Abracadabra! Guides brew BA magic
to make this your best vacation ever
by Julie Ubben, Assistant Marketing Manager
Here at Bicycle Adventures, magic is an on-the-job necessity for our guides. During the interview process, we make sure prospective guides are not simply certified, but unflappably capable of working miracles. This is because the phenomenon we call Guide Magic is probably the most critical card in any guide’s deck. It’s the number one rabbit to be pulled out of the hat when it comes to creating a successful trip.
It’s not about showmanship or bike racing history; it’s about sharing our passion for areas we know intimately, about love for the outdoors and for beauty.
Guide Magic is not about showmanship or bike racing history; it’s about sharing our passion for areas we know intimately, about love for the outdoors and for beauty. It’s offering glimpses of the stunning wealth of nature’s glory. It’s spying the doe nibbling under a fringe of cedar, sharing the scent of sage on a Utah roadside, or making time for a tucked-away winery well worth the stop. It’s the splendid sunset rewarding the group who – at the suggestion of a Guide In The Know – strolled down to the bay after dinner.
It's your favorite drink showing up in the cooler at rest stops.
It’s a spur-of-the-moment gear-shifting clinic that produces an “Aha!” epiphany – and the confidence to tackle hills that before induced wild-eyed panic. Or the early morning ride you arranged with newfound friends somewhere between late night drinks and oh-god-WHAT-WAS-I-THINKING. You know – that ride that turns out to be a showstopper, coffee breath and helmet head notwithstanding.
Bicycle Adventures’ Guide Magicians are people of near-superhuman ability. “Eat in the summer, sleep in the winter,” they often say, and with good reason. On trips, the magic that takes place is often the product of dozens of behind-the-scenes phone calls, scrupulous checking of weather reports and road conditions, copious note-taking, extra riding and extra shopping trips on the fly. Most of this occurs either before your day begins or after you’ve retired for the evening.
Guide Magic includes the local delicacies you eat, the untrampled trails and secret coves and hidden wonders that only those In The Know can lead you to. It’s getting up in the morning and knowing that everything is taken care of for you, about realizing that your most challenging decisions will be how much to ride...and how much to eat. It’s about inspiring each other to accomplish things we never thought we were capable of. At its finest, Guide Magic brings a diverse group together so that friendships happen: the kinds of friendships you made at summer camp when you were young – only now that you’re an adult, they last longer. These are folks with common interests and an equally adventurous spirit. You meet people you send holiday cards to, plan future trips with; maybe you even find romance or a lifelong friend. You discover the power of a common goal, a shared joy, and the potency of an encouraging word.
Maybe you slow down; maybe you speed up. Certainly you open your mind. Along the way, you revel in the visual feast that is our world and taste some of its wonders. You discover treasures found only by the few willing to take the time, and you are forever changed by the experience. And that, friend, is the miracle of Guide Magic.