Once you decide on a route, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right gear, because a few extra pounds can make a big difference when you’re cranking up the hills. Philip Keyes, executive director of New England Mountain Biking Association, references the Massachusetts company Topeak, which engineers innovative cycling products and the Bikamper bike tent (retails for about $200). The three-season tent holds one person, and uses the bicycle itself (with the front wheel removed) as a tent frame; the handlebars provide the structure. One difference between road-bike camping and mountain-bike camping, says Keyes, is that you’ll want to secure your gear better for bumping down (or up) mountain trails. With mountain-bike camping, “People tend to find a central location, set up camp, and then go off and do multiple trips around that. It’s not so much destination-to-destination,” he explains.
For more exotic (and luxurious) trips, look for Arlington-based Ciclismo Classico, which specializes in cycling tours in Italy; it also runs trips in France, Austria, Spain, and around New England. “The real drive,” says Joe Luchison of Ciclismo Classico, “is to combine good biking with fun and vacation and exercise. We’re creating an authentic experience. Our local guides really take people behind the scenes.” For these trips, a van carries your luggage from place to place, and you stay in three- and four-star inns, hotels, and B&Bs. One trip offered this summer for the first time is the Giro d’Italia — a Giro del Gelato, which runs through seven regions of Italy, and features all-you-can-eat gelato (plus gelato-making lessons and contests). “There are certain favorite foods for cyclists,” says Luchison, “and ice cream is one of them. Beer is another.” He emphasizes that seeing a country on a bicycle — be it Italy or the United States — lets riders enjoy a completely new appreciation. “You feel the sun beating on you, you smell the grapes. It’s a full sensory experience.”
On the Web
Rubel BikeMaps: //www.bikemaps.com/
Adventure Cycling Organization: //www.adventurecycling.org
Topeak: //www.topeak.com/2006
Ciclismo Classico: //www.ciclismoclassico.com
