Comments on Touring Companies

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

"i am interested in having a presentation at the club program by touring companies. ""have bike will travel""
i'd appereiate information on companies, local to nyc, that can speak to the group regarding trips nationally and abroad [except to iraq].
ant thoughts?
also, any other ideas on club programs are welcomed.
thanks,
hal eskenazi, vp programs
"

Anonymous's picture
richard rosenthal (not verified)
A bit of ridicule, then program ideas incl. nearby tour comp'ies

"Hal writes he would ""appereiate"" information on nearby bike touring companies who might present a program.

He asks, ""ant"" (sic) thoughts?

There are bike tours to Cuba where he might be able to find red ants.

_______

Otherwise, Hal, you can contact April Santinon who lives part of the year in Jackson, NJ and who co-owns Bici Veneto which operates tours solely in the Veneto.

E-Write: [email protected]
On the web: http://www.biciveneto.

Better yet, former club members Howard and Lori Turoff live right across the river in Hoboken. They own La Corsa Tours.

E-Write: [email protected]

As for other program ideas, they abound: Think of bike-centric magazine and book publishers that are right here in NYC (yes there are such); nearby bike-centric writers (there are such); NBC Sports' plan for covering cycling at the Olympics (most assuredly, close to none); Bud Greenspan, the great filmmaker of the Olympics; outstanding frambuilders from Phila., NJ, and Boston (there are), amateur framebuilders even closer to the city (there are such); bike messengers (a panel); bike shop mechanics (a panel); the NYC DoT (and their feckless bicycle coordinator); the commander or community relations officer of the NYPD Central Park precinct; TA; sometime club member Charlie Komanoff, the founder of ""Right of Way"".

OK, you're on your own now.

Richard Rosenthal
"

Anonymous's picture
hannah (not verified)
tour takers rather than tour operators

Although I am signed up for my first group-led bicycle tour, I am not interested in hearing a presentation from tour operators. They would all try to sell us on their tours, and we'd be skeptical about their claims. Imho, it would be more interesting and believable to hear from club members who've taken tours with various companies.

I found this message board very useful in planning my trip, and ultimately selected a tour company recommended by an NYCCer. I'm sure I will post more queries as the trip date draws near, about the logistics of traveling with a bike and other matters, and again I'd rather hear answers from people who don't have a financial stake in what they're telling me.

hannah
Watch out Tour de France, here I come!

Anonymous's picture
Marci (not verified)
I have to concur...

I'd rather hear about actual experiences than sales propaganda. We've all done the research on tour operators at one time or another -- probably more research than we care to remember. And many of us have taken a tour or two or several and could speak to the pros and cons of a wide group of vendors. The best tour for one person could be the worst for someone else, so maybe choose a handful of companies then try to find two or three people that have participated with each for a panel discussion? Or another approach -- get a bunch of people to talk about their favorite bike tour/company and why. Many possible ways to go with it...

Anonymous's picture
hamburger earmuffs (not verified)
Pieter Maessen

He is a member of the club and has organized 2, apparently, very successful tours. One to France and One to Italy. I don't think he runs these tours for a profit, so there's really no sales to pitch.

Anonymous's picture
hal eskenazi (not verified)
tours

appreciate all your all for your responses. i continue to look for more.
richard, do you think those tours will come in the right size for our members?
thanks, hal
ps. peter, obviously i'm a poster boy for spell check. can we get it?

Anonymous's picture
linda (not verified)
How about ....?

I would enjoy hearing from a tour/ride operator exactly all the options that they had to offer. For instance the average person who does a Backroads ride would not be able to give information on more than 1 or maybe 2 or 3 of their rides. Wouldn't you want to know about all the different regions that a company offered rides and the different levels of ability that were accommodated.

But it would be quite interesting to also have a person who did a ride with each of the represented companies - Pros & Cons. I think this could be a very informative and lively exchange .

Anonymous's picture
Richard Rosenthal (not verified)
The greatest wisdom I can offer you on bike touring.

"Hal asks me, ""Do you think those tours will come in the right size for our members.""

After giving this question a good deal of thought, my considered answer is, ""Huh?""

As for bike touring, here is my advice based on fifteen solo tours to Europe and one and a half with one other person: the only thing dumber than biking uphill with clean underwear is biking uphill with dirty underwear.

Richard"

Anonymous's picture
Alinda Barth (not verified)
Tour Companies

I am a member of the Bicycle Adventure Club, a San Diego-based touring club. Its members live all over the US and Canada and it offers tours in the US, Europe, and Asia. The nice thing about this club is that it is a volunteer organization, i.e. all tours are led by unpaid volunteers and are thus no more expensive than if you were touring on your own. All the tours I have been on have been great. The organizers are experienced tourers and the participants are veteran cyclists. The downside is that most tours fill up quickly - a measure of the club's success. I have been on several of their tours and have led one myself in 2002 and will lead one again this October (Fall in the Hudson River Valley - please don't ask to come, it's full!). I would be glad to talk about this club at a meeting featuring tour companies. The club's website is www.bicycleadventureclub.org.

Alinda Barth
Á888

Anonymous's picture
David Schlichting (not verified)
Bicycle Tour Operators

Are we being overly cynical when we say that we, fearing a sales pitch, do not want to hear from a commercial bike tour operator any more than a frame builder? With the exception of a Bicycle Adventure Club, these are for-profit businesses, after all.
We'll learn less by NOT having these people visit us, than by turning off the contents of a presentation for fear of a hint of commercialism. The vast majority of us have enough general cycling experience to recognize cycle-related BS when we hear it. Every tour operator has a different target audience and the tours a different feel, and these subtleties should be seen in a presentation. Getting a feel for these nuances may not matter for this season's vacation, but may drive a better informed decision down the road.

Anonymous's picture
Jay (not verified)
tour operators on program

"If we paid $100,000 to have Bill Clinton or Rudy G speak, do you think they would be pro or con ""themselves""? Every body-builder, bike shop, etc is obviously going to try to enhance their rep.

I was at past NYCC presentations by Backroads, Ciclismo Lori Turoff & Claudio & I enjoyed them all!
I also attended a non-NYCC program by Butterfield & Robinson which I found highly entertaining."

Anonymous's picture
hal eskenazi (not verified)
deep in thought

"A bit of ridicule followed by appreciation.

Richard Rosenthal writes, “After giving this question a good deal of thought, my considered answer is, ""Huh?""

Richard, hint, turnabout is fair play. The operative word here is “size”. Now are you with me? And thanks again for your suggestion. hal
"

Anonymous's picture
richard rosenthal (not verified)
My inability to read or think or know or something or other.

"HAL:""Richard, do you think those tours will come in the right size for our members?""

RICHARD: ""After giving this question a good deal of thought, my considered answer is, 'Huh?'""

HAL:""Richard, hint, turnabout is fair play. The operative word here is “size”. Now are you with me?""

RICHARD: ""Huh?"""

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