Thoughts on biking vacations with Ron van Dijk
Ron was 16 years old when he was introduced to the world of bike tours. What began as a summer job organizing European trips for a family friend in the States quickly evolved into a highly successful business. With a passion for biking, travel and history and 35 years of field experience, no one has a better brain to pick on biking vacations than Ron.
Why the focus on “biking-only” vacations in 2010?
Sounds a bit scary, doesn’t it – a “biking-only” vacation? Actually, there’s no such thing! Each of our biking adventures is extremely flexible and includes optional activities like hiking, rafting, sightseeing, wine tasting or an afternoon of R&R.
The way I think of it, your bicycle is simply used as a pleasant means of transportation to get you from one sight or village to another, from one experience or adventure to the next. That said, I can’t think of a better way to travel than by bike, using all of one’s senses. You are so much closer to the culture and the nature that surrounds you. Plus, you work up a great appetite, so you can thoroughly enjoy your meals, without feeling the least bit guilty!
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Why travel with ALA, versus on your own or with another outfitter?
An ALA biking vacation is unique for a number of reasons. First, ALA has been organizing bike trips since 1974, which makes us one of the oldest, most trusted outfitters around, and experience counts when it comes to creating a perfect tour. We take our due diligence seriously, spending an enormous amount of time researching our destinations and routes, driving and biking every road (multiple times), visiting every hotel and sight before establishing an exact itinerary. Doing this year after year, not only do we expose you to places you’d never visit on your own, but our trips keep getting better and better, just like a good wine!
Second, we use local, informative guides who provide unique historical background, anecdotes and useful tips, bringing the history, geology and culture of each of our destinations alive. It’s often a guide’s insights – the ones you simply can’t find in a book – that you’ll remember the most from a trip.
Third, we pride ourselves in giving the best support while you bike: snacks, drinks, special “WOW’s” (as we call them), comfortable support vans, or just a simple, friendly smile, a hug, a high five. In short, we take care of all the details and give you all the encouragement and support you need, so all you have to worry about is having fun. Austin-Lehman’s slogan says it all: the hardest part is going home!
Fourth, ALA has the highest guide-to-guest ratio in the touring business: 1 guide for every 6 guests, while limiting the group size to twelve for adult groups and eighteen for family trips. Keeping the group size small and personal ensures service whenever you want or need it.
Finally, our accolades speak for themselves. Travel + Leisure magazine recently polled its consumers and named us Number One Tour Operator of the World! What more should I add?
As a guide yourself, how would you describe a typical ALA guest?
Guess what? There’s no such thing as a typical guest! We get people of all ages, all levels of fitness, and all interest on our tours. The youngest we ever had was 2 (being towed in a trailer by her parents on a tandem) and the oldest was 87. How’s that for extremes?! The same goes for levels of fitness. Naturally, we recommend that people practice before they show up on a trip. We have easy trips for first timers, while the avid cyclists can bike their hearts out across the Tuscan hills. As far as interests are concerned (history, scenery, culture, cuisine, etc.), there’s something for everyone on each of our trips. Since we don’t bike in one large group, you can pick and choose where you wish to spend time and pursue your own interests. Your guides will point you in the right direction.
Is there a particular biking vacation you would recommend for a first-timer?
Our catalog and website clearly denote the level of difficulty of each trip. So if you’re a novice biker, you will want to start with a trip that is easy (Level One). Our Netherlands trips are great because the terrain is perfectly flat and full of traffic-free bike paths. Our Mosel Valley trip is another great one – pedaling along the Mosel river with prevailing tail winds is a wonderful option for a first-timer. The Loire Valley trip has some small hills but is still considered easy. And don’t forget – how long and hard you’d like to bike is always up to you: if you think you’ve pedaled far enough, just catch a ride to the hotel in the support van!
Which ALA biking trip is your personal favorite?
My personal favorite trip is Bordeaux to Dordogne. No, not because of the wine (even though that’s a plus!), but because everything is perfect about it: the tiny secondary roads, the peaceful villages, the lively towns, the ancient churches, the friendly people, the gorgeous scenery, the delicious cuisine, the lovely hotels.
One site on the tour that invariably moves me is the Font de Gaume cave near Les Eyzies, where you’ll find 15,000 year-old polychrome prehistoric wall paintings. The cave is one of the very few still open to the public. I’ve probably been there 20 times, and each time I see one particular image – of a male deer licking the forehead of a female deer kneeling in front of him – it gives me the shivers. So much expression, so much tenderness, so very human! Elsewhere in the cave is the hand of one of the artists. I call it the “signature.” Normally it is not included in the tour of the cave, therefore most visitors will never know it’s there – but our guides always ask the local guide to point it out. After all, how often do you get to see a 15,000 year-old human hand? As you can imagine, the word wow is a much-used expression during this visit.
Tell us a little bit about the bikes on an ALA bike tour?
The bikes we use in the U.S. and in Europe are the best on the market for the purpose of bike touring. We use top-notch Cannondales, which we fit to each guest before the trip begins. They come in various sizes, straight or racing handle bars, men’s or women’s frames, etc. We also have deluxe Cannondale tandems, children bikes, children tag-on bikes and trailers.
