Bicycle touring companies promise a sweet ride.
In a 2006 Bicycling magazine article, Bruce Hildenbrand named the Napa and Sonoma valleys among the top seven places in the world to ride. To quote: “Perhaps because pasta, the cornerstone of the cycling diet, virtually demands to be enjoyed with wine, these adjacent Wine Country regions in Northern California have become synonymous with good riding.”
Bike touring companies, often the first point of contact for bike-riding visitors, organize memorable vacations that combine the best services in the valleys—and keep these tourists coming back for more. Year after year, visiting bicyclists are steadily increasing the bottom line for many hospitality-related companies, including restaurants, wineries, hotels and spas.
Why bike?
“When you’re cycling, it’s participatory,” says Cindy Hesse, vice president of sales and marketing for Napa Valley Bike Tours (NVBT) in Yountville. “It’s a different wine touring experience. All senses are engaged—sights, sounds, smells and tastes are wide awake—and the valley is more alive. Winery experiences are heightened. The day’s not a blur. It’s fabulous.”
Napa Valley Bike Tours was established 20 years ago as a bicycle rental and self-guided tour company, but when current owner Brad Dropping purchased the business in 2005, he transformed it into a bicycling vacation company. “Our goal is to set up a vacation for our guests,” says Dropping, who used to race mountain bikes. “They can start their vacation any day they’d like. They’re not tied into a set schedule, because we don’t just offer tours once a month during peak season; we run 365 days a year.”
The company offers guided tours (one guide per 10 guests) with van support, meaning if a tourist doesn’t feel like continuing on bicycle, the van can pick him or her up and complete the tour that way. Using a van has other benefits as well.
“There used to be—and sometimes still is—a perception by wineries that bike riders pull into the tasting rooms, try the wine, fill up their water bottles and leave without purchasing anything,” says Dropping. “Our riders can buy wine and load it into the van.”
Why is bike riding so popular?
“I think it’s become a popular sport in the United States because of Lance Armstrong and other prominent cyclists. Interest in the Tour de France has definitely furthered cycling’s popularity. Also as the baby boomers age, they’re finding that cycling is something they can do later in life that’s not as hard as running is on the knees, ankle joints, pelvic joints and other organs.”
Hesse adds, “It’s also something people can do and share together. It lends itself to group activity, and no one needs to be a serious athlete.”
One of the company’s most popular tours is the “Ride, Wine and Dine” vacation, which settles riders into a hotel at their price point and sets out each day to four different wineries, with lunch at the third. Most of the terrain is a flat and easy ride. Each day covers new ground, and the rides can be interspersed with a spa package, golf trip, tennis and the like.
For serious cyclists, NVBT has the “Wine Country Club Ride,” which offers a challenging ride in the morning before meeting up with the “Ride, Wine and Dine” group for lunch.
“In couples, we find that one is usually the ‘serious cyclist’ and one the ‘spouse of the cyclist,’” explains Dropping. “Usually, the cyclist is so happy their companion is even participating, they can start early and have pure, guilt-free riding for 25 miles before meeting up for lunch.”
As another nod to the variety of skill levels, riders can choose between three types of bikes. For serious cyclists, there are racing-style road bikes and full-suspension mountain bikes. Tandems, recumbents, child trailers and even electric bikes are also available, depending on the company. The most popular choice, though, is the hybrid, a cushy and comfortable cross between a mountain bike and a road bike.
Bikes are upgraded every season or season and a half, helmets are required and a safety orientation must be completed prior to touring. The average tour for the casual cyclist lasts about six leisurely hours.
“Our tours are about 20 miles long, but they’re broken up with stops every four or five miles,” says Hesse. “They’re designed for the tourist rather than the cyclist. Recently we had a family who brought their 76-year-old mother, and she had no trouble.”
Strategic alliances
To give tourists an unforgettable experience, bike vacation companies establish relationships with local hotels, restaurants, wineries and other recreational businesses. “We can arrange hotels, dining activities, ballooning, spa treatments, horseback riding, kayaking and even limousine tours, all in-house,” explains Dropping. “Everything we’re doing is a win-win. The hotels give our guests a good time, we have a great tour, the restaurants provide a superb meal. Everyone does their part and, that way, achieves more by working together.”
Hesse agrees. “We drive our business by aligning partnerships with, for example, the Villagio Inn and Spa here in Yountville. Many of our guests find us online or by word-of-mouth. We have fabulous return of previous guests, who often bring groups because they liked the package. It’s a great feeling when the team works hard to give guests a positive experience. There’s a lot of satisfaction.”
Erin Riley is director of group sales for Vintage Estate, which owns and operates the Villagio Inn. “Hotels typically have bikes available for their guests, but the tour companies offer a different experience that ties into dining and wine tasting,” says Riley. “It’s a nice addition for our guests. It’s fun to be outside and feel like you’ve gotten exercise. We have groups from Napa Valley Bike Tours here every week. It’s been good for business and is a wonderful partnership.”
Bob Hurley is chef and owner of Hurley’s Restaurant in Yountville. “We have a large bicycling clientele for several reasons,” he says. “We’re right in the middle of town, so we have great exposure, and we have a huge patio with a secure area for bicycles.
“We find bicyclists, generally, are outgoing and love to sit and watch the world go by from the patio. Also, they like our lighter, ‘California Wine Country’ food. They can stop and have lunch or join us at the bar at the end of the day. They’re very good customers who like to have fun. Our partnership with Napa Valley Bike Tours has been great.”
Wineries also have good things to say about bicyclist visitors. “We’re bike enthusiasts at Bouchaine winery—and not just because our winemaker and general manager, Mike Richmond, is a cyclist,” says Donna Burk, hospitality manager. “A number of bike companies stop throughout the week, and they’re wonderful. Often [people who first came as part of a bike tour] become long-term customers. To me, it’s a great group to have here. We’re in Carneros, so people have to seek us out; it’s nice to have this [bicycle] business in our area.”
Lee Hodo is director of brand development for Bouchaine. “Since we’re out in the boondocks, it’s a good ride,” she says. “They’re absolutely great customers. They often sign up for our wine club. It’s not important for us to just have them buy wine from us, but it’s also a way to gain friends.”
And after a day of riding, a little indulgence is in order. “After they’ve ridden hard, they can come to us to have their muscles plied,” says Wil Anderson, owner of Veranda Club Spa in Yountville. “Cyclists have an awareness that, after they’ve put their bodies to the test, they need to recover. We’re delighted that Napa Valley Bike Tours is putting [all the pieces] together. We think of ourselves as a refuge to really recover, not just pampering. Cyclists are becoming more aware of what it takes to keep doing what they like to do.”
Call for a good time
Doug and Penny McKesson owned the Goodtime Bike Shop in Boyes Hot Springs from 1975 to 2001, but “the touring business was evolving faster than the retail, so we closed the shop and became Goodtime Touring Company,” says Doug. “We’ll still deliver and pick up rental bikes to inns and B&Bs, but the biggest part of our business now is guided tours and customized tour packages. We have a good list of corporate clients now, but at first, we had to explain to wineries that we provide van support, and convince them we’d pick up purchased wine and deliver it to our customers. They’d say, ‘no bikes,’ and I’d tell them they were missing out.”
Though McKesson won’t hazard a guess as to how much money bike tourists bring into the Sonoma economy, “I do think bike folks in general are affluent,” he says. “They like food, they’re healthy, so they like wine and will spend the money going to nice restaurants. I don’t think people realize the economic impact. Young people today make serious bucks. They don’t just come here for the day and go home. Some have second homes here.”
“Typically, our clients stop at three wineries and at Vella Cheese, which only gives tours to us,” says McKesson, who was mayor of Sonoma in 2006. “I’m proud of this town, and we have good rapport with all the folks on our tours. Our clients get a sense that Sonoma is a friendly place. We can tailor a tour if the group aren’t wine drinkers; we’ll take them to see the wood-burning oven and taste bread at Preston Vineyards or to the gardens at Ferrari-Carano. People on bikes are looking to move at [a more leisurely] pace; they all have fun.”
Large corporate groups pose the biggest challenge to Goodtime Touring Company, McKesson admits. “We want everyone to have a personal experience, and so we try to make contact with each person. That’s difficult in a larger group, but corporate groups are important to us, so we’ll tailor our tours to meet their needs.”
Many Goodtime customers come because of recommendations by friends. The company also received a positive review in Frommer’s Travel Guide.
“We work with a lot of hotels,” says Penny. “Every morning we lead a bike tour for guests at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa.”
Michelle Heston, regional director of public relations with Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, says cyclists perfectly fit their demographic. “They’re active adults who enjoy great food, wine and want an adventure. We get a lot of guests looking for fitness; bicyclists are a great, and nice, part of our business.”
A cycling Mecca
“Bike people are overlooked in terms of how much money they bring to Healdsburg,” says John Mastrianni, owner of Wine Country Bikes. “Sonoma County is a Mecca for cycling. Our company specializes in self-guided tours, but we also do guided, single-day and occasional group guided tours. We find we’re often the first point of contact for someone planning a trip, so we recommend a number of inns and restaurants to our customers.”
One frequent Wine Country Bikes recommendation is the Camellia Inn in Healdsburg. “As an innkeeper, I’m pleased that bicyclists appreciate our countryside and enjoy what we have to offer,” says owner Lucy Lewand. “They’re very interested in what’s going on in the community—not just wine tasting, but the whole natural beauty of the area. Working with John has brought me a lot of guests midweek, which is nicer for them because there’s not as much traffic. We have a swimming pool and they can plunge in after a ride.”
Biking is so popular in Healdsburg that the Chamber of Commerce’s major fund-raiser is the Harvest Century Tour, which offers cyclists a choice of three distance rides (a metric century of about 61 miles as well as 40- and 23-mile options) and winds through the Dry Creek and Alexander Valley areas. The 21st annual Harvest Century Tour takes place July 21.
“Last year, the Harvest Century Tour grossed $80,000,” says Lynn Woznicki, president/CEO of the Healdsburg Chamber and Visitors Bureau. “That’s almost 25 percent of our gross budget, and money that’s spent [by the cyclists who participate] goes back into the community. In consideration of the neighbors, we choose to limit the number of riders to 1,000. The bicyclists who participate eat, drink and stay here—and spend money on related services, such as bike shops.”
Bikes take the track
One weekend a year, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma opens its motorsports venue to human-powered vehicles. Now in its fourth year, the Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic brings together amateur and professional mountain bikers, gravity racers, road cyclists and recreational enthusiasts for games and races. This year, the event will take place July 6-8.
“We’re going to have a lot of activities,” says Hannah Philbin, coordinator of the Cougar Mountain Classic. “This is a wonderful event for children to be outside and see the bike riders as role models. We also partner with hotels and wineries. Ravenswood is the official wine of the event.”
“I’m a bike enthusiast, and this is an outstanding venue,” says Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. “Last year, we hosted the National Mountain Biking Championship and had more than 3,500 people. We take pride in the variety of events that take place here; we’re the only track in the country that hosts all types of motorsports. We like the versatility of adding bicycles and introducing them to this terrific facility.”
From small inns to luxury resorts, cafés to fine dining, bicycle tourists bring an environmentally friendly boost to the economy. So, share the road.
