Welcome to the May 2009 ExperiencePlus! Rambler E-Mail Newsletter

• Dear Folks...
• Staff Favorite: Northern Italy's Piedmont Region
  
• Igor Baccini - Bike Fleet Manager for ExperiencePlus!
• From Our Customers: Dave Forester
• Book Review: Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents by Jim Malusa
• Recipe: Peperonata (Pepper Stew)

Our tours in Europe have begun. ExperiencePlus! customers are enjoying sunny, spring bicycle rides and fabulous food in Italy, France and Turkey. Recently, our tour leaders gathered at the “farm” (our European Headquarters) in Italy for a training weekend. Click here to see if you recognize any of the faces and for a recap of the event.

Here in Colorado our intrepid MS 150 team has begun their training rides (please let us know if you would like to make a donation to the ExperiencePlus! Team, we would be most appreciative of your support).  We are also excited to sponsor the Colorado Classic Bicycle Tour for the third year in a row, and are once again marking the route. Join us on May 17th at the ride's start in Loveland, Colorado and experience our easy to follow navigational chalk dust arrows.  You can register for the ride and help raise money for the McKee Medical Foundation by clicking here.
 
Summer vacation planning is upon us! Airfares to Europe are the lowest we’ve seen in quite a few years so this a great time book your cycling vacation. We still have limited space available on our late May and June departures so jump onboard and join us for some of our favorite bicycle rides in Europe. The New York Times and the Rambler Newsletter both featured the Dordogne region of France last month. The photo of the Château de Belcayre in the Times article caught our eye because our tour route takes us right by. Another highlight of the itinerary is a canoe trip on the Dordgone River from La Roque-Gageac to Beynac Castle. Join us to satisfy your curiousity about this fascinating region. We have space available on our June 6th, and our September 8th departures are very close to being sold out.

We continue to blaze new paths in South America and are very pleased to introduce two new tours through the Chilean wine country. These trips feature great rides through some of the most prestigious wine producing regions in Chile, before heading south along stunning beaches of the scenic Pacific Coast. We’ve included three winery visits, scrumptious dinners (with wine!), and great bicycle rides – what more do you need? If it's more time on the Pacific Coast then we have the perfect solution for you -- join us to Bicycle Chile’s Wine Country Plus! the Pacific Coast.

Remember to give us a call (1-800-685-4565) if you are considering a trip, have a question, or just want to talk about bicycling – a human, who loves to bicycle, still answers the phone!

Happy Bicycling,

Monica and Maria Elena Malpezzi Price

Italy’s Piedmont district nestles into the great sweep of the Maritime and French Alps in northwest Italy.  In its history and culinary traditions it is almost as much a part of France as it is of Italy.  Indeed, the original “House of Savoy” which eventually became the Piedmont and gave impetus to the unification of all of Italy, began in Alpine Switzerland and France.   Once extending beyond Nice in France and including the island of Sardinia, the House of Savoy became a melting pot at critical transit routes over the Alps.  The Piedmont absorbed the best of French wine and cheese making traditions and the best of Italian culinary arts.  Our tours through the heart of Piedmont capture the essence of this thousand year old culture, including the wine region of Barolo, Asti and Alba.  The extended “plus” tour continues with a ride across the rice paddies of the Po Valley to end in Italy’s Lake District north and west of Milan.  This is a great place to rest and sightsee for a few days after a great bicycle ride!

Tempted? Jump straight to the tour information below.

• Cycling the Piedmont
• Cycling the Piedmont Plus! the Lakes District

Many of you are familiar with Igor since he has been leading ExperiencePlus! bicycle tours for over 10 years, but we thought it was high time we shared some of his other work responsibilities and his "secret" passion for skateboarding.

“Physical activity for me is very important,” Igor said, sweeping the kitchen with the sort of ferocious energy typically reserved for soccer players heading towards a goal. I had to catch him for an interview as he was doing his part to keep The Farm clean. “I start shaking if I don’t do any physical activity.”

• Read more of Sylva Florence's interview with Igor here.

Dave is an avid cyclist and traveler and has done more ExperiencePlus! tours than just about anyone.

We’ve heard a rumor that you collect jerseys  - how many are in your collection? From how many countries? Twenty-four. Two identifiable as Italian. Finding bike jersey with national identification is elusive. Not so for soccer shirts!

Read more from Dave here.

Monica Malpezzi Price reviews Jim Malusa's book that takes you along on his bicycling "anti-expeditions" to the lowest points on six continents.

In “Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents,” author Jim Maluso sets himself up as an anti-hero who, instead of aspiring to climb to the highest points on this Earth, dreams of bicycling to the lowest depressions of the world...

Read the rest of Monica's review of Into Thick Air here.

Peperonata is a good companion to any kind of pasta, meat or fish. There are several versions of peperonata; I enjoy this one as it is tasty and fairly light. 

Click here to read the rest of Paola's Peperonta recipe.

If you would like additional recipes, visit our online recipe archive. You'll find recipes for European and Latin American specialties like Panzanella: a Tuscan Salad, Tapenade, Gallo Pinto, and more.

Happy Cycling, until next month!

E-mail us at tours@ExperiencePlus.com with comments and questions. Or give us a call at 800-685-4565.

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