Colorado Cycling French Provinces Podcasts Telluride Travel Trip Planning: Colorado Cycling French Provinces Podcasts Telluride Travel Trip Planning
by maribeth
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Cobbles & Corks: A Boutique Bike Touring Company
Bike Touring Through Alsace with Cobbles & Corks
Alsace in Its Rosy Splendor
Food, wine, travel, bicycling—now that’s a recipe for a successful trip. Add France as the destination, a Frenchman with local ties that has lived in the U.S. for over two decades and his wife that draws on her experience in the hospitality industry, and you’ve found an excellent formula for a very special trip. The bike touring company Cobbles & Corks is even cooler than that since owners Bertrand and Laura Marchal live in Telluride, Colorado, a town known for hosting a good time in drop dead gorgeous surroundings.
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Colorado Crested Butte Cycling Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Writing & Books: Colorado Crested Buttte Cycling Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Bike Culture of Crested Butte
The Bike Culture of Crested Butte
Sailing Down the Ski Hill in Crested Butte
Fat tires, skinny tires, town cruisers, sleek road bikes, bouncy mountain bikes—you name it, everywhere you turn in this freewheeling mountain town in the summer, you see a cyclist, a bike, a bike part or a bike path popping into view. I’ve been to many mountain towns across the Rockies, yet never have I observed so many bike doings as here in Crested Butte, Colorado. A bike mecca for sure, perhaps largely due to its glorious network of trails (many single track) and the fact that mountain biking took off here in the 1970s after some locals began retrofitting old Schwinns with gears and took to the hills. Since then, the bike culture has done nothing but grow to the point that people of all ages and ability levels can’t help joining in on the fun when they land in this stunning mountain town.
This morning I went out for a little power hike on the ski mountain. Did I feel out of place not being on two wheels? Not at all. Instead, I enjoyed hoofing about at my own pace and observing the biking activities both up close and from afar. From the bike wash station to the easy bike loading setup at the gondola, I realized Crested Butte is a mountain resort destination that takes cycling seriously. I meandered up my own single track that accommodated two-way hikers and uphill bikers, a sinuous path bordered by fields of wildflowers, where I could take in the full expanse of CB’s alpine setting and still boost my heart rate and break a little sweat.
Colorado Cycling Denver Telluride Travel Writing & Books: Colorado Cycling Denver Telluride Travel Writing & Books
by maribeth
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Pro Cycling Fun Wrap Up
Awaiting the Arrival of the Peloton in Telluride
Whoa, what a week it was last week, a wonderful time for cycling fans and lovers of big, colorful happenings. Colorado was blessed with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a terrific seven-day race that had many of the world’s top cyclists traversing some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Multi-colored ribbons of premiere athletes crisscrossed the Rockies with all the excitement and fanfare of the Queen’s jubilee.
Art & Culture Cycling Food & Wine French Life French Provinces Girl Talk Hotels & Lodging Paris Restaurants Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books: Art & Culture Cycling Food & Wine French Life French Provinces Girl Talk Hotels & Lodging Paris Restaurants Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books
by maribeth
2 comments
A Tour of the Heart and KOTO Love
My New Book: A TOUR OF THE HEART
Last year around this time, I celebrated a milestone birthday. I was grateful that I was feeling healthy and well, the most fit I’d been in ages and ten pounds thinner (a rarity for me since my weight never fluctuates). Here I am a year later having perhaps gained back five of those pounds—I don’t really know since I stopped weighing myself (a good sign of maturity). And now I’m two days away from another b-day with something far more significant to celebrate—a new book!
Twelve years. Yes, twelve years. I can’t believe it myself. It was twelve years ago that I began to plan a trip that would forever change my life. I actually took that trip in the fall of 2000. We all have transformative events and travels in our lives. I just happen to take a lot of notes on mine. “A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France” is the fruit of all that note taking and so much more.” Click here to see a preview and download excerpts. I hope you’ll enjoy the read. Books are rolling into bookstores now; be sure to ask for it if you don’t readily see it on the shelf. You can also purchase it as a paperback through amazon now or as an eBook on kindle.
Since it’s KOTO fundraising time and I love my NPR-station here in Telluride, Colorado, you can receive a free e-book with every $20. donation and a free paperback with every $30. donation. Books sell for $8. and $20. respectively. Contact me directly through this site to make your donation. Also, if you enjoy Travel Fun, my talk radio show on travel, and the podcasts of those interviews I post here on this blog, please make a pledge or donation to KOTO as well. For that also, it’s best to contact me directly. Community radio is a rare breed in the U.S. and ours is almost entirely supported by caring people like you.
I will be talking about “A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France,” on Travel Fun tomorrow, August 21, at 6 p.m. mountain time. You can also tune in on the Internet at KOTO.org at the time of the broadcast. I hope to post that interview as a podcast on this blog within the upcoming week.
One more thing: Click here to become a fan of A Tour of the Heart on Facebook.
Merci!
Colorado Cycling Music & Dance Telluride: Colorado Cycling Music & Dance Telluride
by maribeth
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Cycling, Music and More Take Over Telluride
Telluride is gearing up for a big week of fun next week. As of this weekend, the town’s sure to be hopping with pre-race partying for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The cyclists roll into town on Monday, August 20, a sight sure to be one of the most spectacular of their whole Colorado tour. There’s going to be excitement all day long in Telluride town park before the big finish. You’ll be able to follow the race from this drop-dead gorgeous setting on big-screen TVs, shop at the vendors’ mini boutiques, eat and drink beer to your heart’s delight. Did I say there will be live music, too? Oh, yeah—it’s going to be a fun day all around.
Colorado Cycling Shopping The Rockies: Colorado Cycling Shopping The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Bike and Ski Race Cowbells from Alpen Schatz
Bike and Ski Race Cowbells from Alpen Schatz
Authentic Swiss Cowbells from Alpen Schatz
What’s a bike or a ski race without cowbells? Follow in the tradition of some of the great European sporting events and ring your bell to show your enthusiasm as the athletes pass. Did you know they prefer the din of ringing cowbells over cheers or other noises to root them on? That’s what I’ve heard.
Colorado Cycling Denver Podcasts Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Cycling Denver Podcasts Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
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Pro Cycling Hits Colorado
Pro Cycling in the Rockies
“It’s one of the most exciting events in the world. You get a chance to see some of the world’s best athletes—certainly in cycling. You get to do it in beautiful places like Telluride, Vail and Aspen. The best part is it’s free,” says Shawn Hunter, CEO of USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Listen to more of what Shawn says about this exciting event that’s taking place in Colorado August 20-26 by clicking on the play button below.
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Colorado Cycling Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies Travel: Colorado Cycling Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Telluride, Colorado: A Real Winter Wonderland
Main Street, Telluride
It’s that time of year again, the frosty season when you stand on main street in Telluride, Colorado and feel like you can reach out and touch the massive, snowy peaks in front of you. Sure, this view is nothing short of spectacular all year long yet in winter, the light and the snow render these looming monoliths even more awe-inspiring. Add to that old Western and Victorian buildings blanketed in snow, folks trudging through the streets with ski gear in tow, puppies and people practically skipping down the street—and suddently you realize it’s a Norman Rockwell scene like none you’ve ever taken in before.
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