I'm just back from Italy and we did a 6 day cycling tour in Tuscany and it was awesome! We are in our mid-40s and wondered how we would handle all those hills but I have to say not only did we survive but what a wonderful way to see and experience Tuscany. Our group of six went through a Canadian company called Great Explorations and even though they provided us with horrible bikes, our guide and the places we stayed in were exceptional and we all managed to come home safe & sound. Among the places we stayed in were Siena, Castellina in Chianti, Asciano and Pienza. I have to admit that at times I thought those hills were never going to end but oh what a wonderful feeling when you did finally make it to the top & your reward was another spectacular view of Tuscany. Our evenings were spent sipping local wines and eating to our hearts' content, including lots of dolce!
This was our first biking vacation and we are already starting to plan for the next one. But next time I think I will research the company I travel with a bit more thoroughly and we are considering perhaps taking our own bikes with us. Although we did have a ton of fun we did have quite a few bike problems which held us up and some times had us worrying about our safety.
We ended our trip with a couple of days in Positano at Hotel California where we had an awesome room overlooking the town & the beach.
Life doesn't get any better!

Thanks for the report, declady. Sounds great. I am assuming you placed the company on notice of the bike problems. Did they indicate a plan for improvement? Bad equipment can really ruin an otherwise good trip. Were you with a tour company group or did you have your own group of six friends which the company guided?

We spoke with the owner of Great Explorations throughout the trip - he wasn't helpful at all and even though he had never seen the bikes, he was adamant they were good bikes - but we took pictures. There were six of us and we biked with - or shall I say behind - a fun couple from Seattle. We then had our tour guide and her sister drove the support van. I liked the size of our group as you didn't feel like we were right on top of each other - as we did one day when we met up with a group of what seemed like 50 people.

Thanks for the response. I think the tour operator missed a great opportunity to build his business. Equipment is very important in a biking trip. He isn't a very savvy businessman if he didn't take your concerns serioiusly.

Just read about your biking trip. My husband and I are planning a trip next fall to the Tuscanny/Umbria area with our touring bikes. We have toured, on our own, in Germany, France and Ireland, our favorite way to go.
How many miles a day did you average? We will be there one months ,so we don't need to go great distances. Is Tuscanny too hilly?????????
thanks,

I don't think Tuscany is too hilly although I have to admit that twice I found myself pushing my bike up very steep hills that were approx 4 miles up, with no relief. The men seemed to handle those hills much better but I survived and as soon as I was at the top, I was back on my bike without a worry.
When bringing your own bike, I would think you would have to travel with hard cases so the bikes don't get wrecked. I like the idea of doing a route & staying in different places each night. I wonder where people would store their bike case while biking. Any suggestions would be appreciated as I really think that is the way to go in the future. Also we are thinking our next trip will be to France so any suggestions in that regard would be great too!

Thanks for the advice. We do have hard bike cases and have found the best way to plan a biking trip is to finish at the place we started,making arrangements to leave our bike cases with them at the beginning of the trip.
We have toured Provence...............Great trip.

Declady, if you are interested in the details of our bike trip to Provence I would be glad to share them.

Declady, thanks for posting. Sounds like you took my dream trip. I am so attached to my own road bike that I cannot imagine a long trip with a different one, let alone a crummy one.

Did you happen to see anyone riding a recumbent? My husband only rides recumbents due to back problems. The logistics of shipping any bike seem daunting, especially a recumbent, but it is the only way I will ever get my dear husband to do a trip. Incidentally, I'll bet we have a decade on you. Biking has been my middle aged rebellion! But then I hear that 50 is the new 30.

Twoblueshoes, any chance you will post re: Provence? I kind of like the idea of a trip from Bordeaux through the Dordogne, but some of those roads seem quite narrow and the cars quite fast.

Yes we did see one person riding a recumbent bike and I have to say that I was surprised at how many of us "old folks" were out there on bikes.
Also, I forgot to mention that we biked 30-40 miles per day.
twoblueshoes - I too would love to hear more about your trip to France. I just can't wait til the next time!

We too love to bike in Europe, but finding good bikes is always an issue. We've considered bringing our own, but that sounds like a huge hassle also.

In the summer of 2004 we did a great bike trip in the Loire Valley that was arranged with a man who does custom arranged bike trips. It was self-guided and we carried our own baggage. He was very, very picky and had excellent bikes for us to use. Also, we were more than pleased with the places he booked for us to stay. To top it all off, the price was A LOT more reasonable than anything we'd found with other operators. We are considering another trip arranged through him. His first name was Claude and he runs the Anjou Bike Company (I think this is the name if you can't find it on Google, let me know and I'll find you the exact link).

If you go by yourself (as I have done several times), then consider staying in 1-2 places and making day trips. That way you don't have to carry your luggage every day between hotels. If you go to more than one place, then you can take your bike on the train.

The Loire Valley is a good place. I have centered on Onzain (across the river from Chaumont) and Azay le-Rideau. Both have proven to be good bases.

I have never worried about transportaion of the bike. I use an airline box (TWA used to be the best - sadly they no longer exist) rather than a hard case (I may go to that next time however) or a bike shop box (too small - require too much assembly).

Returning, I just wheel my bike up to the counter. If they don't have a box for me, they have shipped them without a box - I have never had a problem.

Planning a route is really not much of a problem. Just stick to the smaller roads - white roads on a Michelin map if cycling in France.

I'm on my way to Tuscany in 2 weeks and we did consider a cycle trip but they were full by the time I contacted them. This is the company my friend recommended to me
http://www.duvine.com/index.html

Can't vouch for them personally but she was impressed. If you can believe their own hype they have top quality bikes that people always want to buy off them at the end of the trip.

They tour Italy, France, Ireland so maybe they might suit your next trip?

I'll insert a recommendation for Vermont Bicycle Tours' tour of Tuscany, which I did earlier this year. It was absolutely perfect in every way and I'm anxious to go on another. My rather long trip report is available by clicking my name above.

Tuscany is quite hilly but you can either walk or stop and rest as you wish, or hop in the support van to get you through the worst of it. I am not remotely a great cyclist, but I am in in fairly good shape and I handled the hills well. The key is to pace yourself and not overdo it. Just do what you feel comfortable with.

Thanks everyone - I will look into all your suggestions - I find that to be half the fun anyway.
amyb-I read your trip report when you posted it and loved it - it was a huge help.