Cycling Puglia & Matera

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in a Trulli house

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic-he quickly got the measure of the group and worked our days around the weather and sights. He changed timings when he recognised there was a benefit to do so and checked with the group to ensure we were all happy with arrangements. He went out of his way to book and recommend great restaurants and sights to see when off the bikes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare for all weather conditions-it’s quite changeable

Most Inspirational Moment

Day 6 - cylcing from one sea to the other felt like such an amazing accomplishment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manny was amazing throughout the whole trip! . His restaurant picks were top notch, and recommendations for how to spend free time was always spot on! We unfortunately had a couple of incidents in our group, which were well taken care of.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Italian way is much more laid back and leisurely than what most of us are used to - be prepared for that, and just bask in the beauty of the Italian countryside (or grab an extra gelato).

Most Inspirational Moment

The cities and towns we visited were the best part of the trip; All beautiful in their own way.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fab was a great leader and a fun guy; Very lively and enthusiastic, had lots of initiatives and sorted out every issue quickly with a smile and always felt safe in his hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is the first trip I've seen electric bikes as an option and used by a third of the group. They definitely enjoyed the hills more and found the long days easier to manage. Something I'd consider for a future trip.

Suggestions

I'd like Exodus to consider solo-specific holiday dates. I have always travelled solo and met many others on earlier Exodus trips who have grasped the group ethos to make a great trip. Latterly there have been small groups coming (groups within the group) who prefer not to mix as much which has been a detriment to the holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's difficult to pinpoint a single moment - the view from the terrace of our Matera hotel, cycling on backroads through olive groves, the trullis of Alberobello, late night jazz in Ostuni - and getting to the top of that roller coaster hill.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizio was a star - nothing was too much trouble for him. Bursting with enthusiasm and energy and very knowledgeable about the area. He kept the group cycling at a good steady pace, making sure that no one got left behind and as a single guide with a group of 15 had a great system of shared responsibility for being way markers and back markers. He collected money up front to cover all lunches, snacks, tips and taxes which saved lots of time and was very good value. Definitely one of the best group leaders we've had. Piero our driver was also excellent - always on hand with water and assistance and finding wonderful fresh fruit for our snack stops.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Highly recommend this trip - the distances aren't too great so plenty of time to swim in the Adriatic and the Ionian and explore the beautiful towns you stop at along the way. Hills are very manageable but if you're concerned about fitness, hire an ebike, We had five on our tour and we all cycled together very happily.

Suggestions

The bikes are fitted with panniers which means you can carry swimming gear ready for seaside stops. Highly recommend staying an extra night or two properly to explore Lecce, which is beautiful. Move to accommodation in the old town to get the best experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very pleasant and helpful. Informative and with a good command of English. A good bike mechanic for a change.

Most Inspirational Moment

Beautiful scenery along the Ionian and Adriatic coastlines. Otranto Cathedral mosaic floor is a must see.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Antonio was excellent. Very attentive and ensured any requests were attended to. He made great efforts to ensure people paid the correct amounts at dinner time (for what they ate and drank). He ensured that the group was safe on the roads giving very good guidance a all times.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure you have done some training before the trip so that you can enjoy the cycling as much as possible. Be aware that Puglia can get very hot!

Suggestions

The bicycles were very high quality, but a little on the heavy side for the undulating terrain and distances each day. Are lighter bikes an option? If possible, suggest leaving a little earlier each day, e.g. 8:15/30 vs 9/9:15 so that the group arrives into the towns a little earlier and can enjoy exploring them a little better.

Most Inspirational Moment

I particularly enjoyed our visit to a working farmhouse that provided hotel accommodation and a pool. It was very different from the norm, comfortable, with gorgeous tiled bathrooms.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Emanuele is an experienced cycling group lead and had firm control of the group. I have been on a few trips when this has not been the case and chaos ensued, resulting in disappointing experiences for some. Emanuele is confident and able to let those more experienced ride at their own pace while ensuring that others never felt left out or left behind. He involved everyone in taking responsibility for our own safety and helping each other. His knowledge of the area is widespread and he has a passion for the region and its communities. His technical knowledge was excellent, and his English was so good. He translated for us wherever we went and showed us how to eat the local produce like Italians.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your swimming costume just in case, and plenty of sun cream. We went in early May and only had rain for an hour one day.

Most Inspirational Moment

So difficult to decide as the whole itinerary was excellent. Cycling along the coast was really 'feel good'.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Emanuele (Mani) was fantastic. He bonded well with the group and really did everything to make sure we really enjoyed the trip. He took us to some great local cafes for lunching dinner. Despite the dinners being optional the whole group ate together each evening as the places he chose were so good. He shared his local knowledge, which put things into context for the places we visited. Mani made an excellent trip into something really special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you like Italy and cycling, get this trip booked!

Suggestions

Italian drivers in this part of Italy are VERY considerate to cyclists. They seem to celebrate cycling rather than get inpatient with them. I felt safer here on a bike than in the UK All dietary requirements are catered for.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching those that are 20+ years older than me steam ahead and reach those steeps climbs and make it look easy!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Antonio was friendly, calm, patient!...informative and couldn't do enough for you, he went over and above when you wanted to do something in your own time for example of one of the days we had a few hours to ourselves in the afternoon and rather than walk around the town I wanted to jump in the nearest ocean! He enquired with the hotel where the nearest nicest beach was, the cost in a taxi and arranged all that for us. Antonio also asked us every day if we wanted to join him for dinner and he booked the table for the group and many nights we had the set menu with wine and it was so reasonable and delicious and made our evenings all the more enjoyable not having to think after a tiring day. Our support driver Peiro was a great guy and lugged our cases from one hotel to the next every day in the scorching heat, supplied us with fresh fruit and cold water all day long and presented us with the best daily lunchtime picnics without any effort and always with a big smile!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This wasn't the toughest cycle holiday I've done, but some of the days are long and for us very hot. There are 2 day with steep climbs, so you should do some training if you want to keep up, or go for the e-bike and enjoy the ride!

Suggestions

The people that go on these trips are fun, outgoing and friendly and what keep you going on those days when you want to give up . Trust your leader on booking your restaurants. The establishments were all first class and the food choices were just brilliant! We only had one disappointing breakfast and that was at the Gallipoli hotel, that would be my only gripe. The last hotel in Lecce is nothing to write home about, simple, basic, but a great breakfast so if I was staying on after the end of the trip I would book a different hotel. Lecce itself is a stunning place but I was too tired to look around it and just wanted to crash before dinner, so if you have the time and energy do take a walkabout!

Most Inspirational Moment

Everyday was inspirational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader, Antonio, was excellent. Courteous, polite, passionate about his country and culture, very concerned with rider safety and the group’s well being and contentment.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your rain gear, follow the Exodus advice on what to bring.

Suggestions

Accommodation should always have lifts or be ground level. Most of us would travel from afar and would be travelling for a few weeks. While our suitcases may star5 off at 16k, we gather memorabilia. Hiking cases up those stairs is no fun either a5 the end of a day or the beginning.