Bicycle built for tour

Bicycle built for tour

Lists of Dream Bicycling Destinations almost always include Tuscany.  So you know it is a great place to cycle, but what is the best way for you to experience a Tuscany cycling adventure?  Consider the following:Planning Your RouteTuscany is a bike riding paradise. Great routes abound throughout

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Thu 13 Jul 2006 12:00 AM

Lists of Dream Bicycling Destinations almost always include Tuscany.  So you know it is a great place to cycle, but what is the best way for you to experience a Tuscany cycling adventure?  Consider the following:Planning Your RouteTuscany is a bike riding paradise. Great routes abound throughout the region.  Bike routes are available both on the web and through bookstores.  Map shops have maps that show both roads and trails that are open to bikes.  Local tourist agencies have brochures of sug-gested cycling routes.  The regional Tuscan tourism agency, APT, has a map Coast to Coast of 14 routes for mountain bike and 14 for touring bikes from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic through Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Sometimes commercial bike tour companies post their routes on their web site a good place to get some route  planning advice.The most popular areas to ride in terms of terrain and scenery are Chianti and south of Siena. South of Siena popular towns to visit are Castelnuovo dell Abate, Pienza, Montalcono, and Montepulciano. In Chianti tours often stop at Gaiole in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, and San Gimignano. You sometimes have the choice of taking a state road or a more secondary one from town to town.  The minor roads obviously have less traffic, but when you see a squiggly line on the map, beware.  This indicates a steep road with switchback turns.What Kind of Bike to TakeYou ride a touring bike on paved roads.  A mountain bike also goes on these roads (some prefer it for paved roads) but also gives you access to dirt roads and trails open to bicycles.  Touring bikes are a little easier to pedal because of the narrow, high pressure tires. An-other popular bike for touring is the hybrid, which is a mixture of features of the touring bike and mountain bike. In any case, on a self-guided trip, you need a bike with a rack for your big bags as well as some tools to make repairs.  How about renting a bicycle?  Most cycle rental shops have only lower quality bikes for short trips.  So you may have to look around to find a rental bike that is suitable for a longer tour. A rental site in Florence with bikes for touring is Florence by Bike in Via San Zanobi. As for repairs, fortunately in Italy bike shops are common so you can get help in almost any town. Even if the shop owner speaks only Italian, you can usually communicate your problem without difficulty. Commercial Bike Touring Company or On Your Own ?Many bike touring companies  offer full service tours in Tuscany.  Some of these, for example, are Backroads (A Tuscan Sampler, South of Siena for 6 days and 5 nights costs $3698), Vermont Bicycling Touring (Tuscany, tour of 6 nights and 7 days costs $2095), and Butter-field & Robinson (Tuscany Chianti Getaway 5 days and 4 nights for $3995. These are based in English speaking countries, but even foreign tour companies will usually have an English speaking guide. Why the difference in prices – primarily in terms of the quality of accommodations, meals, and amenities.  European based bicycling tour companies often charge less.  A web site that lists tours in Tus-cany from numerous vendors so you can easily make comparison, is www.bicyclingworld.com Commercial tour organizations provide the routes, accommodations, support vehicle, good quality rental bikes, a group to ride with, and a professional guide (who also can do minor mechanical repairs).  There is a choice of routes each day to serve your particular needs. You can ride with other members of the tour or on your own.  A typical group might be 15-20 cyclists. Local touring companies (for example, I Bike Italy, tour_info @ibikeitaly.com) also provide shorter trips such as one or two days. If you plan your own tour, the cost is half or less of a commercial tour.  You can choose your own routes, dates, and pace. Some bike tour-ing companies also, at a lower cost, will arrange routes and accommodations for a self-guided tour. Often people prefer a commercial trip for their first long bicycle trip, but, as in many travel realms, considerations of cost and the self-confidence to do your own planning may determine what is best for you. Transporting Your BikeThe train schedule indicates (by a little bicycle symbol) which regional trains have a special car, usually the front car, to accommodate bicycles (which require a separate ticket). Sometimes these trains dont have this car, but on any regional train, even without a bike coach, you can find a place between cars for your bicycle.  For non regional trains, you have to check carefully if bikes can be transported.  On inter-city buses, bikes can be put in the luggage compartment under the bus (no extra ticket required). If it rains during your tour, dont be shy about taking a train or a bus to your next stop.

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