Today is President's Day, which falls on the third Monday in February and honors all US Presidents. Before there was a President's Day, Washington's Birthday was celebrated every February 22 and was declared a Federal holiday in 1885. 

In the late 19th century, Washington's Birthday was known as Bicycle Day. According to an Atlantic article originally published in 2015:  "... cyclists used the public holiday to hold bicycle races before cheering throngs. Local bike stores opened their doors to entice the race-day crowds, bringing them in off the snowy streets to preview the pleasures of spring."

Today seems like an fitting day to preview my upcoming bicycle tour. I’m heading off to Europe next week for a three month stay that will include three distinct cycle tours, each interspersed with brief (for me) interludes in Paris. I think of it as one tour with three acts.

I’ll arrive in Paris on Mar 1 and stay just long enough to recover from jet lag before hopping on a plane to Marrakesh for Act I – an 8 day guided tour into the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It’s a place that I’m hesitant to tour alone, so my quest for adventure requires such a group outing.  I previously had a fantastic tour in Southeast Asia with this same company and so eagerly anticipate their version of  “Authentic Morocco.” And who knows, I may run into the intrepid Racpat somewhere in the Dades Valley.

After returning to Paris on Mar 12, I’ll have almost a week to stroll the city streets and catch some spring art expositions before the opening of Act II – a one month solo tour in Andalusia. The planned route is an abridged version of one I scheduled for last spring but had to cancel when I incurred a high ankle sprain on my first day in Paris. The current plan is to begin and end in Granada, looping together a mash-up of routes forged by other CycleBlazers that will take me and Vivien George through some of the iconic white villages of Andalusia. I’m fully embracing Semana Santa and will spend three nights in Seville during Holy Week, indulging in all night religious processions and flamenco.

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Scott AndersonOh, great. Here’s another tour I wish I was going on myself!
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1 year ago

Susan CarpenterTo Scott AndersonFunny, I thought the same thing when I saw your spring tour in Sicily
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1 year ago

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I’ll return to Paris in mid-April and have about ten days before heading to the south of France for Act III – cycling in the Luberon. This trip is partially planned, but I'll have some flexibility in where I might go and how long I’ll stay. It won't be too long though as I’m traveling on a tourist visa this year and need to be on a plane back to the US before May 30.  

I am certainly looking forward to the "pleasures of spring".