DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. — Local services in Cambridge

My parents brought me on the Normandy bike trip last week. I had never been on one (and to be honest, am not much of a biker) but it was one of the best things I’ve ever done! I had the most amazing time and it far exceeded any expectations that I had.

David and Spag, our guides, were incredible, as were the accommodations, sites we visited, food, wine and biking. And I was able to spend time with my family in a way that I hadn’t in many years, away from every day distractions, in a beautiful place.

David and Spag were extremely attentive. Any concerns anyone had were immediately addressed. If we needed anything, they would attend to us. They never made us feel like we were inconveniencing them. They just got it done.

David and Spag perfectly explained ahead of time what we would be doing. We understood the path, the distance and the difficulty each day so we knew what we had ahead of us. They also did it in a way that would allow us to be optimistic that we would be successful (especially important for a non-biker like me!). The maps and elevation graphs were very helpful.

Their knowledge of the area and history was very impressive. They explained everything, and answered our questions (and if they didn’t know they answer came back to us with it later that day).

Our day visit the Normandy American Cemetery was also flawless. We were there in plenty of time for our ceremony. David and Spag suggested that we drive there instead of biking so we could dress appropriately to pay respect, then change to our biking gear after the visit to the cemetery which was perfect. The guide, Matthew, was amazing. His passion for the history of the area was obvious which made it more interesting for me to learn. He, like David and Spag, was able to answer any of our questions and if he didn’t know, he got us an answer. It was overall a very somber day with the right mix of visiting the historic sites, learning of the events that occurred there, and biking.

Our guides did an incredible job with the food and wine. -The restaurants we went to were all wonderful and the service we received was top notch. It was easy for us to see that the restaurant staff had a respect and appreciation for both David and Spag by how they treated them and our group. -In addition to being a non-biker I do not speak French (a double whammy, I know😆). David, Spag and the restaurant staff all made sure we understood the menu and what we were ordering. -Any meals that were selected ahead of time for us were delicious and thoughtfully chosen, and if we had an aversion of any kind to any part of it, they made sure we had a substitute, again, no questions asked and without us feeling like we were putting them out. -The night they weren’t with us for dinner, they went out of their way to find us an Italian restaurant (some of us were craving pasta) that would fit all of us at a time that worked for us. The restaurant staff again had our table waiting and we had another delicious meal.

David and Spag made us feel like family. It was easy to get to know them and to like them immediately. Their personalities shined for the entire week which I’m sure is not easy after five days of us all being together and having to be “on” the entire time. We got to know them and about their lives outside of work and they got to know us. They showed that they cared, asked questions and remembered each of us individually, whether it was about our needs and abilities for the trip, or our lives at home.

The accommodations at all of the locations were also incredible. I personally thought the “backwards” trip that we took (Mont Saint Michel first and Honfleur last) was perfect. I preferred the longer drive and more touristy location at the beginning of the trip. I also know how much my parents appreciated that the guides were able to change the direction of the trip to accommodate their cruise.

Thank you for coming up with such an incredible concept of the bike tours. My parents obviously love going on them, and now I have seen...

Once again, an incredible trip with DuVine. This was the first Duvine trip with our son - and our first vacation together in many years. Kind of a big deal. Zach, our DuVine guide, was incredible. Such a kind human - anticipating our needs - getting us alternate dining options due to our son’s lactose intolerance, finding eyedrops for my wife in the middle of nowhere, finding fun routes in spite of CalTrans seemingly fixing every bridge in Napa County all at once - anticipating the many long stretches where the outdoors is both your playground, and your toilet, and the list goes on. Zach immediately knew that a “finer” wine tasting would probably be cool due to my red wine obsession and pulled some strings for a special tasting at Opus One. Unfortunately- the evening prior, I knew that my wife and son would be way too tired, and would probably prefer family time at Solage (lovely resort) - so we pulled the plug on the tasting. But of course, Zach brought a bottle of Opus One to our final dinner - and we had our own private tasting. As this trip is in California and not the backroads of Provence, there was a fair bit of traffic in some spots. Zach did a tremendous job of managing all of those situations and ensuring our safety - solo! It was my son’s first time riding multiple hours and days in a row - in quite some time. Zach was keen to work with us in making micro- adjustments to his seat to vary the pressure points and ensure pain-free riding every day. Then there’s the video that Zach made - are you kidding me!?!? It’s like a professional marketing piece - except for the riders. He did such an amazing job - He should give seminars to the guides on how to make DuVine videos!!! (Not a slam on our previous guides - who we adore and did great videos - it was just next level) The equipment - it worked flawlessly. The best yet. I know that the Ventum GS is not the easiest bike to adjust, but BOY was it solid. No overshifts, practically silent operation, just absolutely solid. If I wasn’t such an LBS rat, I would buy one. The Specialized Vado perfectly fit my wife - again bravo- that’s not an easy task. At the end of the trip, after we had further-refined our riding positions, Zach took new measurements to add to our profiles for the Zion trip that we have already booked.

The accommodations - wow - the Solage was everything you would expect in a high end Napa resort. Great rooms. Attentive service. Beautiful grounds. Incredible rooms with outdoor showers. Outstanding food. We frequent Napa - and are adding that resort to the list of places to stay when Meadowood is full. Fantastic dining choices for the entire trip - the lunches and the dinners. Flawless. We opted not to go to Press for the pre fix meal as my wife and son have sensitive stomachs. Instead, we ordered room service and dined in our “yard” as a family. A perfect meal to end a perfect day. The routes were sublime. The entry into Napa from Knight’s Valley was incredible. I have never ridden or even driven that road. And of course the Pope/Chiles day was unforgettable with my son tail-gunning me at 35-40mph for ten miles or so… truly unforgettable. The first day going from the coast to Healdsburg - wow. And the Dry Creek day is like riding through a movie set. The winery choice for that day was perfect. A small winery with a great story and no retail distribution - and cabs made in their own unique style. I bought a few cases - so that our family will have wine from that trip for the next decade - to share on special occasions when we are together. I guess I will stop now. This trip was more than a bike trip. It was an opportunity for our family to share an incredible experience. And your company - and Zach- facilitated an amazing week for us. Thanks for that. It was priceless. Zach is such a good human being- and guide. We truly enjoyed having him as the third wheel on...

Trip was the Pyrenees Challenge: 7 days across the pyrenees marketed as tough. Marketed as providing perfectly tuned and maintained bikes. Cost $4800 for a single. 6 riders, 2 guides and a van. One guide rides sweeps from behind in theory (did not happen often), the other drives the van.

Good: Hotels comfortable and food good. Only reason 2 stars.

Bad: GPS units provided did not work long enough and died in the rain. No hard copy directions provided. No going over route on any day. We were on unknown roads and did not speak French. Guides said they had driven the route the week before. But, not any discussion of the routes in detail: towns, forks in the road, turns not to miss.

The first day a rider and I got off course. GPS does not help get u back on course. Guide was missing until bottom of last climb. They put our bags in our rooms that night(never again) and hotel was good if not great. Kept positive attitude.

Second day. Rain all day. GPS units died. People got lost. Bike started grinding because chain wasn't properly lubed. Sprayed on lube midway through. I wake up early every day. Guides never cleaned bikes.

Here comes the amazing part. Zero care was taken to clean, inspect or repair bikes after 70 miles in driving rain. There was NO BIKE STAND in the van!!! It was dumbfounding. Bikes came with mismatched tires...guess it cost too much to have matching tires?? Ok for at home, but on a $5K trip...no bueno.

Bikes were dirty and were only cleaned and lubed because I brought my own. I cleaned and lubed other bikes as well as best as possible without a bike stand. The guides saw this and did nothing. On the last day, we asked for a rag. Guide said he threw it away. We went inside hotel and asked for a rag. It rained often. Bikes needed attention. The tuned to perfection marketing is not true. No mention was made of running out of rags due to the rain.

Owner of company responded with this after the trip : "the guides unexpectedly, due to the weather situation, ran out of rags....I was assured that the bikes were indeed cleaned every day after it rained and we do apologize if you feel that the bike was not cleaned to your standards." The bikes had leaves, sand and grit on them...they were never cleaned. Not sure how his guides cleaned bikes without rags or a bike stand, and silently, secretly outside of our view...you do the math. Wasn't going to post this review, but owner's response was infuriating. I would have accepted a sincere apology and a request to do better next time, or maybe a discounted trip, but not story telling.

3 flats on day 6 on front wheel. Wheel was toast. Heating up because worn out. Thin sidewalls...wear indicator gone. Tire and rim strip perfect. No flats on flat roads only on descents. Stopped when I stopped using front brake and told guide to give me a different wheel. Guide was 20k in front when the last flat happened. I wasn't mad till I inspected the wheel and realized the danger. Rode super slow the last day afraid of the equipment. Looked at other bikes and it was shocking how hammered the wheels were. Might work for 20-30 mile rides on rolling terrain, but not on TDF descents like the Aubisque! Just wanted to get to hotel and off their bike.

Last day...pouring rain. GPS died. Everyone in van but one rider. He was lost again because no briefing or hard copy directions. No GPS file provided for day 7. Guides both ate lunch seemingly unconcerned. I was amazed sort of, but by day 7 just trying to focus on getting it completed.

Van was a mess generally...food purchased without asking for suggestions. Not a single heads up on forks in the road etc. Please don't get fooled by marketing. This company might be ok for gentle food and sight seeing bike tours. But amazingly sub par on mountain cycling and dangerous...