Discovery Bicycle Tours offers an experience called “Inn to Inn Touring”. From country inn to country inn, participants enjoy fine food, great lodging, and VIP treatment from professional leaders. Each tour is carefully designed to welcome and encourage riders of varying interests and skill levels. The tour company takes care of all the details at the inns and along the way. All a participant has to do is relax and have fun.
Established decades ago, Discovery Bicycle Tours goes on more than 100 trips a year including New England and Quebec, Mid-Atlantic states and Florida, Italy, France and Spain, and Scotland, Ireland and Denmark.
Scott and Thistle Cone are the new owners, committed to continuing and building upon the longstanding Discovery Bicycle Tours reputation.
PBE What’s your job title/description?
SC I actually have three titles: Chief Exploration Officer, President and Co-owner. Thistle is mainly handling our marketing, HR and payroll. Her titles are Chief Customer Officer, VP of Marketing and Co-owner. She loves to bicycle as well, and is an expert in copywriting with a background in natural resources policy.
I’m basically driving strategy and operations for all of our tours, but I’m spending some time exploring our existing tours — and designing completely new routes as well. I’m headed to Tuscany this week in fact, to go on our tour there and check it out.
PBE When did you take the reins of Discovery Bicycle Tours?
SC Thistle and I bought Discovery Bicycle Tours on May 30th 2018, and have spent the summer getting up to speed, while transitioning from the previous owners Larry and Dawn Niles. Larry owned Discovery for 27 years and was the second owner of the 41-year-old company. They changed the name from Bike Vermont to Discovery Bicycle Tours in 2011 in recognition of the expansion to tours in Ireland, Tuscany, Maine, Quebec and elsewhere.
PBE Were you associated with the company in another capacity before this?
SC We had been on one tour with Discovery Bicycle Tours prior to taking over, but we’ve also toured with a number of other companies, and I’ve been a Tour Leader for the Adventure Cycling Association.
PBE How do you choose your destinations?
SC We choose our destinations with a focus on finding beautiful rural areas with great scenery and great lodging that can be combined into an outstanding way to experience the area. The riding has to be interesting, scenic and safe, and we like to focus on being in a location at the right times of year. I’ve biked in many parts of the country and the world, and I’m excited to bring additional destinations to the Discovery Bicycle Tours lineup, including newly added trips for this year on the GAP rail trail and in the Texas Hill Country.
PBE What’s your favorite part of the business?
SC My favorite part of the business is meeting, riding with and hearing from happy riders on their tours. We deliver great experiences, and our tour leaders are a fantastic group of people who help our clients enjoy a memorable vacation. I love seeing it all come together.
