I'll admit that I wouldn't normally book something like this, but my friend Kiel insisted that he had the best time with his wife Carly on this exact tour, and that I MUST GO. I brushed it off, until I realized that the meeting spot was a two minute walk from my apartment.
The tour was full of people from all over the world, including honeymooners from Minneapolis, a family from Isle of Man, and an environmental engineer from Australia. The first part involved touring a castle for a wine and olive oil tasting, while the second portion involved actually riding a bike up and down the hilly paths of Tuscany.
Every bike had a name, and I was assigned to Brad Pitt.
As we started the tour, I couldn't believe how natural it felt to be on a bike again. I basked in the feeling of complete freedom, as Brad and I made our way through the sun drenched roads of Tuscany. However, some hill portions were more challenging than others and I found myself regretting all those scoops of gelato I consumed the week prior.
Halfway through the ride, we stopped for a lovely sit down lunch to gorge on pasta and relax before the tougher portion of the ride. Post-lunch, I was ready to get moving so I jumped on Brad and while exiting the restaurant, I fell.
I was turning Brad Pitt's handlebars (how's that for a visual?) and because I was on gravel the wheels gave. I scraped up my hand pretty bad, and was mortified as the two young, male bike instructors had to run to my rescue, while everyone watched. After that, I was a bit more nervous on my bike, but still tried to keep up with the group.
Anyways, besides Brad's extreme betrayal of me (now I know how Jennifer Aniston felt,) I was happy that I forced myself to do something out of my regular travel routine. The hilltops of Tuscany made me feel like I was Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun, even though I don't think she ever rides a bike in that movie.
Below are some photos I took (not while riding, obviously) and here is a link to their website. Enjoy! x
