Why We Tour

The following link is from the NY Times Travel Section. They posted a slide show on Why We Travel. The first photo is about a young German bicycle touring through Europe. 20 years old and on an adventure. On these cold windy days it gets me thinking of summer touring.

Thinking of summer vacation? A Wild Heart Cycling tour would make the perfect vacation. Leave your worries behind!

Contact us if you have any questions?

Cheers,
Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Burley Photo

Here's my claim to stardom. Check this link to Burley.com to see me loading groceries in or out (I don't really remember) out of a Burley Nomad trailer. Unfortunately they didn't let me keep the groceries but it was an interesting experience being part of a professional photo shoot. Now I'm wondering if I made it into the print catalog???

Although Bend is a chilly 40+ degrees I've finally started training for the upcoming touring season. It's fun to be out on some longish road rides.

Have a great day!

Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Bend Bulletin Newspaper Article

Though the article doesn't exclusively focus on Wild Heart Cycling I still thought it might be of interest. The article does a nice job covering healthy, active vacations. A little publicity is always nice. Here's the link to the Bend Bulletin article. Click on the article's more photos button to see a photo of a past client riding on the Wallowa Mountain Rambler.

Get your rambler going!

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours
California Bike Tours
Ride Vermont

Seattle Bike Expo

It was another fun expo though the weather did its darnedest to dampen our spirits. It was cold, damp, rainy, and snowy for a little while on Sunday morning. Surprisingly (or not) the Seattle folks came out in good numbers. As with past Expos there were a wide variety of exhibitors. In my mind it's this diversity that makes the Expo such a cool experience. Thanks to all of you who attended.

During the Expo we (Celia and I) were interviewed by a writer for www.bikingbis.com. You can find the article here.

Burley Nomad Trailer Sales
Looking for a new or used Burley Nomad trailer or know somebody that is? We have a few new and used 2008 trailers for sale that I'll let go at a great price. My 2009 trailers will be arriving soon. Retail price for the 2009 trailer is $349 while retail for the 2008 trailer is $280 (I'll do better than this price). Pop me an email at info@wildheartcycling.com or call 541.815.0748.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours

We're adding new BICYCLING EXPERIENCES!

We plan to offer a self-guided option for the Wallowa Mountain Rambler beginning this season. With a self-guided tour you will receive all the necessary information to tour around Oregon's Wallowa Mountains. I'm still finalizing the details but the plan will be to offer two options:

Option A
We will provide detailed cue sheets and maps. Cue sheets will include info on campgrounds, grocery stores, cafes, bakeries, daily mileages, important road intersections, things to do when not riding, typical weather, travel options to and from the start of the tour, and lodging and dining recommendations in Baker City.

Maps will show the route including an elevation profile for each day's ride.

Option B
This option includes everything in Option A but we take care of all logistics (campground reservations, lodging and dining reservations, and some travel reservations). For a group we can also preorder your food from local grocers along the route.

I decided to offer the self-guided option for those individuals who prefer to travel without the assistance of guides and like the idea of a lower price.

By the end of February the self-guided tour will be on our website. Depending on the response I may roll out more self-guided tours. If you would like to know when the website has been updated with the self-guided details pop me an email at info@wildheartcycling.com. I'll contact you when the info has been posted.

Cheers,
Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon
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Making America a better place to ride

The following link (http://www.obamaurbanpolicy.org/) came from one of my counterparts on the Deschutes County Bike & Pedistrian Committee. Take a look and cast your votes. With a new President coming in now is the time to make our voices heard. Better bicycling infrastructure will improve all our lives.

If you're in the PNW enjoy the warm weather.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Bicycle Tour Changes

The Elkhorn Mountain Rambler is on the website. This is a new tour will rank as one of the quietest tours on paved roads. I'm thrilled we've already received some bookings on this tour.

More changes coming:
Cascade Mountains Sampler
The Cascade Mountains Sampler will be revamped. In effort to further reduce our carbon footprint we will be moving the start and finish of this tour to Eugene, OR. A few improvements come with this change:

• No car shuttle. More riding, less driving.
  
• We avoid Santiam Pass. We were forced onto Santiam when McKenzie Pass was closed for construction. McKenzie Pass is slated to be closed for all of 2009 for paving. I do not know at this time if they will make allowances for bikes.
• Getting to Eugene is easier than getting to Sisters.

An open issue with this change is whether or not we take an extra day at McKenzie Bridge. This extra day would allow us to ride to the top of McKenzie Pass, if open.

Vermont Explorer
We've changed this bicycle tour from a B&B tour to a camping tour. This allows us to significantly lower the price of touring in Vermont while letting us do the meal preparation. Time and time again I find that we consistently prepare better meals than the majority of restaurants. It also allows us to line up a super cool route. I'm hoping to guide it this coming season versus one of our other guides. The route takes us north of Burlington to almost the Canadian border. We also take a rest/down day at Crown Point State Park. This Park offers amazing views of Lake Champlain, Adirondacks, and Vermont Green Mountains. This is a great choice if you prefer to keep your climbing to nothing more than rolling hills. There are no mountain pass climbs through the Green Mountains on this tour.

Other Tours
We've moved our Willamette Wine Tour, Oregon Coast Tour and Strawberry Mountain Sampler to custom bicycle tours. We will run these tours if four or more folks sign up. You get your own tour at the time you want.

It's never to early to plan your bike tour. Here's the 2009 Tour Calendar.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon,
Bicycle Tours in California
Bicycle Tour in Vermont