and be happy with my efforts and satisfied with my results.

Frank Brooks: Piemonte IV… Take Rob, Parker, and Lexie on my favorite ride (and I hope this is more a resolution than a wish!)

New team member and CC guide Patria Lanfranchi To get back into the commuter groove! To ride longer and slower for more quality miles with friends.

Here Lynda B doing what she loves best

Here is how Lynda B is going to do it! A 14 year resident of Cambridge, 40 year old Lynda Beaulieu plans to ride Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k Grande Randonnee in Paris, France this August.  The event, which takes place every four years, is 1200 kilometers in length, runs from St. Quentin en Yvelines in Southwestern corner of Paris, to Brest, which lies at the Atlantic Ocean.  The return trip back to Paris is on the same route.  The event has three time categories:  80, 85, and 90 hour windows.  To finish PBP is to become a member of an elite few who complete this grueling test of human endurance.

January to Mid-March: weight training for endurance, and riding indoors, some outdoor riding when weather and road conditions permit.  Concentration on harnessing more power and dropping a few pounds to tackle climbing more efficiently.

March through April:  Much more riding for longer periods outdoors only.  Concentration will be on pace, with as much hill-climbing as I can stand, for continued efficiency for climbing on brevets.

April through July:  Brevet season!  Ultra-distance, self-reliant, timed events, that serve as qualifiers for 1000k+ events, this year, qualifiers for Paris-Brest-Paris!  The brevets are lengths of 200k, 300k, 400k and 600k, and will take me to New Boston, NH; Voluntown, CT; Meredith, NH; and Bennington, VT.  The events start and end at Hanscom Airfield, Lexington, MA.

This August , the name of the game is rest.  Rest for the third week of the month, for PBP.  As a result, I will be volunteering  for this year’s Pan Mass Challenge.  I might ride the 87 miles back to Wellesley to keep my legs fresh.  Just nice, easy riding until the event.

August 21^st to the 25^th:  the 17^th Paris-Brest-Paris Grande Randonnee!

Biking in Barcelona: One of the World’s Great Cycling Cities

Our family at Parco Della Cittadella

The Bicing Resident Bike rental service

For the second year in a row, my family has opted to use bicycles to get around the European cities we visit (and I have chosen to visit cities that are bikeable.  Last year we launched our European city biking explorations with a Bike with Mike tour through Copenhagen. Since then I have no problem selling them on this concept. It’s simply the best way to see a city in short amount of time.  This year the grand finale to our 6 week European 4 country tour was a week in Barcelona with our dear friends Verne and Julie Harnish. Thanks to their wonderful hospitality we were able to combine a visit with their fun family with daily bike rides to visit Barcelona’s rich collection of diverse art, architecture and street life!

This summer, after our bicycle tour of Norway and Ireland, we bike toured around Lucca for a day and had our grand finale in Barcelona which is ranked as one of the top eleven cities in the world for bicycling. In 2007, Barcelona’s City Council started the Bicing service, a bicycle service for public transport. Once the user has their card, they can take a bicycle from any of the 100 stations spread around the city and use it anywhere the urban area of the city, and then leave it at another station. Barcelona City Council is working day and night to expand, rationalize and improve the network of routes and cycle paths in the city. The city has created a ‘green ring’ that surrounds the metropolitan area of Barcelona with a bike path. There are currently 3,250 parking spaces for bikes at street level. Barcelona City Council is constructing a new underground car park for bicycles; this forms part of a pilot program to prevent theft and provide security for bicycle users. Although this service is for residents, there are many options for tourists wishing to visit Barcelona by bike.

La Sagrada Famiglia by bike

Stopping in Plazas

Before embarking on our own with rentals, we always start with an organized tour, not only as a way to best experience the city but as a way to get a lay of the land and to understand the road and path system. After one day of trudging through subways and along hot crowded streets, my kids were excited to get bikes. Although there are several companies that offer tours, my Internet research led me to Barcelona Ciclo Tour. I liked the virtual tour that they showed online and that they were conveniently located near Plaza Catalunya.

La Rambla del Raval

La Playa

We  got our heavy duty 3 speed bikes and embarked on our three hour tour which traveled along bike paths, narrow streets, a bit of sidewalk and on the main roads to stop and connect to the city’s major sites such as:  Rambla del Raval, Plaça Reial, Plaça Sant Jaume, Barcelona City Hall, Plaça Sant Felip Neri, Cathedral, Roman walls, Plaça del Rei, beaches, Port Vell, the Barceloneta district, Olympic Marina, Olympic Village, Ciutadella Park, Sagrada Família, Passeig de Gracia, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Plaça Catalunya and a stop at the beach for a drink.

Our Brit guide Tullis was excellent and was very careful to ensure that we were good bicycling diplomats. We followed the path system as much as possible but occasionally dismounted to get through tricky areas. He kept us in line yet was easy going, friendly, safe and very educational. Like most cities, the weak link in the bike path system is where the paths connect. Sidewalks, large piazzas, piazzas and wide shoulders fill in the gaps. This Barcelona Ciclo Tour is completely family friendly for kids from 7-18.

The official bike path system is not integrated with all the city’s transport as it does in Copenhagen. The bike paths encircle and occasionally cut through the main part of the city. There is a great flow of people and bikes and a great tolerance for the mingling of both. You can take your bike on any subway as well.

This link will take you to Map My Ride route of the many roads and bike lanes we took  

Street Art everywhere

The Gothic Section

Arch di Trionph

All of the key sites of the city can be easily visited by bike. The city is fairly flat so the cycling is easy. There are a few site on hills such as Park Guell and Montjuic that are a challenge to climb with heavy three speed bikes.  My favorite part of the city for cycling was along La Playa and through the narrow streets of La Barcelonetta. We flowed with the completely relaxed pace, the breeze, the views of the coast and the car void scene packed with bikers, roller bladers, walkers, joggers, skate boarder and scooters.

Biking along La Playa…Bella

Biking along La Playa

Groups of cyclists on La Playa

Although there are no official bike maps, the city is laid out on a grid plan with large boulevards dividing the grid diagonally and parallel in every direction. Most of the city maps available are big, hard to read, fly in the wind when you open and tear easily so I do recommend buying a plasticized map that can be folded out in sections and that shows all street directions.

The biggest challenges about biking the city are the excessive traffic lights (one every block) and that there is no great bike path map so unless you know where the best biking streets are, it can be hard to connect one path to the next or find the more quiet streets. My strategy was to follow the small streets, parallel to the busier ones. The traffic lights every block are the only real drag since you are constantly stopping and starting which makes a short ride go on forever and constantly puts you behind cars

Since our hosts lived outside the old city, we rode the “Diagonal “back and forth one a day. The Diagonal is this huge boulevard that cuts the city in half. All along each side of the Diagonal, Barcelona’s chic shopping district, there is a vast array of architecture making this an interesting ride. Aside from the constant stop lights and buzzing cars, we really enjoyed riding the Diagonale bike path. Located on each side of the busy thoroughfare and sometimes in the middle, this well paved, signed and signaled bike path made for a wonderfully pleasant ride. The gentle grade uphill made our return to the center that much more fun and fast! Many of the large boulevards have either bike paths of linear parks. In the USA developers might balk at putting a bike paths along such a busy road but here in Barcelona, it works and hopefully can provide inspiration for making our USA cities more bike friendly.

Biking along La Diagnonal, a wide bike and foot path

Linear Parks for cyclists and walkers

Plaza di Espanya

Plazas with sculptures along La Playa

Our Ciclo Tour bike guides

View from Il Museo Di Arte di Catalunya overlooking Piazza Espanya and the Fountain of Miracles

Top 10 Reasons Why The World’s Best Family Resort is also the most bike friendly resort

For the past 13 years (ever since my first was one year old) my family has spent the last week of May at the Tyler Place, considered one of the best all-inclusive family resorts in the country. Obviously, we are ecstatic fans of the Tyler Place and could not agree more with it’s placement at the top of any TOP family vacation listing. Allow me to put it in vacation perspective: My kids and I have been known to weep and whine for the whole drive back home. My 7 year old son Luca said that the Tyler Place is better than Christmas. My 13 year old son dreams of the day when he can be counselor there. My 11 year-old daughter and I simply think that the Tyler Place is Family Utopia. No stress. All fun. Gorgeous location and the best three meals I eat all year long.

Yes the Tyler Place is “100% family-friendly” (and has been for 5 generations). Yes! The Tyler Place Family Resort’s has “award-winning Infant, toddler, children, and teen programs.” Yes! The Tyler Place is “one of the coziest and best all-inclusive family resorts EVER”. Yes! The Tyler Place Family Resort’s all inclusive family vacations give you a top family vacation with your kids and time to reconnect as a couple, too! And with over 20 years of running Ciclismo Classico, the leaders in bicycle vacations I can attest that

The Tyler Place is one of the Most Bike Friendly Family Resorts in the World.

Here’s my top ten reasons why if you, your spouse or your entire family loves bicycling or would like to learn to be introduced to the joys of cycling that the Tyler Place is the Place for you:

1. They have a Bike Center with an enormous fleet of FREE helmets and bicycles for all ages, sizes and abilities: Single-speed bikes for your entire stay, your kids’ own bikes and trikes, baby seats & training wheels, trail-a-bikes and tandem Bikes, adult Mountain bikes for touring, teen,  pre-teen mountain bikes. Just another cute Tyler detail is that each bike is named after a town in Vermont! The only bikes they do not have are road bikes but most people that love to ride can easily bring their own. No locks needed, ever!

2. The Tyler Place, including  avid road and off-road cyclist Chad Tyler, embraces a cycling culture and promotes and encourages cycling as the best way to get around their gorgeous expansive property (and has the speed limit for cars at 10MPH). In their daily events schedule they write “We highly recommend that you just leave the keys with car while you are at the Tyler Place.”  All of the cottages on the Tyler Place are connected by a series of short roads and paths so one can bike from “home” to the Inn in minutes.  After I finish my long ride on my road bike, I love wandering the TP grounds on my mountain bike or one of their comfy cruisers.

3. Almost everyone bikes around Tyler Place. There are bike racks at every Tyler hub (The inn, the pool, the kids program centers);  at program pick up and drop off times, the place is so completely buzzing with parents, kids and staff biking around that it feels like a small village in Denmark (the world’s most bike friendly country). Remember the “old days” (before kids were shuttled everywhere by car) when you biked to school, around your neighborhood, the candy and to sports? At the Tyler Place, kids (when they are ready and with their parent’s blessing hopefully) get to experience the joy, independence and freedom of biking around the resort. All three of my children (7,11 & 13) have evolved from me picking them up by bike, to their riding back and forth to program,  to our most recent stay when they got everywhere on their own.  They can even bike to good ole’ Martin’s Country Store, only a half a mile from the Tyler Place

4. The Tyler Place has three escorted bike rides throughout the week as part of their adult  and teen programming: Their easy 11-mile around the charming Isle Du Mott, their 15-mile intermediate bike trip through Highgate northeast of the Tyler Place and an advanced 15-mile “heart-pounding” Mt Bike Ride on the glorious Tyler Place property. While these rides are probably too easy for avid cyclists, will certainly satisfy most folks wanting to blend biking with TP’s array of other activities. The Teen programming, which goes off the Tyler Campus, uses bicycles as their key transport. While my teenage son won’t be caught dead biking with his “biking obsessed” mother, as part of his teen program Lorenzo did an counsellor accompanied ride to local swimming holes, rode 14 miles to get pizza in nearby Swanton and used his bike to get everywhere with his buddy Nate.

Want to bicycle around leisurely with your kids during family time? There are plenty of options. During family time we have taken excursions to Carmen Brook Farm, to Martin’s Store for candy and fishing worms, around Highgate and to Proper Pond to catch frogs with nature Dave.

5. The Famous Duckman Triathlon has a biking leg that has launched guests into cycling nirvana. While every year my performance in the 8.8 mile biking portion has remained a competitive yet stable at 19mph/28:18 minutes, I know of several guests who began doing bike races and triathlons seriously as a result of their tasting the thrill of victory in the Duckman. While all you win is a tiny plastic duck and bragging rights at the bar, the pedal-as-fast-as-you can biking portion to Swanton and back is a weekly highlight for newbie and experienced bikers alike.

6. Learn How to Ride a Bike Lesson. Teaching your kid how to ride a bike is not as easy as it seems. Done wrong and your kid can do a nose plant that may delay this important childhood skill. With kids biking everywhere, the peer pressure is on to learn to ride two wheels.  The TP biking culture, the flat and rolling grounds, combined with an hour-long lesson by their experienced instructor should easily do the trick

7. Plenty of Peace of Mind time to ride! While your kids are in their morning program from 8:30-1:30, you have at five hours to ride to your heart’s content! I usually take two to three since I like to linger a bit over breakfast and lunch.

8. The Tyler Place is an excellent base for a week’s worth of gorgeous loops. The nice part about Tyler Kingdom in Northwest Vermont is that, unlike most of the green state, it’s mostly gently rolling and totally flat. For both beginner and advanced adult cycling enthusiasts, Vermont and Quebec’s Eastern Townships offer not only several excellent loops but abundant cycling resources such as Lake Champlain Bikeways and The Green Mountain Bicycle Club a group I always see on at least one of my Tyler Place loops. Over the past 13 years I have tried out many loop rides from the Tyler Place. Here are my fab four rides that during the week I will either repeat or vary. You can find these rides and more on Map My Ride

1. Ode to St. Albans: Flat and rolling ride along Lake Champlain to St Albans bay. Optional extension to Kilkare St Park. Plenty of farmland, lakeviews with stops in Swanton, Kilkare St Park and St Albans Bay. 30 miles One could continue this ride all the way to Burlington as the coastal road follows the lake for 40 miles.  Easy

2. The Farms of Franklin:  Ride to Morses Line (Canadian Border) Franklin and Lake Carmi (Lago di Carmi) 40 miles. Another spectacular road that rolls for miles and miles along lush farmland of the Vermont / Canadian border. A variety of loops and extensions are available from Franklin and Lake Carmi. Silo after Silo, glorious farm awaits you all the way to East Berkshire! This ride can be extended for miles! Intermediate

3. Oh Canada: Bring your passport and enjoy this loop to Frelighsburg, Quebec. 50 miles. This ride has some amazing rollers through St Armand, Pigeon Hill and back around to Richford. Lovely architecture and homesteads. Check out the potter of Pigeon Hill and the Cafes in Frelighsburg. Intermediate to Challenging.  Intermediate to challenging

4. The Island of Lake Champlain: 40-50 miles. This is the only ride where I recommend that you drive Alburg and then cycle South along delightful beautifully paved roads that follow the lake to North Hero, South Hero and Grand Isle. 

9. Bike to Eat. Eat to Bike: Did I forget to mention the healthy, carbo abundant, delicious food? For three meals a day, The Tyler Place chefs prepare some of the most delicious, varied and healthy cuisine you will eat all year. Save room for local ice cream and home-made cookies and deserts.  PLUS for one week you can enjoy three meals without your kids asking you to get up and get them a glass of milk!  An immensely enjoyable feature of The Tyler Place is the adults-only policy for cocktails and dinner.  For three blessed hours you can bask in the company of other adults and hold grown-up conversations, unwind and relax knowing that your kids (as well as everyone else’s) have dined early and are off with their friends and counselors at a pool party, on a hayride or waterskiing at the lake. 

10. Fellow guests as your cycling pals. Thy Tyler Place attracts a wide diversity of families but what most seem to have in common is their outgoing nature and absolute love of the area. While most of the cyclists use the Tyler Place bikes and attend the Tyler Place excursions, every year there’s a couple of guests who bring their bike.

Of course with the writing of this blog, we hope that more cycling families and couples will discover what a perfect place this is to achieve what is impossible in normal life: Take long rides knowing the kids are happy and taken care of, indulge in leisurely, delicious meals and conversation with other adults and enjoy the facilities and activities of Tyler Place activities with your family during family time. Why not gather together your cycling pals and have a reunion at the Tyler Place; if you do email me or give me a call.  I might just join you!

Birthday Bike Ride Along the Byways of Ipswich

My favorite birthday present is (suprise) a glorious bike ride so when I was stumped on where to ride on my birthday I called my biking buddy and New England bike tour expert, Gordon Harris of NE Bicycle Adventures who willingly and enthusiastically offered to be my personal bike tour guide around Ipswich, MA, the place he has called home now for several years. It was a perfect late May day: bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. With camera, Cliff bar and camera in my pocket, I was stoked for a beautiful birthday ride and I know Gordon would not disappoint
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Ipswich, 40 minutes East of Arlington, is a quintessential New England town with plenty of quiet roads that meander along the sea, state forests and apple orchards as well as through small towns with abundant period architecture—-in other words, the perfect ride that reminds me of the birthday rides I would take when I was a kid growing up in Southern, NH.

After a welcome snack and intro to the ride at Gordon’s house, we started pedaling, first through the town of Ipswich which I learn has more 1600 & 1700 historic homes than anywhere in NE.  I adore gazing at architecture while I ride so having Gordon point out the various historic homes on our route was a real treat.  From the village of Ipswich we ride to Great Neck and Little Neck, two glacial drumlins left from the last ice age that offer views of Plum Island, the Atlantic and Cape Ann. 

I mention coffee and Gordon loops the ride back to the village of Ipswich where we stop at Zumi’s cafe and I enjoy their special frozen drink and perfect biking pick-me-up: A coffee ice cream smoothie. Properly buzzed, Gordon leads us along the Ipswich Riverwalk Mural where residents star as characters in a delightful painting by Alan Pearsal that portrays the history of this remarkable little town.  Sweet NE Views, historic houses, coffee and now murals–Gordon is scoring big in my list of birthday treats.

The second half of our Historic Ride is the farm and forest portion of our tour. We ride up Perkins Row passing stunning homes to one of my favorite escapes with the kids, the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary that has delightful nature walks along ponds, rivers and marshes. Spottings of frogs, blue herons, turtles and birds are guaranteed.  For an area that is so close to Boston, these rural roads have the remoteness and beauty of Northern, Maine. We make our way to Bradley Palmer State Park, a 721-acre former estate features pine needled paths, acres of sunny rolling meadows and spectacular rhododendrons which line old carriage roads. Looking for an elegant, rural location for your next event? At the center of the patk is the Willowdale Estate, an Arts and Crafts mansion that has been rehabilitated in return for credit towards a long term lease through DCR’s Historic Curatorship Program.

The end of my birthday bike ride is nearing as we approach Appleton Farms and I savor the views of rolling grasslands, grazing livestock, stone walls, and historic farm buildings and a pastoral landscape that is a rare glimpse into New England’s agricultural past.  A gift of Colonel Francis R. Appleton, Jr., and his wife Joan, Appleton Farms is one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the country, established and maintained by nine generations of the Appleton family. Here’s another great place to bring your family, friends or to enjoy some peace and quiet all by yourself

Although in the past I had ridden fast through Ipswich to reach the beach or en route to Newburyport,  this more leisurely B-day tourist version, allowing for plenty of conversation, photography and discovery, was the perfect birthday present. Topping it off was riding with my dad and Gordon, who shares my idea of the perfect ride: blending miles, history and a jumbo frappuccino!

Thanks Gordon! Ciclismo Classico is so lucky to have you as our official New England bike tour guide

Enjoy the pictures from the ride!