About Us
The Story
In 1997, following his retirement from professional cycling, and finding himself
at a loose end after restoring a stone farmhouse from ruins to gentleman farmer's
manor, Andy Hampsten decided that next to tending his olives and grapes and
raising his daughter Emma, there was nothing he'd rather do than share the
best riding, food and wine in the world with fun people. And so he founded
Cinghiale Cycling Tours, hoping to lure cyclists from all over the United States
and the world to come over and play in his favorite sandbox.
It worked. Nine
years and many satisfying tours later – and despite
a tricky-looking name – Cinghiale Tours has a following of loyal addicts
who can't get enough of Tuscany, and who appreciate the intimate experience
of the country offered by Andy and his crew.
We conduct our tours from the heart.
So don't be intimidated! Andy has had his fill of racing and riding fast. Now
he rides for his own pleasure and fitness, and to meet great people. He rides
every mile of every tour and then some, constantly checking to make sure everyone
is having the time of their lives.
We
warmly welcome you to Andy's northern Italian home of Castagneto Carducci,
an hour south of Pisa on the coast in the Livorno province of Tuscany.
Benvenuto in Toscana!
Company Bios
We are lucky to have a talented, conscientious,
experienced, knowledgeable, and entirely loveable crew. Meet the gang:
Andy Hampsten
Andy's resume as a pro cyclist is long and impressive.
Best of all are the engrossing stories he tells about his time in the peloton.
You'll get to hear many of these – and ask him questions in person – on
your trip. Meanwhile, visit our Andy page (coming soon) for pictures and
articles from Andy's career.
Career Highlight: Andy Hampsten is the only American cyclist
ever to win the Giro d'Italia. The epic ride through the snow on the Gavia
Pass that won him the race in 1988 embodied the spirit of cycling for many
Italians, who adopted him as "il nostro Andy" – "our Andy".
Andy
still owns his Tuscan farm but spends most of the year in his home in Boulder,
where nothing could be better than reading TinTin books and
riding tandem with his daughter Emma – though usually not at the same
time.
Julia Hensley Hampsten
Julia has been our Tour Administrator in Seattle since 1999. In
addition booking tours, handling the finances, and writing text for the Cinghiale
website, Julia is the art department for Cinghiale Tours, Hampsten Cycles,
and Cycles Tournesol, for which she helped design the original graphics,
jerseys, and paint schemes. She currently rides a 17-pound steel Hampsten SuperTuscan in
a color she calls "Swimming Pool" that she says keeps her cool
on hot rides. A professional painter with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
from Boston University, Julia's "pixilated" cityscapes are in collections
nationwide and are currently represented by the Paul Thiebaud Gallery in
San Francisco. www.juliahensley.com.
Gerardo
Carpentieri
Where would we be without our warm, friendly and professional bike shop just
down the street from our hotel in nearby Donoratico? More to the point, what
would we do without Gerardo, who will expertly fit you for a stunning rental
bike, get your bike in running order after a long flight, fix a flat, and most
importantly, tell you dirty jokes in Italian if you hop in the van after one
hill too many. Known locally as "il Barone" – the Baron – Gerardo
is our favorite uncle, bike mechanic, driver, and entertainer. He takes care
of us and makes sure we have as much fun as he's having.
www.ciclosport.it
Julia Ingersoll
Julia Ingersoll has known Andy since their days racing in Boulder,
where they were housemates. A professional painter (yes, we have TWO Julias
who paint and ride), Julia currently lives in California. However, she spent
many years living and painting in the hills around Florence and has blessed
Cinghiale with her skill as a cyclist, her fluency in Italian, her warm personality,
and her specialized knowledge of art, since 1998.
In her past-life as a former top-ranked professional mountain bike racer, Julia
was a six-time national mountain bike team member, and also competed in road
races for fun and fitness. Cycling achievements include winning the North American
Championship in 1992, the Colorado Off-Road Series in 1990 and 1992, a bronze
medal at the 1989 World Championships in Belgium. Click
here to see Julia Ingersoll's artwork.
Rob Coppolillo
(In his own words)
The progeny of Calabrian olive farmers and Italian war heroes, Rob Coppolillo
comes to guiding bike tours after an undistinguished nine-year cycling career
and hectic early life of bottle rocket wars and afternoon soccer matches. The
little money he makes comes from freelance writing projects, which include
copywriting, late-night poetry slams and magazine features. He won an "Excellence
in Journalism" award in 1997 from the Society of Professional Journalists
for a bio he penned on the career and post-cycling life of Mr. Shiras Andrew
Hampsten. He is an avid rock climber, passionate amateur percussionist and
aspiring auto mechanic. Underemployed, balding and living part-time in a 1984
VW camper van, Rob may not be the world's most eligible bachelor, but he does
manage to smile a great deal of the time.
John Weissenrieder
John is the only person we know who could
beat anyone up the nearest hill on his thriftstore brown Fuji – with, in case you were wondering, 650A
wheels, one chainring and a wooden shift lever – while wearing hiking
shorts and sandals, and look good doing it. A tireless rider and considerate
guide, John has been with Cinghiale since our first full season in 1998,
when he moved to Florence to apprentice in guitar making under a Florentine
master luthier. Before that, John raced mountain bikes, contesting the World
Cup, NORBA National series, and the World championships as one of the USA's
top professional mountain bikers from 1986-1996. His friendship with Andy
goes back to early racing days in Boulder where they shared a house. Now
a master luthier himself, John still lives in Florence with his sweetheart
Anna and her two kids, and builds classic guitars in his atelier.
www.jwlutherie.com
Keven Mowen
Keven Mowen joined Cinghiale in 2002. In addition
to his charm and energy as a guide, he brings his invaluable organizing skills
to the job of travel coordinator. Keven's got cycling thick in his blood
since his dad, Keith Mowen, was a part of the US Olympic road cycling team
in Munich in 1972. Keith
is still Keven's favorite riding partner but only when he can keep up! In
contrast to his dad, Keven has found his passion riding skinny tires on dirt
roads and trails and mud in general – a discovery which led him naturally
to cyclocross this winter. With partner Dynelle, Keven is the proud
new owner of a house in San Francisco where, when not riding his bike, he
works as a full-time nanny for a family with Italian background which appreciates
his language skills as much as we do. If Keven's boyish enthusiasm doesn't
inspire you to get on your bike day after day, well, it may be time to take
up knitting (or perhaps you just need that extra shot of espresso).
Enrico Caracciolo
Born in Rome, Enrico lives in Castagneto
Carducci and travels all over the world as a free-lance photographer, journalist
and travel writer. An accomplished cyclist, he graces us with his presence
on the bike on most of our tours – he's
the guy riding with one hand and taking your picture with a huge camera in
the other – and supplies us with some of our best photos for the website.
When not accompanying Cinghiale, Enrico works mainly as geographical and
travel reporter, specializing in cycle touring. His work is published in
numerous travel and weekly magazines, books and travel guides. In recent
years he has explored and traveled extensively through many parts of the
world including Alaska, Australia, Africa, South America, New Zealand and
all over Europe.
http://www.cuboimages.it/fotoweb/CI_port_SKEDA.asp?nome=caracciolo
Chicca Maione
Our cooking classes are taught by resident
chef, Chicca Maione. A native of Naples were she earned her degree in architecture,
Chicca now works in Castagneto Carudcci as a "green" architect
and runs cooking lessons out of her stunningly restored Tuscan farmhouse,just
a short walk from our hotel. Whether conversing about art, travel, cooking,
architecture, or la
vita, Chiccahas the warm Italian spirit in spades and any time spent
with her is an enriching experience. Chicca will guide our cooks on the Cooking
and Cycling tour through a range of simple but hearty and authentic Tuscan
recipes, cooked from the heart with expert skill, and using the freshest
local ingredients.
Scot Nicol
Legendary Ibis Cycles founder and budding wine expert Scot Nicol joined
us for the first time in 2004. Since then he has added his prodigious cycling
strength, oenological expertise, and implacable good humor to Cinghiale trips
on Corsica, in Tuscany, and in his own backyard of Sonoma County, where he
knows the roads like the wine-stains on his favorite shirt. In addition to
blessing us with his god-like bike industry status and educated taste-buds,
Scot enriches our Sonoma trips with his knowledge of the flora and fauna
of Sonoma and the adjacent coastal region.
"A copywriter and a rider, could that be a copyrider?" quips
our resident French guy.(As he further mysteriously remarks, "We always need a French guy on the team. Even if we don't know why…"). Arnaud joined us in 2005 for our first French adventure on the island of Corsica, and distinguished himself as an enthusiastic cyclist with an abundance of people skills. Let's just say he's not exactly shy! Splitting his time between Chamonix Mt. Blanc and Lyon, Arnaud is a copywriter by profession, as well as a passionate amateur photographer who generously contributes some fine shots to our website. In addition to his riding exploits in Tuscany, Calabria, and the Amalfi Coast, Arnaud has explored by bike in Wales, Ireland, Senegal, Morocco and Jordan. Monsieur Bachelard believes he holds the distinction of being the first non-American to register at the Moab Fat Tire Festival back in 1989. He often rides in Utah, and in California with buddy Scot Nicol. "Allez, roulez!"
Steve Hampsten
Known to the Department of Revenue in Colorado as our President, Steve Hampsten is more widely renowned for his plucky bicycle design company, Hampsten Cycles. Founded in 1999 by Steve and Andy, Hampsten Cycles is the place to go when you're in need of a professional custom fitting and a friendly bike-buying experience. Steve has also been known to answer the Cinghiale telephone, so don't be surprised to hear him when you call. A cycling enthusiast since his North Dakota days when he and "little Andy" discovered 25-mile rides as a way to dodge pulling weeds in the family garden, Steve likes nothing better than to talk about all things bicycle-related – unless it's skipping work to go for a ride.
www.hampsten.com
www.cyclestournesol.com