Joy and I jumped at the opportunity to carry on Outfitter Bicycle Tours in 2010. A big part of our enthusiasm was due to our vision to develop a community. A community with more than a simple business relationship with each “customer.” OBT prefers to use the term “guest” and believe it better reflects how we treat people we are fortunate enough to work with.
We regularly hear back from our guests and love to share what they say. It takes one quick look at our testimonials page to see what it is like to work with us. Yes, we are bragging, but these guest messages are what drives OBT forward and to continuously improve.
Here are some of our latest messages from guests:
The Hartman Family (Burgundy Self Guided 2014): Riding through the Burgundy region of France with stops in Beaune, Nolay, Sainte Sabine, and Dijon was the biking tour of a lifetime for our family of eight. The relaxed tour met the riding prowess of our adult children, their partners and Steve and Betty, the ‘mature’ parents. The villas in the valleys, mountain top scenery of vineyards and farmland, wine tasting, and daily delectable cuisine provided an enchanting introduction to this beautiful country. Each day brought new scenes of Charolaise cattle, stately wineries and charming country stops along the way. Biking made it possible to stop at any given time to take in the beauty, gaze upon the vineyard workers, walk the quaint towns, explore palatial country estates, and greet other bikers along the way. This was the perfect way to spend family time together!
Steve & Betty Hartman, Katie Hartman & Mike Ferguson, Becca & Sam Hartman-Pickerill, Jon & Lindsay Hartman
P.S. The careful and excellent detailed preplanning, reservations, and auxiliary service were well done and made our trip easy and seamless!
The Hartman Family in Burgundy
Handwritten note from Betty Hartman
Victor Fritz & Julie Krumwiede (Northern California Craft Beer Guided Tour – 2014): The customer service provided by Outfitter Bicycle Tours (OBT) was outstanding and far exceeded our expectations. First of all, communications were excellent before, during, and after the tour. Since this was our first tour with OBT, we had questions about their ability to support our tandem road bike during the tour and what hotels we should consider booking before and after the tour. All questions were promptly answered and additional information about the tour was provided well in advance of the tour. During the tour, each morning the day’s itinerary was discussed and detailed daily route sheets were distributed. And, OBT was always available in person or by phone throughout the daily ride to answer questions and provide additional information updates as needed. After the tour, OBT created a drop box for us to share photos with each other, and they followed up with surveys to obtain feedback for improvement. Second, the daily support on the road each day was excellent. OBT loaned us a GPS with all of the routes preloaded, and the OBT team car was available more often than we needed. They were constantly offering water and food to everyone on the ride and checking in to see that everyone was doing okay or if anyone needed assistance. They were definitely prepared to pick up bikes and riders whenever needed during the day. It felt good knowing that you were on your own to ride at your own pace, but help was only minutes away. Additionally, OBT was very flexible and offered options for the days ride and meals. They were intent on making sure everyone thoroughly enjoyed their vacation.
We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this tour – well thought out bike routes, very good hotel accommodations (nice, clean rooms and substantial breakfasts), and excellent choice of breweries and brewery restaurants (including brewery tours when available). It was obvious that a great deal of attention to detail had been given to this tour and customer service and client satisfaction was of utmost importance to OBT.
We will definitely take another tour with OBT in the future.
Victor Fritz & Julie Krumwiede
Victor Fritz & Julie Krumwiede on their Tandem
Todd & Tanya Mace (Tuscany Self Guided Tour – 2014): Tuscany area in Italy was delightful… beyond our imaginable expectations. Outfitter Bicycle Tours were wonderful- Jamie Gilpin is an excellent communicator and responds quickly to questions and needs. Bruno Baldini is an excellent tour guide, responsive, on time and a skilled cyclist. The trip was challenging, and gave us a lot of confidence in our road handling skills. We loved taking the daily rides on our schedule, stopping to take pictures and more pictures! The food and hotel recommendations were outstanding. The tour is one we will never forget… The medieval cities all built on top of hills/mountains, surrounded by fortresses and stone walls, the towers, hidden passages, narrow winding city streets, the switchbacks… and the way Italians create beauty any and everywhere! We totally fell in love with the simple beauty, and came home inspired to create beauty here. We have plans to definitely do another tour. Overall, an A+++ trip full of fantastic memories!
Todd & Tanya Mace in Tuscany
