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, folklore 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.

Meet the Team

Ciclismo Classico is a proud member of the following:

Lauren Hefferon

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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.

Stephen Lang

A sports enthusiast all his life, Stephen joined the CC Team as General Manager in 2007. Perched at the Ciclismo helm, has a true passion for building and creating innovative companies. He is a key CC Team player who is charged with managing growth over the long term. Prior to joining Ciclismo, Stephen owned two companies of his own, and served as the CEO of two others that enjoyed incredible success during his tenure.

A graduate of Boston College with a Master’s Degree from Assumption College, Stephen is an all-around sports lover – he skis, golfs, plays basketball and tennis, and can now be spotted on the streets around the Boston area on his hew executive bicycle! He is the proud father of four, and when the weather is good, he goes deep-sea fishing on weekends near his Cape Cod home.

You can reach Stephen at stephen@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.

Scott Robertson

Scott, our Controller, has several years of travel industry experience, holding key roles at Thomas Cook Travel, American Express and Garber Travel. Scott is a local guy who grew up just 2 miles away from the Ciclismo headquarters. He attended Suffolk University and recently completed a Masters in the Science of Management program at Emmanuel College.

Scott has been to Europe several times and says Amsterdam in his favorite city to visit. When Scott started keeping all of our numbers in good order, he was also immediately inspired to upgrade from his 12 year old Univega to a new Bianchi!. He inspires the team with his dedication and good works – outside of Ciclismo, he mentors for the local Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring Program and is a head coach for his son's U6 soccer team.

You can reach Scott at scott@ciclismoclassico.com.

Erika Gustafson

Trip Consultant and Traveler Extraordinaire, Erika Gustafson, joined the Ciclismo Classico team in order to sare her passion for active travel and cross-cultural immersion. Originally from Vermont, Erika grew up in a family owned travel agency, and was continually inspired by the fine time they spent on international vacations. She graduated with a dual degree in Education and French from Tufts University, skilled in the arts of communication and international awareness. Erika has lived in Japan, France, and Switzerland, always exploring, learning about and gaining a great appreciation for diverse cultures. Having traveled multiple times to Como, Italy, exploring the isle of Capri, and hiking through Cinque Terre, Erika is well informed on the regional variations and cultural highlights of Italy.

Erika loves to exchange stories and photos of her worldly adventures with others, whether they are about her self-guided explorations of Moscow and St. Petersburg, hiking the Swiss Alps, or discovering the history of Palermo, Sicily. She believes that attaining a true understanding of various cultures, through complete immersion and an open mind, is the most valuable benefit of traveling. Care to chat about your next journey? Just give Erika a call, or send her an email!

You can reach Erika at erika@ciclismoclassico.com.

Rachel Greenberger

Travel Consultant, Rachel graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in English. Far-off places have long been on her mind as she focused her Wellesley Honors thesis on English literature from the subcontinent. During her two-and-a-half-year tenure with adventure travel company Geographic Expeditions in San Francisco, Rachel hiked to cliffside monasteries in Bhutan, hang-glided over Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, and almost got to bounce across the Mongolia steppe in a Russian jeep! Rachel returned to the Boston area to be closer to her roots and joined the Ciclismo team in July 2007. Now Rachel zips around Cambridge on her Globe hybrid, dodging pedestrians and SUVs. An avid writer — currently of screenplays — Rachel loves a good tale. Give her a call to share your cycling sagas and future pedaling aspirations — together you can cook up a great ride with Ciclismo Classico!

You can reach Rachel at rachel@ciclismoclassico.com.

Jewel Ascano

Marketing Assistant and Tour Consultant, Jewel Ascano, is an alumna of Boston University, with a degree in Advertising and a minor in Italian Studies. As a native of Winter Park, Florida, Jewel has always loved the outdoors: camping, hiking, running, fishing, grilling, and especially the sunshine and beaches. Her fascination with Italy first began when she arbitrarily chose Italian 101 to fulfill a language requirement during her freshman year.

From that point on, shes had a passion for everything Italian: the food, wine, art, architecture, history and culture! Making her dream come true, she spent a semester abroad in Padova, Italy and traveled extensively throughout the country. Jewel has cycled our Sud Tyrl Roll tour, and shell be happy to share with you her Italian adventures. As a proud member of the Ciclismo Classico team, Jewel aspires to help you realize your own ideal European experience.

You can reach Jewel at jewel@ciclismoclassico.com.