About Us
Our mission is to offer high-quality, educational and dreamy itineraries that celebrate the diversity of native peoples and their landscapes.
As a specialized "boutique" tour operator since 1988, we provide the most authentic, unique and exciting vacations in the adventure travel industry. Our well-crafted educational trips in Italy, France, Spain, Austria and New England are active immersions into local art, language, music and, of course, delicious cuisine. By combining legendary service and rare cultural experiences, our Ciclismo philosophy continues to energize and transform each and every guest.
We warmly embrace our active-travel niche and family-style company culture. Our strengths and excellent reputation lie in our years of active travel expertise, superior and personalized customer service, and multi-talented staff and members of our tour leadership team. Our entire Ciclismo US and Italian base and 26 bilingual guides are passionate about doing things the Ciclismo Way-with a sense of fun, creativity and total dedication to quality.
Meet Our USA Team
Your introduction our Ciclismo "family" begins with a warm, energetic and personal buongiorno from one of our virtuoso trip consultants in Arlington, Massachusetts. In addition to providing superior customer service, we aim to match you with the perfect itinerary by talking with you extensively about your interests, ability level, and travel needs.
Do you have specific questions about logistics, pre or post tour itineraries, where to study Italian, the most authentic restaurants in Florence or the best gelato in Positano? Perhaps you'd like to research your roots or get fitted for a custom bicycle? No problem - we pride ourselves on our attention to detail and our ability to provide you with all the little extras that will make your vacation special.
We look forward to enriching your Italian experience, but most of all, we value our relationship with you and look forward to having you as part of our extended Ciclismo Classico family for many years to come.
Lauren Hefferon
Director and CEB (Chief Executive Biker) Lauren Hefferon founded Ciclismo Classico in 1988 with a dream to combine a passion for her bicycling, her Italian roots, visual arts and outdoor education. After graduating in anthropology from Cornell, she studied fine arts in Florence and cycled over 35,000 miles throughout Europe.
Mamma to Lorenzo, Valentina and Luca Dante, she drives all visionary aspects of Ciclismo Classico, from itinerary design and tour leader training to marketing and company strategy. A devoted cycling promoter, Laurens life and politics revolve around her two-wheeled activities.
Commuting everywhere by bike, she supports cycling causes, such as Rails to Trails, Bikes Belong, Pan Mass Challenge and Mass Bike.
You can reach Lauren at lauren@ciclismoclassico.com.
Mauro Rugiero
Director of Italian Operations and VPG (Vice President of Gastronomy) Mauro Rugiero is our in-house native Italian diplomat and cultural liaison. After earning an Italian law degree in Florence, he joined personal and professional forces with Lauren and oversees our companys finances and Italian operations.
He works closely with our guides and skillfully negotiates with all of our Italian hotels, restaurants, and other service providers. Our in-house Calabrese, he is an expert in Italian history and political theory and enjoys provocative conversation.
You can reach Mauro at mauro@ciclismoclassico.com.
Andrew Conway
We're so excited to welcome back Andrew Conway as Managing Director of our US office. He brings with him a unique combination of experience and interests: a passion for cycling, extensive travel in Europe, many years as a cycling advocate, strong academic credentials, hands-on experience in sustainability, and over 20 years of professional experience.
Andrew's interest in European travel was sparked in college while studying at Trinity College's Centro Barbieri in Rome. During that time, he discovered the most effective way to gain proficiency in a language and truly experience a new culture-by bike. He began with short weekend jaunts around the outskirts of Rome and eventually joined a local cycling team. Not too long after graduating from Trinity, Andrew found himself back in Italy, this time as one of Ciclismo Classico's first guides.
You can reach Andrew at andrew@ciclismoclassico.com.
Joe Luchison
Joe, Director of Marketing and Sales, brings over a decade of creative marketing and promotional experience to the Ciclismo family. He has developed marketing strategies for hi-tech startups and 3 major tour operators. Joe came to Ciclismo with the drive to provide holistic traveling experiences, by supplementing great exercise with an education in local culture, particularly that of spectacular cuisine and regional vintages.
Proficient in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian, Joe has traveled extensively throughout Western Europe. He has cycled through Puglia and Piedmont and knows our guides. Joe loves sharing the Ciclismo team passion with everyone he meets, as well as creating happy customers. He has made long lasting friends in the process, a perk of his job that he considers the best. Joes great enthusiasm for combining learning with active travel inspires everyone here!
You can reach Joe at joe@ciclismoclassico.com.