It’s often said that the best way to get to know a place is on a bicycle. Pedaling the roads that make up cities, towns and states forces you to become familiar with the lay of the land in ways that driving a car with Google Maps open does not. The fact that you must pedal for every inch of where you want to go brings with it an intimate familiarity with the very ground your traversing. Every little climb, dip and turn offers an understanding of the land in ways that even walking cannot replicate.
It’s this familiarity with the land that Cycle of Life Adventures founder Elli Sias wants everyone to feel on her bike tours across the United States. From an epic 40-day long tour across America starting in San Diego and ending in St. Augustine, Florida, to short covered-bridge treks through Vermont to leaf peep — COLA likely has a boutique cycling trip that’ll match what you can do, and more importantly, would like to see on a bicycle.
For over four decades, Sias worked in the customer service and hospitality industry. In 2014, at age 58, she decided that it was time for a change — to finally get out of the office life and get back on the road. Cycle of Life Adventures combines her love of cycling and the roads of the US and combines it with her hard-won knowledge of how to serve people’s needs and bring them new experiences.
Each and every one of COLA’s guided tours features at least two experienced guides, well-rounded meals to refuel after big days in the saddle, top-notch accommodations to relax in after a day on the bike, as well as featuring the best local restaurants wherever it is you’re staying — you are on vacation after all!
Based out of the North Carolina’s High Country in Blowing Rock, Cycle of Life Adventures wants to show you the beauty that not only the Blue Ridge mountains have to offer, but all over the United States. Because, again, the best way to get to know a place, is on a bike.