By: Lauren Hefferon, Founder/Director of Ciclismo Classico
I have been obsessed with cycling my whole life. It has been at the core of my being for as long as I remember as it fulfills many of my needs—the need to move, to feel free, to flow, to escape, to push hard, and to dream big.
Following the calling for physical and mental transformation that cycling has always taught me, I recently started to feel the need for a change, time to stretch and grow and mix another longtime passion into my 40+ year pedaling one.
I got a wonderful and inspiring idea: what if, rather than trying to keep up with my cycling clients, I simply slowed down, listened to the soulful calling, and allowed the moment to perform its magic on my mind? So I did, and life has not been the same since. I continue cycling of course but am now pedaling with different purpose.
Like the bicycle, the camera allows us a similar, albeit slower, deep dive into the spirit of a place. On our walking tours with a “focus” on photography we offer an unsurpassed and mindful immersion into a place. Bicycle and photo-walking tours expand our sensory experience of a place like nothing else!
While you won’t go as far or as fast as a Ciclismo Classico bicycle tour we guarantee that on our Photography Adventures you’ll be equally invigorated as we experience special places with new eyes and with all your senses fully tuned in and awake.
As I have pursued this new calling, photography, to capture my passion over the past two years, I have also experienced how cycling and photography complement each other while satisfying something deep inside of me.
1. Both cycling and photography are intense, highly individual activities that are exciting, forever flowing, challenging and incredibly fulfilling.
2. Cycling is meditation in motion that calms the mind while you soar through the world. Photography is a visual meditation that calms the body, stimulates the mind and activates the spirit to capture the world around us.
3. Cycling connects with you with the most photogenic places and people on the planet. Photography makes sure you never forget them.
So my fellow cyclists, next time you are pedaling and you are taken by an incredible view, spectacular clouds, the play of light on an old building or a sparkling waterfall, slow down, feel what you see, stop, and let the moment take you to your imagination.
You might pass this way again, but it will never be the same and neither will you.
About Lauren Hefferon: Lauren Hefferon is Ciclismo Classico's founder and CEB (Chief Executive Biker). She bring a gusto for life as she drives the vision of the company, from marketing strategy and positioning to itinerary design and tour leader training. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in anthropology, Lauren studied fine arts in Florence and began a life journey that began by cycling over 35,000 miles across Europe. She founded Ciclismo Classico in 1988, realizing a dream of combining her passion for cycling with her love for Italy. A devoted cycling evangelist, Lauren commutes everywhere by bike and supports cycling causes such as Rails to Trails, Bikes Belong, Pan Mass Challenge, and Mass Bike. She is the founder of the annual Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film festival, and has been an advisor to the Adventure Travel World Summit and a member of the National Bike Summit Panel on Tourism.