ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours is partnering with gourmet market Whole Foods on “Active Foodie” cycling adventures to Provence and Tuscany this fall. The eight-day guided bicycle tours, priced at $4,295 per person based on a double booking, will focus on sourcing healthy foods and highlights of local culture. The excursions are part of Whole Foods’ Whole Journeys program to connect its customers to the culture of food in various regions.
In 1972 ExperiencePlus! became the first North American tour company to offer guided cycling adventures in Europe. The Pedaling Provence trip will run from October 11-18 to coincide with the annual olive harvest and will average 8 to 31 miles of riding a day. Culinary highlights include Mediterranean feasts accompanied by Côtes-de-Rhône wines, artisanal olive oils, and Provençal herbs and cheese. The trip begins in the historical village of Arles and continues to olive oil mecca St. Rémy, the Roman quarries of Les Baux and the melon fields in the Luberon.
The Toscana in Bicicletta trip from September 28 to October 5 is focused on the Chianti Classico wine region south of Florence and Siena, and involves an average of 32 miles a day. From Siena guests will cycle south to Bagno Vignoni, a Roman spa town in the Val D'Orcia, followed by vineyard and wine cellar visits, and a cooking class with artisanal ingredients. Participants will be introduced to regional specialties like pecorino di fossa (sheep's cheese served with marmalade and honey), and the extremely tender cut of meat known as chianina from the local breed of cattle.