Posts Tagged ‘Jon Vick’

Traveling, Biking and Coming Home Again: An Interview with Jon Vick

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Hey there! Amber Collett here with Bike Walk Twin Cities. I recently met up with Jon Vick, an expert guide at Trek Travel, to talk with him about his favorite places to bicycle around the world and what keeps him coming back to the Twin Cities. Jon has been with Trek Travel for seven years and has led bicycling trips in Italy, France, California, Vermont, New Zealand, and Costa Rica. He also works with Adventure Fit announcing the Urban Assault Rides in 10 cities across the U.S. Here’s the interview.

How did you find your job?

I was working at Penn Cycle when I heard about the Trek Travel position. I found out about the job right before the application deadline. I filled out the application and drove to Madison through a blizzard to deliver it in time! I didn’t get the job –not even an interview, but that didn’t stop me. When the next application cycle came around, I thought it was too great a job to not give it a second try. My persistence paid off because this time I was hired, and my first gig was as a trip mechanic at the 2005 Tour de France. Now, I go on 8-11 trips per year. (check out some photos from those trips here.)

Do you notice a difference in drivers’ attitudes towards bicyclists when you travel? What cities are the most bike friendly?

In Italy, respect for cyclists on the road is part of the culture. Cars will patiently wait until you peak a big hill before passing you. Adelaide, in Australia, has a great network of trails and bike lanes that take you through and out of the city.

So what keeps you coming back to Minnesota? Obviously I’m biased and think our lake-based state is great, but I don’t regularly lead bicycling trips to other beautiful places like Tuscany!

I grew up in Minnesota and went to the University of Minnesota –I bleed maroon and gold! I have strong roots here. Road biking is my job, but mountain biking is my passion and I can do both of those here in Minnesota.

Some my favorite places to mountain bike include Theodore Wirth Park, Lebanon Hills, and Murphy Hanrehan. I love to get out for the Thursday night races at Buck Hill when I’m in town. On the road, one of my favorite rides is a loop from northeast Minneapolis, through the University of Minnesota, down to Ford Parkway, along the Grand Rounds to Lake Calhoun, out to Hopkins, back to downtown Minneapolis via the Cedar Lake trail, and back to my home in northeast Minneapolis.

You mentioned you own a number of bikes—how many exactly? What’s your favorite?

The current count is 12 bikes. This one’s a city bike–complete with coffee cup holder! (Me: love it!).

One of Jon’s 12 bikes

 

Do you have any tips or words of advice for traveling cyclists?

If you’re thinking about working on your own bike, remember two things. First, if you changed one thing and the problem got worse, do the opposite. Second, in general if you didn’t strip the bike, you didn’t break it. Also, if you travel to New Zealand, don’t eat the whitebait –it’s a fried-egg and minnow dish.

Thanks, Jon and safe travels!

You can follow Jon on Twitter @JonVick. And, to learn more about trips offered by Trek Travel, visit http://www.trektravel.com.

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