“My first ever cycling experience was Watching Eddie Merckx (with my uncle) competing in a circuit race in Monsummano Terme in 1971, the atmosphere, the buzz of excitement, I was 11 years old and fell in love with cycling from that moment on!”
Marco Mori
We are a Tuscan cycling holiday operator based in Montecatini Terme, who specialise only in Tuscany cycling holidays that’s what we do and that’s what we are very good at in offering unforgettable cycling holidays in Tuscany.
A Passion for Cycling…
I am a passionate cyclist and have been obsessed with cycling since my uncle took me to see my first ever professional road race in Monsummano Terme, Tuscany, I was 11 years old.
In 1971 , It was the first time I had ever seen a bike race and the biggest names in cycling were there; Eddy Merckx, Gianni Motta, Franco Bitossi, Felice Gimondi to name just a few. I remember being hooked on the atmosphere, colour, the speed of the riders and the crowd shouting Allez Allez as they came past each lap it was just electric. It was a day I have never forgotten.
O
ver 30 Years in the Travel tour operating Industry
My career has always been in the travel industry, I have a great deal of tour operating experience, having spent time working for Cosmos and Quo Vadis Travel in London before joining Disneyland Resort Paris for 12 years working in a variety of senior roles, followed up with specialist operator Leger Holidays before deciding to start my own business.
My passion for cycling developed whilst working for Disneyland Resort Paris when I decided to organise two large Charity cycle tours in 2000 from the UK and 2002 from Belgium both to Disneyland Resort Paris, raising over £150k for the charity “Macmillan Nurses.”
Following this experience, I decided to develop further the idea of cycle tours for friends to Europe, I decided in 2010 to start my own cycling tour operation to Tuscany to capitalise on my passion for cycling, my tour operating experience, and the family base in Montecatini Terme.
My varied experience of 30 years in the travel industry and contacts plus a large array of supplier partners built up over a number of years, allows me to provide with confidence the perfect holiday experience in terms of adventure, culture, and unforgettable Tuscan cycling holiday memories.
In 2013 I signed the agreement to bring L’eroica vintage bike event based in Gaiole in Chianti (Tuscany) ride to Bakewell in the UK in the heart of the Peak District National Park and as ride director, I was one of 4 colleagues who put on a truly amazing vintage cycle festival and ride event in Bakewell from 2014 onwards.
My key responsibilities were to create 3 ride routes and all the logistics to manage the ride, from liaising with various villages and government agencies to Volunteers, Food suppliers, medical cover, mechanics, broom wagon, signage etc it was a significant task, especially when you’re managing nearly 4,700 riders who participate in an event.
My mission is to make people happy to that end my attention to detail to all logistics of the holiday will ensure my customers have the best holiday of a lifetime experience.
Operations & Logistic Support Manager – Massimo Chirli
Massimo Chirli has a great passion for cycling, he knows the Tuscan territory like the back of his hand, both on and off road. A professional in the tourism sector for “Gran Turismo”, his knowledge of the tourist routes in Tuscany is extensive.
Gusto Services
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- I am here to design your ideal cycling holiday into an unforgettable experience if you are experienced or non-experienced cyclists drawn to Tuscany cycling is a great way to explore the region.
- You have your own unique needs and I will be able to provide a tailor-made itinerary which is my specialty and experience as I cater for a diverse range of customers wishing to experience this fascinating region.
- The bespoke itinerary is based on your requirements and interest, with this information at an early stage, I can make suggestions for places to visit or how best to spend you’re time and provide the best experience during the tour. My attention to detail of my cycling notes will make you very aware of what to look forward to well before you arrive in Tuscany so you can read up the experience to come.
- My tours are not in major cities but secondary towns and villages off the main roads in most cases where there is less traffic and to experience lesser know places of interest which will make you feel you’re getting to know the area better.
- New feature is my daily contact with customers whilst on tour, I make a point of texting or emailing each day, to see how their day has been and to make any last-minute recommendations if needed.
- I will be able to handpick the accommodation, providing a nice mix of good quality hotels and agriturismo’s to give you a balanced flavour of Tuscany.
- Arrange to deliver the bikes of your choice to the start of the tour – you can choose Hybrid, E-bike, or Carbon bikes all with helmets/puncture kit/water bottle – all bikes are serviced before the bikes are delivered – they also come with a bike lock.
- I create bespoke GPS routes (ride with GPS)of your tours highlighting on each day places for coffee and lunch break recommendations and wine visit where appropriate all via GPS cycling application which you can download to your Garmin or iPhone. It’s a very easy application to use, I always provide a text route from your home address to test the application so you can fully understand how it works. I have used this application throughout 2018 and it’s worked very well with all my clients. All you need is an iPhone cycling mount to place on the handlebars.
- Arrange airport transfers to the start of your holiday when you first arrive or when you finish the tour unless you wish to take the train to the airport.
- Arrange on the last day when you check out of your hotel a transfer to the nearest train station in order to take the train to your onward journey.
- Inside Knowledge of the area you are cycling, in order to give you the very best experience of the region and provide places to stop for coffee, lunch and wine tasting or places of interest.
- I pride myself on being a very passionate advocate of cycling in Tuscany and with 10 years experience in cycling tours totally focused on Tuscany allows me to provide you provide a great cycling holiday experience.
Don’t take my word for it see this link to trip-advisor for the way I handle personally my clients travel and tour arrangements in order.
If you wish to decide on your own itinerary:
Just give me an idea where you want to go and when, and I’ll put together a custom itinerary that suits your interests, your schedule, and your budget, including all the logistics. The important consideration is cost: you can decide at what level of accommodation you would like to have the finest hotels, villas, farmhouses, or agriturismo. If you need more information just contact me at marco@gustocycling.com.
