(EMAILWIRE.COM, February 04, 2010 ) SINTRA, Portugal – An easy way to ensure your holiday will not add to your carbon footprint is to take a cycling tour. Ditch the planes, trains and automobiles and hop on a two-wheeled green alternative. Cycling through the Centuries offers specialty trips throughout Portugal, Spain and South Africa. CTTC organizes itineraries that take guests through the nooks and crannies not often seen by visitors using personal automobiles or public transit. Adventurers spend their days cycling through gorgeous countryside and their nights being wined and dined at boutique luxury luxury accommodations.
Travelers can rest assured that their star treatment will not come at Mother Nature’s expense. CTTC has a grassroots environmental policy. From office recycling to a strict no-block-booking policy, they really make every effort to ‘clean up their act’. Recently they shifted to using 100% natural and biodegradable lubricants and cleaners on the bike fleet. CTTC uses bio-fuel in the support vehicle where possible, they recycle everything that is used in the van (water jugs, plastic wrappers), and picnics consist of local produce with no throw away plastic plates. When designing a tour, bus shuttles are avoided as much as possible and routes are worked out so that guests can almost always ride the full distance from point A to point B without ever having to finish or start a ride in the van.
In addition to keeping an eye out for Mother Nature, cyclists will be keeping an eye out for themselves. Every New Year, hoards of us promise to live a healthier lifestyle and become more fit. While cycling, an average 160 pound person burns anywhere from 634 to 750 calories an hour. While itÂ’s seemingly lavish to eat your way through Tuscany on what any other day would be considered a 9-day food binge, nothing is more luxurious than returning from exploring exotic Portugal looking svelter than ever.
Cycling with CTTC consists of daily rides anywhere from 20 to 60 miles in length. Difficulty of course depends on what region travelers are cycling in. The Douro Valley Wine trip tours through large rolling hills while Cape Escape travels long lengths along the coast and through the grasslands of South Africa. Every trip has something a little different to offer in terms of cycling. The tour directors at CTTC are avid cyclists themselves and design their trips catering to individuals that want more than a lackadaisical bike ride. However, guests comfort and enjoyment is their number one concern. Support vehicles are on hand for weary riders and more than enough time is allotted each day for riders of all abilities to safely make their journey.
Make 2010 a year to experience travels in a different light. Take a life changing adventure for a better earth and a better you! For more information on CTTC, contact Catherine Deffense at info@cycling-centuries.com.
