Travel

Travel guide: Chic bicycle adventures

Cycle through the world on these bicycle travel adventures.

by : Jennifer Weatherhead Harrington- Jul 11th, 2013

1. Biking trip: Take an Epicurean ride
A former cycling pro and a Michelin-starred chef lead this leisurely six-day 65-kilometre journey across the lavender-filled countryside of Provence. (If that sounds too strenuous, you can ride an electric bike.) Coast down the limestone hills of Dentelles de Montmirail until you reach the afternoon’s chosen medieval village, where you can poke around the markets and taste charcuterie and fromage. Mid-week, set aside your biking gear for a full-day cooking class. You’ll work off the lavender-marinated duck breast with farro risotto tomorrow. ($4,295 per person for the six-day group tour; Gourmet Cycling Travel, gourmetcyclingtravel.com)

Explore the FINER SIDE OF FRANCE

Photography by Robin Kort

2. Biking trip: Hop the rails
Forget the houseboat and explore British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley by bike. Spend a week pedalling through tunnels and across restored trestle bridges (first built in 1915 as part of the Kettle Valley Steam Railway) that rise 238 feet above the base of Myra Canyon. The 30 to 40 kilometres you’ll cover almost every day will breeze by as you inhale the sweet scent of apple orchards and work up an appetite for gourmet lunches—think B.C. scallops and salsa piquant. Each night, you’ll stay in a different farmhouse, where—added bonus—you’ll enjoy tastings of the region’s best Chardonnays and Rieslings. ($2,500 per person for the seven-day group trip; Swallowtail Tours, swallowtailtours.com)

Check out VANCOUVER’S TRAVEL HOT SPOTS

Check out more biking trips on the next page…

3. Biking trip: Pedal around the ruins
This definitely isn’t your typical Sex and the City desert getaway. (Sorry, Manolos, you’ll have to stay home.) Over the course of nine days in Jordan, your guide will lead you along a 90-kilometre stretch of the King’s Highway—an ancient trade route dotted with temples, castles and biblical towns. The highlight? It’s a toss-up between the candlelit tour through the ruins of Petra and the zarb feast (savoury traditional barbecue) enjoyed beneath the stars at a luxe Bedouin campsite in Wadi Rum. ($6,495 per person for nine days; DuVine, duvine.com)

Visit Rancho La Puerta for a FITNESS RETREAT

4. Biking trip: Find a rocky mountain high
This five-day 170-kilometre trip through Torres del Paine National Park, in Chilean Patagonia, is not for beginners. With a 19th-century estancia (a quaint 15-room lodge on a working sheep ranch) as your base, you’ll spend your days on a mountain bike checking many natural wonders off your bucket list—including the Campamento Las Guardas glacier (part of the Cordillera del Paine mountain range) and the sub-polar forests of the Valle El Toro. Your quads will get a good workout, but the rewards will be more than Instagram-worthy. (From $1,948 per person for five days; Paseos en Bicicleta Bike Tours, biketours.cl)