(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, November 21, 2013 ) FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Veteran bicycle tour operator ExperiencePlus! is launching three new tours for the 2014 season. Best known for their immersive and original cycling itineraries through Italy, this award-winning outfitter has since grown to offer two-wheeled explorations all over the world, spanning 22 countries. This year, they are expanding their ever-growing offerings adding tours to Verdant Umbria, Paris to Marseille and from Poland to Hungary.
The 8-day bicycle tour through Verdant Umbria showcases lush valleys and rolling mountains, crisscrossed by rivers and studded by quaint medieval cities. Often referred to in literature as "the green heart of Italy," Umbria is the only region in Italy with neither coastline nor international border, but nestled in its verdant countryside are some of the country's most treasured olive groves and vineyards. Departing from Spoleto, travelers pedal through small towns like Bevagna and Torgiano, and pause to enjoy walking tours of the major art hubs of Assisi and Perugia. ExperiencePlus! cyclists can sample Rubesco and Sagrantino, two precious Umbrian red wines, as well as Italy's famed Vin Santo, or "Holy Wine," a beautifully sweet, amber-colored dessert wine. Short daily mileage encourages all riders to take advantage of in-depth exploration of the region—both on and off the bike. The itinerary through Verdant Umbria departs in May and September and costs $3325 per person.
While bicycling Paris to Marseille, travelers experience the fairytale landscapes of France's beautiful forests and countryside on a journey from chic city to the exciting multicultural Mediterranean port. This 12-day tour is a route steeped in history taking cyclists through the Loire River valley with stops at Roman ruins and Renaissance châteaux—including the breathtaking Palace and Park of Fontainebleau. Much of the ExperiencePlus! tour traces the route of Annie Londonderry, who in 1895 became the first woman to bicycle around the world solo—on her 42-pound Columbia bicycle. After a stop in beautiful Lyon, renowned for its authentic French cuisine and its perennial appearance as a stage city in the Tour de France™, cyclists will continue through the famed Côte du Rhône wine region, cycle past legendary Mont Ventoux, and wind through the pastoral Provençal region of southern France. This new tour departs in May and August and costs $4895 per person.
The ExperiencePlus! bicycle tour from Krakow, Poland to Budapest, Hungary captures a thousand years of central European history over the 12-day ride. On this unique cycling trip, travelers follow an ancient trade route through the small towns, agricultural lands and the Tatra Range of the Carpathian Mountains. Making stops at several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and historical attractions along the way, travelers pedal through three separate Soviet satellite countries, observing the influence of nearly 50 years of socialist rule. ExperiencePlus! travelers ride along a beautiful pedestrian path through Pieniny National Park in Slovakia, soak in the rural culture of Central Europe’s countryside and feel awe while observing the beautiful architecture constructed from the 12th through the 19th centuries. This tour departs in June and August and costs $4150 per person.
