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.

Laura and Bertrand Marchal

This is where I met Bertrand and Laura and our love of France and cycling in the Gallic land naturally brought us together. Bertrand, a Frenchman who also owns a small catering and private chef business in Telluride, comes from a family long steeped in the tradition of welcoming guests in his native Alsace. It comes as no surprise that one of the highlights of their cycling trips to Alsace typically features a welcome reception/dinner provided by his maman, or mom. From the get-go, travelers are afforded an insider’s look at the culture, history and tradition of la belle France, one that you don’t always experience in the same manner with larger French travel specialists.

Whether you’re looking to tackle some epic Tour de France climbs or just interested in cruising along the Wine Route of Alsace, Cobbles & Corks offers tours and programs for cyclists of varying ability levels and styles. (Yes, some people want to hit it, whereas others just want to soak up the the many wonderful aspects of French life.) Either way, you can bet that copious amounts of French countryside, wine, food and camaraderie are served up with every trip.

Listen to what Bertrand and his wife, Laura, have to say about their homegrown bike touring company in the Travel Fun interview below. Relax, sit back, sip some wine and let them transport you to a land where the cycling—like la bonne cuisine française—leaves you longing for more.

On the Route des Vins en Alsace

Cheers to Cobbles & Corks

Click on the play button below to hear Laura and Bertrand Marchal talk about Cobbles & Corks, cycling in France, the French experience and more.

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