A First Person Look Inside a Self-Guided Cycling Trip in Northern Italy

We asked a couple of our recent guests to share some thoughts about their experience cycling through the Veneto and the Prosecco Hills during their trip with us so that we could share their experience with others considering a self-guided cycling trip with CyclingHero. These two folks check lots of the same boxes as many of our guests:

• experienced cyclists
• independent-minded and adventurous
• up for tackling some challenging terrain
• seeking beautiful scenery and charming villages
• desirous of higher end but unpretentious accommodations
• a hunger for regional cuisine and local connections
• interest in regional history as well as not-to-be-missed and lesser-known highlights
• a preference for time to themselves or with close friends during their trip

More specifically, Mark and Lindsey are a US couple who train and compete regularly in triathlons and running events. Mark has also been leading guided cycling trips in various locations around the US for many years. The couple knew they didn’t want to share Lindsey’s first trip to Italy with a group of strangers on a typical group bike tour, and their search for an appropriate self-guided cycling trip led them to CyclingHero.

So, Mark and Lindsey, how did your trip planning lead you to CyclingHero?

“Like many couples, we have a trip planner, lodging coordinator, route developer, and travel agent in our house. For us, that’s me (Mark) and it’s a responsibility I truly savour. I enjoy the challenge of planning our vacation and seeing those plans come to fruition. So, when Lindsey and I decided to take a bike trip in Italy I went into full blown planning mode. Highlighted maps soon covered our dining room table, sticky notes with information about where and when to go, how we would transport our bikes and store our bike boxes, how we would move our luggage, would we need a rental car etc., covered every inch of my office desk.”

“We soon realized that planning an international bike trip is a bit more difficult than driving with our bikes to someplace stateside and so, the idea of taking a guided bike trip surfaced. This was quickly shot down, however, since neither of us really enjoy group travel and being tied to a schedule. I believe the quote ‘we don’t need no stinkin’ guided trip’ may have been uttered more than a few times over the course of our planning.”

“We finally decided to search for a compromise between a fully guided trip and me doing the planning, and started looking at other options like self-guided bike trips. When I found CyclingHero while searching online, it seemed to check all the boxes on our list.”

How did you two determine what region of Northern Italy you were interested in visiting?

“After we submitted our initial request for an itinerary that outlined what we had in mind, the CyclingHero founders suggested that we meet via Zoom to further discuss our desired features and answer our questions. This led us to choose a trip in the Veneto and Prosecco Hills, and helped to alleviate our concerns about the trip details and travel planning. We chose the Veneto & Prosecco Hills due to the opportunity to visit Venice, which was roughly an hour from the area we would be cycling in.”

“Riding in the Dolomites is on my (Mark’s) bucket list and I wanted to tackle that challenge but Lindsey, who undoubtedly could handle climbing in the mountains with me, had never been to Venice so we decided to make that a priority. I don’t regret that decision one bit. The riding in the Prosecco Hills and Veneto region is spectacular and the proximity to Venice made it easy to visit. It was like two separate vacations inside of a week, with five days of great cycling, a day in Venice, and a day in Treviso, where CyclingHero is based.”

You two brought your own bikes to Italy from the US. How did that travel go?

“We flew in and out of Venice and everything went very smoothly. We considered flying through Milan and then taking the train to either Venice or Treviso but since we were traveling with bike boxes we opted for the more direct route. Upon arriving in Venice, we were greeted with a Whatsapp message from CyclingHero welcoming us and providing instructions for where to meet our shuttle driver. Yup, a shuttle to and from the airport (including our bikes) was included in our trip. This is something that seems small but is so important, and wasn’t offered by many of the companies I researched. The shuttle took us right to the CyclingHero operations office where we unpacked and assembled our bikes. The company founders, Bob and Caterina (who is a native of Treviso), welcomed us with drinks and snacks, and it was fun to spend time chatting with them. Bob provided a full suite of tools as well as top notch technical assistance, if needed (which it was 😀).”

Did you find the altitude an issue for you?

“We did not but we are pretty fit and the way the trip was designed it didn’t send us into higher elevations right off the bat. We were initially concerned that the riding might be too easy for us during the first couple of days but they don’t refer to the Prosecco Hills as hills without reason! We had lots of great riding and tons of beautiful scenery and small villages to visit before we climbed the famed Monte Grappa.”

Mark, you shared that you have extensive experience guiding bike tours and are comfortable riding on your own. Do you feel that other US cyclists without similar experience would feel comfortable with the level of support that CyclingHero provides each day?

“We found the level of support just right for cyclists who are comfortable riding on their own without guides. The bike computer provided a description of each day along with three route options ranging from easier to difficult. Each option included mileage and elevation gain. All we did was select the route we wanted and started pedaling. What we found especially nice was that the routes led us along lightly traveled roads through picturesque countryside as well as through beautiful ancient towns where we stopped to look around or grab a bite to eat.”  

Were you worried about getting lost in the Italian countryside?

“We weren’t but quickly learned that this wouldn't be an issue anyway. The navigation was handled by a top-of-the-line Hammerhead bike computer that had the routes pre-loaded. If you aren’t familiar with a Hammerhead, as we weren’t, CyclingHero will give you a hands-on lesson when you first meet. The Hammerhead is extremely user friendly and a fantastic navigational tool. It’s impossible to get lost! We intentionally went off course to see how the computer would respond and it navigated us back to the route each time without fail. I’m a Garmin user but will be buying a Hammerhead when it’s time to upgrade. This system is awesome!”

“Along with the Hammerhead, CyclingHero provided a state-of-the-art phone app for tracking our progress. This allowed the CyclingHero folks to precisely follow our location along the route, and we could see where they were with the support vehicle. It was incredible how much pertinent route data the app provided. We knew exactly where to find recommended cafes (gelato and espresso are a must on rides in Italy!), local natural spring water refill points, as well as bike shops.”

“One of the coolest features of the app was the climb data and level of difficulty graph. We knew exactly what we were in for on any given ride. Once you start riding and tracking your location, the app also provides you with a quick call button that places a call directly to Bob and Caterina. It’s a nice feature to have available if you need roadside assistance and you’re concerned about the language barrier. And, though I had the opportunity to practice my rusty Italian, we would have been fine without knowing the language given that all the locals we encountered were very friendly.”

“Another nice support feature that you don’t get with other companies is that Bob and/or Caterina will see you daily, at least once along the route to check-in and resupply you. This was usually before a big climb or near the halfway point of the day. Bob, while transferring our luggage, also met us at the hotel when we finished the ride, ensuring the check-in went smoothly, replenishing our snacks, and checking our bikes. Had it been a wet or dirty ride, he has a portable bike washer to clean bikes (our weather was perfect all week!). CyclingHero enabled us to have a carefree vacation and simply ride from point A to point B, eat fabulous food, drink excellent local wine (mostly local Prosecco!), and sleep very comfortably. They took care of all the rest in a very unobtrusive way.”

“So, going back to your initial question, yes, I absolutely think anyone who is comfortable riding on their own would feel perfectly at ease with the level of support CyclingHero offers for their self-guided bike trips. In fact, I was able to turn my tour operations brain off the second day of the trip because everything was coming off without a hitch.”

You requested at least two nights at each accommodation. Could you provide some insight into that experience?

“Sure. We weren’t looking for lavish accommodations, our only request was to have two nights in each location so we didn’t have to continually be packing and unpacking. The places you selected for us were outstanding and added so much to our overall enjoyment of the trip.”

“They each were located within walking distance to town, if not directly in town, which gave us the access we were looking for to restaurants, bars, and cafes, and enhanced the entire feel of the trip. Each property provided unique, old-world charm along with modern comforts (AC, private bath, TV, wi-fi, small fridge etc.).”

“Our hotel in Soligo was an elegant 18th Century Venetian Villa with beautiful surrounding gardens and a swimming pool, which was perfect for post ride relaxation. The breakfasts here were over the top and delicious.”

“In the medieval hilltop town of Asolo – the highlight of the trip for us outside of the cycling – our hotel was a former tavern that has been converted into suites and overlooked the town piazza. Our suite provided us expansive views of surrounding valleys and the “Prealps'' from its backyard garden. This proved an ideal place for a post ride glass of wine (think Prosecco!) and for morning coffee.”

“In Asolo we chose the homemade breakfast option over a popular local café and it was delicious!  Caterina had stocked the mini fridge with yogurt and drinks and the next morning delivered muffins, a spinach souffle, fruit, granola, and breakfast cookies. Her presentation of the breakfast items is minor in the grand scheme of things but didn’t go unnoticed and confirmed for us their willingness to go the extra step to personalize our vacation and make it memorable.”

Was your self-guided cycling trip with CyclingHero everything you envisioned?  

“Without question. We loved the cycling routes, the scenery, the accommodations, and the unobtrusive level of support. Being able to start each day at whatever time we wanted, choose whatever route we felt like riding, stop along the route whenever we wanted, pursue our own personal interests, and eat meals when and wherever we chose, was exactly what we had hoped for. We also had plenty of opportunities to interact with locals and immerse ourselves in the culture of the region, which was important to us as well. These factors combined to create exactly what we envisioned for our first self-guided cycling trip.“

“You also made our excursion to Venice easy and memorable by providing a recommendation for the best city tour, explaining how to take the water taxi into Venice and the evening train back to Treviso, and by giving us insider tips on areas off the beaten path so we could get a true Venetian experience away from the tourist crowds. None of the Venice itinerary was included in our trip but you (Bob and Caterina) went out of your way to ensure we had a great experience and made the most of our time in Northern Italy.”  

“CyclingHero has opened our eyes to self-guided bike tours and, honestly, it has changed our whole perspective on travel and bike tours. If you’re looking for freedom from group travel and its daily timelines and other constraints, and want to spend more time riding and less time planning, a self-guided cycling trip is the way to go. Bob and Caterina treated us like friends not like customers. It’s refreshing to experience this level of service, local knowledge, and commitment to providing a top-notch vacation. We will definitely be traveling with CyclingHero in the future. Next trip, the Dolomites! Thanks Bob and Caterina, alla prossima!”

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