Have a group of friends you want to share adventures with? Want to escape to somewhere wonderful? Do you want to climb iconic mountains and / or train for your next cycling event with the advice, guidance and support of two former professional and Olympic cyclists?
We love nothing more than creating a one-of-a-kind cycling experiences for your group – whether it’s by tailoring one of our existing trips to your dates and preferences or plotting a thoughtful path through serene countryside.
Drawing on our extensive knowledge, experience and resources, and through careful consultation with you, we can create something unforgettable. Any of our presently posted trips can be customized to fit your plans.
Or we can create something entirely new!
Our Story
Dede and Michael, two former professional cyclists, raced and rode all over the World. Having spent most of their lives riding, they gained a wealth of experience, learned how to find the quiet and less traveled backroads and become immersed in the local culture. The fondest memories of their time racing and riding bikes were not the victories but the places they traveled, the people they met and the friends they made. With them you will not only learn to be a better cyclist but you will also discover the less traveled routes, the local cuisine, the art, the architecture, and the local way of life, making your experience richer.Â
Why Travel with Mariposa Cycling Tours?
Challenge
Challenges force us to stretch our limits. Experiences that challenge you, like climbing a steep mountain or descending at high speed require focus and concentration. They make you feel more alive than you are in the fog of comfortable experiences.
Life Experiences
The real magic for us happens away from a beaten path. It’s the little tapas bars, hidden galleries and backstreet bodegas and real-life experiences you won’t find in an online search engine.
Connections
The beauty of cycling isn’t just new places, it’s new perspectives. It’s the stories you hear and the friendships you forge, the ones that stick around long after the tan has faded. Cyclists come from all walks of life; what unites them is the journey.
Customization
Time is your most precious resource, especially vacation time. That’s why our trips are custom built with balance in mind. Ride the bike, see the sights, eat specialties of the region, a little group time, a little you time – that’s the way it should be. And because our private group tours have an average of 8 – 25 people, the experience is intimate.
Local Leaders
We realized early on that the best people to show you the heart of a destination are the ones who live there. Our leaders are friendly locals and cycling experts who know their region: every path, backstreet cantina and hidden gallery. They’re the big, smiling face of Mariposa Cycling Tours.
Our Trips & Training Camps
Mariposa organizes custom cycling tours for private groups in Girona – Costa Brava, Spain, the Spanish Pyrenees, the French Pyrenees and Priorat Wine Country on both the road and gravel roads and trails.
We also organize custom pro level training camps in various destinations. Depending upon your goals, we can help you choose the right destination, plan and lead your camp.
For inquiries, please contact us at:
REVIEWS
I just wanted to thank you again for an absolutely amazing tour! Together with the rest of the team at Bikecat, you have truly created a once in lifetime experience. As the tour unfolded before us each day, every aspect and detail was perfection. From when we first met you at the airport and received our guidebooks for the week, I was truly impressed. The hotels, the food, the rides – there is nothing that I would do differently. Most importantly, the hospitality of you and your team was top notch. You are a great bunch of guys and together provided that special ingredient that made the trip so unique and special. My only wish is that we could ride together more often! We will most certainly be back again – hopefully sometime soon!”
Stefan Baerg – Mariposa Cycling Tour: Pyrenees to Girona, September 2016
“We would like to thank each of you and your companies for joining up to create such an incredibly unique riding and touring experience. Your hard work, professionalism, attention to detail, bikes, being such quality people, cheerfulness, openness, sincerity, route planning, unique hotels and dining experiences set you far above all other tour operators. Most importantly, the genuine interest, friendliness, and care taken by each of you for each of us is so sincerely appreciated. You will forever be known to each of us as friends. Well Done! Thanks to each of you for making each of our trips exceptional and richly full of many amazing lifelong memories!”
The Pyrenean Eight – Pyrenees to Girona  – September 2016
“It was an outstanding week and I am still replaying those great rides in my head. We thank you all for giving us such a great experience. I am sure I will be back to Girona soon.
Having Michael Barry riding with us just made it all so perfect with his many years of riding it the region and his stories of life as a pro cyclist. To ride the roads, he trained on for many years was a wonderful experience and I am ready to do it all again. I have been telling anybody who will listen how wonderful Catalonia is, the people, the country side, the food.
Thank you again for making this a great experience for us!”
David Harper, Mariposa Cycling Tour: La Ruta Mar I Muntanya  (Girona – Pyrenees) – September 2016
Sidney StaceyÂ
My wife and I had the pleasure of being invited to Spain as part of a 6-couple bike tour organized by Mariposa/Bike Specialties in association with BikeCat.  While we were fairly familiar with the Barcelona area, we were not as familiar with Girona and the Empuries/Costa Brava area and so we were a little apprehensive not knowing what to expect.  While I am pretty carefree (within reason) about the places I stay, my wife is a little more discerning about her accommodations.  Arriving at the Girona hotel perched atop Girona, we both knew we were in for a great vacation.  The rooms were well appointed, the breakfast was fantastic and the views from the pool were amazing. The hill up to the hotel is another story (fit for an Olympian like Dede)!  While my wife was more interested in the accommodation, I was more interested in the saddle accommodation and so when we arrived at the BikeCat store to get fitted I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Canyon bikes we had rented (mental note, don’t forget to bring your seat next year). During the entire 6-day tour, I never had an issue and I don’t think the gears even skipped once as the bikes were so well maintained.  My wife, being a novice cyclist and never having ridden more than 25km at a time, rented a hybrid eBike.  while we weren’t quite sure how riding 450km on a hybrid would work for her, it turned out to be the best decision ever.  While she pushed herself by mainly staying in Eco mode, the Turbo mode came in handy as she flew by me up the hills with wild abandon and a big grin on her face.  Occasionally, I would see her pass a friend of mine, as she yelled “wassup Jeff” and let out a big giggle? This could be the start of a beautiful e-Bike relationship, I thought to myself.  Could it be? Is my wife a closet cyclist?