[ORRando] Cycling Invitation

[gordonlitster at shaw.ca]

Hi Fellow Cyclists,

My name is Gord Litster and I am a member of the BC Randonneurs and the 
Sidney Velos, a road bike club in Victoria, BC.  My wife Anita and I are 
hosting 4 bike tours in the hidden jewel of Italy, the province of Abruzzo. 
Our itineraries extend from the stunning Apennine Mountains, in the west, to 
the beautiful Adriatic Beaches in the east. These tours are designed to give 
the cyclist some great riding on country roads, with few cars, while taking 
in some spectacular scenery . Your home base is Valle San Giovanni (where 
Anita grew up), a village with a population of about 400. Olive groves, 
vineyards, sunflowers and picturesque hills of patchwork crops surround the 
village, typical of old Italy. Bread arrives daily and fish is delivered on 
Thursday. Amenities include a small grocery (great deli), fruit and 
vegetable store, post office, hardware store, hairdresser and Italian style 
bar. Daily life is evident and interactions with the locals are unavoidable. 
Beautiful countryside and friendly locals await you. This is a genuine 
Italian experience!  Check out our website for more info. 
www.valletours.com

Tour #1, 6 Days, May 14 to May 19 from $995 Best of our Hub and Spoke  (sold 
out)

Tour #2, 11 Days, May 23 to June 2 $1795( $1595 if booked by Nov.15, 2011, 
group of 4 or more $1455)   From the Appenines to the Adriatic
This is our easiest itinerary, with reduced hills and mileage.  The mileage 
averages about 65 KM per day with one full rest day and a  light beach day. 
The tour is perfect for couples of different abilities.  You really get to 
experience the diversity and beauty of the area. (2 nights are spent outside 
the village, one at a winery and one at agriturismo overlooking the 
Adriatic).

Tour #3, 11 Days, Roadies Tour, June 8 to June 18 $1695 ($1495 if booked by 
Nov. 15,2011)    The Wild Boar Tour
This is our up tempo itinerary designed for the rider comfortable riding in 
a group at a brisk pace.  The diversified countryside of Abruzzo includes 
all types of terrain, great climbs with  spectacular scenery, long thrilling 
descents and flat river valleys for some brisk pace-line riding. Mileage 
ranges from 65 to 110 km per day with one full rest day and a light beach 
day.  On the last Sunday of this itinerary we may partake in one of the 
local Gran Fondos  (http://www.granfondoudaceteramo.it/home.html )  Also, 
one night is spent at one of the best organic wineries in the region.  Note 
on this tour we always have room for a couple of spouses that are not 
cyclists that still want to share a great vacation.

Tour #4, Semi-Guided Tour,  Starting June 24.  Two week options starting at, 
$800/person (other lengths are available, email me with your request from 1 
to 4 weeks)
This tour represents terrific value for those who choose to be a little more 
independent.  A terrific welcome dinner awaits you like all our tours and 2 
full days of guiding you.  You have access to bike shop and a booklet with 
30 different routes to choose from.

-Some meals are included in all tours, details are in the itineraries (email 
for details).
-All accomodation is provided, these are not hotel rooms but clean and 
comfortable village houses that we have
renovated.  Everything is there for you.
-Some of the additional activities we can include or can arrange for 
interested folks are cooking lessons, hikes, shopping trips, wine tasting, 
or a trip to the local olive oil press.
-All tours have a support vehicle, driven by Anita my wife who speaks fluent 
Italian and is from this village.  She is also a practising Register Nurse. 
We have been sending clients to this area for over 10 years.


Please contact us directly at 250-655-4030 any evening or email us at 
gordonlitster at shaw.ca and we can email detailed itineraries,  photos, 
testimonials etc.

Ciao Gord.