If you’ve imagined yourself spending your days riding across the countryside, tackling pro-worthy climbs and banking the miles you need to get stronger. If you measure your free time in epic climbs and KOMs then Ride Camp is calling your name.

[trek-fullwidth-img src=”https://trektravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Trek_Road_Misc_6260-2000×800.jpg”]

“Ride Camp gives guests the opportunity to experience incredible and challenging training rides in world-class cycling locations with like-minded cyclists. Get off the trainer and onto amazing routes in beautiful locations!“

These trips combine days of hiking, biking and other sports, featuring detailed all-inclusive itineraries with first rate lodging, special local experiences like museum and winery tours, and they are fully guided and supported – your luggage is moved for you, routes are meticulously planned, and guides accompany the group (or your private party, as all these companies offer a bespoke option).

They go all over the world, from Africa to the Arctic, Southeast Asia to the American Southwest. Trek Travel has a fascinating Cuba “People to People” cultural immersion trip that melds cycling, hiking and even snorkeling in the famed Bay of Pigs.

Read the full article on Forbes.com»

One of the best jokes I’ve heard in a while is, “How do you know someone is a triathlete?” “They’ll tell you within the first five minutes of meeting them.” Fulfilling that stereotype in this post–I have been competing in one or two sprint races a year for the last four years, and I love them. Prior to starting with Trek Travel, most of the riding I had done was relatively flat and easy to train for the relatively flat and easy 15-mile rides nestled lovingly between a quarter mile swim and a 5k.

 
[trek-fullwidth-img src=”https://trektravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/S_Heather_18OR0701-119.jpg”]
 

 

Type A Workouts: Most of the trips offered by top companies have options that can include daily routes up to 70 miles and some serious climbing, but a subset of more advanced recreational riders may find these trips not challenging enough. If you are training-oriented or your focus is more on the intensity of cycling than food, wine or museums, Trek Travel, a now independent spinoff of Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycles, has the answer.

While Trek Travel has the same full slate of more laid-back luxury trips to France, Italy and the like, that its peers do, it also offers unique 5 and 7-day Ride Camps, essentially training camps, where you are based in one spot, eat healthier food, and ride a lot. I previously wrote about one in Boulder hosted by thirteen-time Cyclocross World Cup Champion and the sole American female to ever take the title, Katie Compton (read it here), but these fitness focused camps are offered in several locations throughout the year, all of them road cycling hotspots: Solvang, CA; Greenville, SC; Tucson, AZ; and Mallorca and Girona, Spain.

Read the full article on Forbes.com»

We all love a good shred sesh, but what if you’ve never hit the trail on a mountain bike? Hear from Michael Flieg, a second-year guide, lifetime dirt lover and co-founder of St. Louis Mountain Bike Camps on his top tips for learning how to ditch the skinny tires and take the road less traveled.

---

 

As the first woman to ride her bicycle around the world, Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky challenged world views on women in cycling and paved the way for many greats to take to two wheels after her.

In 1894, Annie was like most 19th century women, a 23-year-old mother of three, a dutiful housewife and not necessarily a cyclist or an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. But when a pair of strangers bet that a woman couldn’t possibly ride the globe on a bicycle in fifteen months, she decided to take on the challenge.

She left her home and family in Boston and began her journey in full skirts with a 42-pound bike dead set on proving that women were not only strong, physically and mentally, but that they could provide for themselves. To finance her journey she took on sponsorships–carrying advertisements on her clothing and bicycle, and even changing her name to “Londonderry” as promotion for the Londonderry Lithia Spring Water company.

As her route wore on through Europe, North Africa, Asia and the South Pacific, she acquired a lighter bike (20lbs lighter) and evolved her wardrobe from traditional women’s clothing to a men’s riding outfit. She, admittedly, loaded up her bike aboard a few steamships and trains at key points in the journey, but despite that still crushed her way through thousands of miles of rough terrain, camping outside and fending for herself every step of the way.

Eventually she made her way back to the states by way of San Francisco and returned to Boston 15 months to the day after she departed. According to Peter Zheutlin, author of Around the World on Two Wheels, “What Annie accomplished with her bicycle in 1894-95 was a tour de force of moxie, self-promotion and athleticism. Though she was a skilled raconteur and gifted self-promoter with a penchant for embellishment and tall tales, she was also, as the evidence shows, an accomplished cyclist who covered thousands of miles by bicycle during her journey.”

Upon her return, Kopchovsky went on to become a popular and vocal advocate for both cycling and women’s rights. Speaking around the country about her adventure and throwing in some fantastical tall tales along the way.

The New York World remarked in 1895 that her trip was “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman,” and we can be sure that what started as a bet became an immeasurable impact on the attitudes about women and an inspiration to women of that time and today.

After 20 years as lawyers, Lane and Beth decided to leave the law and take their family on a 13-month, 42-country trip around the world. It was after this sojourn they met Collin and Jenni. And Pilot Cove was born.

Tell​ ​us​ ​a​ ​little​ ​about​ ​yourselves,​ ​what​ ​did​ ​you​ ​do​ ​before​ ​you​ ​created​ ​this​ ​much​ ​needed​ ​oasis​?​
Collin: After graduating from college, I built multi-use trails with Trail Design Specialists for a few years. We were working much in Western NC, which brought me to the area. I currently own Altamont Property Group based in Asheville, focusing on real estate and land tract brokerage in the region. Pilot Cove evolved over time after becoming friends with Lane and Beth while they were looking for real estate. We hatched the idea and things took off from there!
Lane: Beth and I met in law school and married in 1994. In 2013, after practicing law for 20 years we planned to take a year off and travel with our three sons Mac (14), Wiley (12) and Levi (12). 13 months and 42 countries later we decided try something different. Instead of making a living helping people out of trouble we wanted to help people have fun. We returned to the U.S. and moved to Asheville. This is where we met Collin and Jenni.

What inspired you to start Pilot Cove? And to go into hospitality? Why this area?
Collin: The growth in tourism is apparent throughout Western NC, and we saw the potential for a unique project in Brevard and Transylvania County. We see many travelers come to Asheville for great food, craft beverages, shopping, and a thriving art community. Travelers are drawn to Brevard for many of the same reasons, but also for the world-class outdoor recreation so accessible from town. We designed Pilot Cove to be approachable to travelers from all walks of life, yet focused on cyclists and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Our 124 acre property offers ride in–ride out access to Pisgah National Forest!
Lane: We chose Asheville because we love the mountains and were excited about the changing seasons. I am a native Floridian and Beth and I spent our first 20 years together in St. Petersburg, FL. Having just traveled for 13 months we felt we had some insight into the hospitality industry. We stayed in all kinds of lodging from tents and hostels to castles and resorts. Collin had the idea of starting a resort that catered to bikers. We started looking at properties and were fortunate to find our current location. It was the perfect spot, surrounded by Pisgah National Forest and with direct access to some of the best biking in the country. We were most excited about creating a career where the focus is helping people have fun and get the most out of our amazing natural playground.

How did you all meet?
Collin: My wife Jenni and I connected with Lane and Beth when they were looking for real estate in the area. We were joined by our property manager Syl Neel before we started construction. I met Syl on the Appalachian Trail in 2008 and we’ve stayed in touch over the years. He has been instrumental in the development of Pilot Cove.
Lane: Once we decided to move to Asheville, Beth emailed multiple realtors in the area and Collin was the first and only response.

What has been the most rewarding part about this change in venture?
Collin: The community response has been tremendous! We saw demand and designed a project that would fill it, but never envisioned the support we would receive from the community. We can’t say enough great things about Brevard and Transylvania County. The people, businesses, and civic leaders care deeply about their community and great things are on the horizon.
Lane: I love seeing the dream become a reality. We spent two years figuring out how to turn a forested mountain side into Pilot Cove. In the process we became good friends with our contractors, graders, designers and workers. My old college roommate saved the day with the wonderful forest lodging design. Local artisans built the furniture from local resources. I’m happy to say that the final result has exceeded our expectations. Remember we were lawyers and not developers. Pilot Cove is the result of lots of people buying into an idea and coming together to create something special.

What’s your favorite part about the nearby Pisgah National Forest?
Collin: For me it’s the four distinct seasons. Spring brings rebirth and blooms. Summer is great to hit the trails, waterfalls, and swimming holes. The Fall season is my favorite, offering cooler temps and breathtaking leaf colors that sweep across the mountains. Winter brings less crowded trails, fishing holes, and endless views with leaves absent from the trees. There’s something for everyone in every season.
Lane: Pisgah is truly one of nature’s greatest playgrounds. It offers outstanding hiking, road and mountain biking, waterfalls, sliding rock, rock climbing, fly fishing, mushroom hunting, wildlife viewing, and I could go on and on. I went to camp one summer in Brevard when I was a child. I remember riding up Hwy 276 to Sliding Rock along the Davidson River and thinking this is the most beautiful road I have ever been on. Now Pilot Cove’s entrance is right on 276 at the entrance to the forest and I get to take that ride on a regular basis.

Top three things to do in Brevard?
Collin: 1) The local music scene is great, be sure to catch Mountain Song Festival in September hosted by local favorites the Steep Canyon Rangers. 2) Enjoy Brevard’s quaint downtown! The Heart of Brevard is a great resource for authentic locally-owned business. 3) Enjoy the forest and mountains! Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest offer a world of possibilities on foot or in the saddle.
Lane: 1) Sliding Rock. Nothing refreshes and brings a tired body back to life like a trip down Sliding Rock into cool pool below. 2) Black Balsam hike. Just off the parkway this hike takes you along the Art Loeb trail and over a 6000 foot bald with amazing views in every direction. 3) Dupont State Forest. 15 minutes from Pilot Cove with spectacular waterfalls and mountain biking.

Favorite bike ride you’ve ever been on?
Collin: Tough to say! We frequent Breckenridge CO, and the Peaks Trail is a favorite when there in Summer. For road cycling we are lucky to have the Blue Ridge Parkway so close to home.
Lane: Locally, I love Ridgeline in Dupont. A bombing two mile downhill with flowy lines and bermy curves. Best ever, biking down Cotopaxi (the world’s highest active volcano) in Equador with Beth and our boys.

 

From the majestic living glaciers and steep fjords of the Kenai Peninsula, north to the lonesome gravel roads of the interior outpost of Talkeetna and skyward to 20,310’ Mt. Denali, America’s last frontier is untouched and full of mystery. Here, Trip Designer Tony Ferlisi pulls back the curtain on the rugged and beautiful landscape that is Alaska.

“There’s gold, and it’s haunting and haunting;
It’s luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn’t the gold that I’m wanting
So much as just finding the gold.

It’s the great, big, broad land ‘way up yonder,
It’s the forests where silence has lease,
It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.”

-Robert Service, from The Spell of the Yukon

Scale acts to lend us perspective. It clarifies detail. It takes something small and magnifies it. Takes something giant and makes it tangible; brings it into our human world of understanding. Sometimes we use numbers or ideas to correlate size. Sometimes, we create physical replicas. Spin a globe in your local library or restructure a model atom in high-school chemistry class.

The scale of Alaska is seemingly impossible. Rivers and their flood plains stretch laterally across valley bottoms farther than you can see from the window of an airplane. Imagine the Hudson, the Columbia, the Ohio, the Colorado, the Rio Grande all running within a few hundred miles of each other. Add those to over 9,000 other rivers and you get the idea of the number of waterways in Alaska. 3 million lakes, 100,000 glaciers, and almost 34,000 miles of coastline; more than Florida, California, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Maine and Virginia… combined. Mountains tower above the landscape, piercing the clouds and consuming all horizons; the highest rising over 20,000 feet above the sea and 10 of which are higher than any peak in the lower 48 states. Overlay a map of the continental United States with a map of Alaska and its land-mass stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.

But none of these perspectives do justice to those who haven’t laid eyes upon this place. Recall the feeling of standing at the foot of the Empire State Building for the first time and looking up or sailing on a boat just out of sight of land. Imagine what it might be like to be awash in the emotional waves of experiences like these for days in a row, each one new and each different than the other. That is Alaska, even for those who return time and time again.

After John Muir first visited Alaska in 1879, he recorded in his journal that one should “never go to Alaska as a young man because you’ll never be satisfied with any other place as long as you live…” There is truth to this thought. You’ll dream about this place: the possibilities and the impossibilities. Movies against the backs of your eyelids as you lie awake at night, teetering just beyond sleep. Wind playing tag through dense alder thickets. Afternoon sunshine casting shadows against the jagged, snow-covered towers of the Chugach. Two bald eagles perched in a snag high above a shallow creek teaming with spawning salmon. Waiting. Watching. Your nostrils twinge with the scent of a Sitka spruce stand. Fingers feel the chill of the morning dew. Ears deafened with the silence. You contemplate the size of this landscape. You meditate on its scale. You’ll wonder when, not if, you’ll journey back to the north. Back to the great big, giant mystery that is… Alaska.

Bend is synonymous with amazing beer and even better dirt. Central Oregon is loaded with flowy, purpose-built single track through dense forests and dramatic volcanic landscapes. The expansive network of trails is approachable for any level, whether you’re new to knobby tires or a professional rider. Watch Freehub’s latest video capturing the trails in Bend, then ride them for yourself on our newly designed bike tour.

[trek-fullwidth-img src=”https://trektravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/©16BERC_0619_Zjones-0586_1600x670.jpg”]
 
 

Focus on nothing but rides, rest and relaxation in world-class destinations during the best riding season on the calendar. You’ll leave with legs that are ready for anything. Here are our top 5 trips for the avid cyclist.

Etape du Tour

L’Etape du Tour isn’t just a ride. It’s a proving ground with your name scribbled in chalk. Take on famed routes of the Tour de France in this bucket list gran fondo-style event. Before you sign up, hear from a first time finisher of L’Etape du Tour about how tackling the legendary climbs and descents was made better with the support of Trek Travel.

Girona Ride Camp

Everyone’s favorite Ride Camp in a favorite location for 2020. Pedal the same roads as George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Taylor Phinney and practically every other pro as you gaze out on the crystal blue Mediterranean Sea and explore one charming Spanish village after the next. You’ll test your legs on the steeps of the Pyrenees, ride along the shores of Costa Brava and up your fitness in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Santa Barbara to Myrtle Beach

The goal: ambitious. The distance: 3,426 miles. The training: intense. The opportunity: unrivaled. If you’re ready for the bike trip—and challenge—of a lifetime, take on this bicycle tour that stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic across the southern tier of our beautiful country.

Classic Climbs of the Dolomites

The landscape of the famed Dolomite mountain range offers epic riding as you climb the jagged peaks and legendary roads made famous by the Giro d’Italia. Experience the passion of Italian cycling beneath clear blue skies, as you ride past proud pale mountains and through lush green alpine pastures. This cycling trip offers the very best of the dramatic Dolomites and Italian Alps.

Pyrenees Sea to Sea

With daily routes through France and Spain, averaging over 60 miles and 7,000 vertical feet, this cross-country bike trip offers avid cyclists an invigorating combination of riding and cultural experience. Though the riding is challenging and the terrain is surely spectacular, the unassuming charm and hearty cuisine of the Basque & Catalan people serve to keep cyclists well-fueled and refreshed, as this bicycle tour traverses a true cycling paradise.

See our other Top 5 trip collections.

RACE FANS FOR THE LOVE OF ART MULTISPORT FOODIE HEAVEN