Home » Blog » Blog » 9/27/10 Redrock Canyons Tour: Testimonial

9 Responses to “9/27/10 Redrock Canyons Tour: Testimonial”

1. Len Battifarano says:

   December 8, 2010 at 4:01 pm

   I still wake up in the mornings and think about our days of riding together, in the most spectacular place I have ever been. Hoping everyone is well……..len

2. Wayne Casper says:

   October 28, 2010 at 10:11 am

   This was my first organized bike tour and it could not have been a more wonderful experience. John and his crew, Eric and Suzie, are comfortable,secure ,supportive and able.An incredible trip through powerful and majestic country with an inspiring group of people .

3. Jo Glading-DiLorenzo says:

   October 7, 2010 at 7:07 am

   Okay, so honestly — the Lizarhead’s Red Rock Canyon Tour was the kind of trip that made me want to run away like those businessmen you hear about who just go poof! one day without a trace. There I’d go, zipping away on my beloved Scott over some breathtaking 12 percent downhill, screaming through some ancient adobe-colored canyon right out of a John Wayne western and never look back. Of course, that would be silly, because then I’d miss out on one of the best parts of the trip — our guides’ home-cooked lunches and historical and geological narratives, their great good humor and massages. And I’d miss our beloved peloton, the other cyclists who for the week were my fellow adventures, discovering fascinating places (deserts, canyons, mountains, ranches), unlikely oasises (Comb Ridge Cafe in Bluff, Utah — population 250 — Wow!) and a few things about ourselves as cyclists and humans, as well. The escape fantasy was really enticing for this mother of 3 teenagers, but I did go home. Largely because of Lizardheader leader John and crew’s (Eric Suzi, Matt) expansive visions and big old hearts, I carry with me the best souvenirs: vivid memories of gorgeous exotic landscapes, new friends, a renewed sense of power and confidence in my own abilities (See the 112-mile day! Oy!) and a fresh desire to keep on spinning toward new adventures. To my Lizarhead buddies: May the road rise to meet you and may the wind always be at your tail. XOJO

4. Becky Carney says:

   October 6, 2010 at 9:57 pm

   As my 40th birthday ominously approached, I planned to mark it with a wine country bike tour. That was until I saw the NY Times article. . . I immediately knew that this horrific and auspicious occasion called for exactly something like this. Epic. 400 miles in the desert. What could be more perfect?

   And it was the experience of a lifetime. I can’t imagine anything that could have provided more beauty, joy, satisfaction, and. . . all around bliss. For a birthday– or any occasion–or no occasion at all. I live in Colorado and have traveled around the world to many beautiful places, yet none have been more breathtaking and spectacular than the wild southern Utah we traversed on this tour.

   When I ventured out “alone” on this journey, I had no idea I would be surrounded by such a wonderful group of people that immediately became friends–and likely will be for life. John and Eric and the team created such an environment of warmth and comfort that everyone immediately settled in as if we’d known each other forever.

   The riding was perfect (so flexible and accommodating for whatever your fitness level or mood of the day), the logistics flawless, the food and accomodations wonderful, the support of the guide organization top notch. Oh–and did I mention Matt–the massage therapist sent from heaven that traveled with us??

   If you see this ride and are considering doing it. . . run, don’t walk, to the phone and book it. You will never regret it. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

   The only bad part is that it had to end. Thank you John and the LizardHead team!! I will tell stories of this when I’m old and gray–and no one will believe I did it. 🙂

   Most sincerely,
   Becky

5. George Stewart says:

   October 6, 2010 at 6:13 pm

   On Oct 3, 2010, at 7:40 PM, George Stewart wrote:

   Reflections a Day Later…Lizard Head Cycling…A “Best of Life” Experience

   First, I am very happy being home with my lovely wife, Brooke (Big Tuna’s sister) and our two boys, Henry and Ryland. But, I miss you all. I could not have hand picked such a diverse and wonderful crew of smart, funny, open, inspirational, no bull people. I laughed so hard my stomach muscles got as sore as the rest of me, excluding perhaps my Grundle, which got hit a bit harder.

   For a week we were the Lizard Head Cycling Team and at the end of it, I asked John if it was ok if I called myself a cyclist now.

   I have very distinct, happy memories of you all and if you are EVER in NY, please, please reach out to Jorge and Big Tuna. We would love to reminisce and entertain you in the canyons of the big apple. We don’t have cattle guards or the open range, but getting “doored” is always a possibility.

   John, Eric, Susie and Matt, thank you for punching a big hole in the headwinds both figuratively and literally throughout the tour. I sure as hell needed your support and I wish I could have you all alongside me for all of life’s tours and travails. You are an outstanding organization, top rate guides and most importantly, caring people. My very best to you all, George.

6. len battifarano says:

   October 5, 2010 at 10:48 pm

   If you only ever take one bike tour, make it the Lizard Head Red Rock Road Tour. I have ridden over 100,000 miles over the past 15 years, both as a professional racer and touring cyclist and can only say, that this was the very best ever….the tour leaders, John & Eric, the support staff, of Suzie and Matt….the endless roads of magnificent beauty, the other 14 riders…..the roads leading into Monument Valley, the endless sky, the great food at breakfast and lunch and the instant connections we all seemed to make, so effortlessly, make this tour one of for the ages….go and be renewed and re-energized.. just beware that going home is home is hard…..
   …oh and if you do go, be sure to ask John or Eric about the growing legend of Lizard the adopted Navajo dog…that story is one you will love….len battifarano…NYC

7. melissa joseph says:

   October 5, 2010 at 9:13 pm

   As an avid reader of the NYTIMES, I was stunned at the photos in the article one Sun,. several months ago. Impulsive as I am, I called immediately to book my spot on what looked
   like the tour of a lifetime. As I read more about my upcoming trip, I was totally engrossed by
   the writer’s experience as he encountered one glorious relationship with nature one day after another
   from the saddle of a bicycle.
   Though unprepared for the actual mileage that was optional each day, I found the greatest
   feature of my trip to be the camaraderie that was almost instantaneously developed within the group.
   Obviously, the drill of each day’s challenge formed an instant bond, though beyond that,
   there was this specialness that exalted within the group. I attribute much of that to the leader and staff who went beyond the call of duty to accommodate each individual with not
   only mechanical and technical needs but also personal ones.

   I truly benefited from the latter when a stray dog and I became acquainted at Monument
   Valley on my 55th birthday. John Humphries, the owner of the company, Suzie and Eric,
   staff members, could not have been more compassionate when I exhorted that I wanted
   to rescue the dog and take him back to San Diego, where I lived. None of the three looked
   at me like my request was preposterous; instead, they each in their own sensitive way,
   aided me in facilitating the transportation of what became Lizard, the Res Dog Millionaire
   who was shuttled for several days, bed down in motels along the route, and flown from
   both Lake Powell, where the trip ended, to Grand Junction and then on to San Diego.

   He is now ensconced in my world having just been neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. He’s on his way to becoming a therapy dog where he will work with end of
   life patients.

   I am forever grateful to the staff as well as the tour members. Most of them were quite
   supportive in fostering my plan of providing a home for what appeared to be an incredibly
   needy dog.

   I arrived back in San Diego with a new found appreciation for the beauty of Utah, for group
   travel, and for following my heart. Try something really challenging, get a massage every
   night with Matt, feel like a professional rider with Eric and Suzie fulfilling your needs and
   requests, and meet John, the owner of Lizard Head Cycle Guides, who will charm you
   with his non-corporate style and out of the box thinking. You can’t go wrong. It will be an
   experience that will color your life forever.

8. Bill Goertz says:

   October 5, 2010 at 10:43 am

   A “Tour for the ages”, such outstanding scenery, a great group of riders, thanks to John, Eric, Susie, and Matt who took care of everything except pedaling. We are already planning our next tour.

9. mark baumkel says:

   October 4, 2010 at 6:40 pm

   An August, 2010 Sunday N.Y.Times travel section article touted this tour as spectacular, and was written with such obvious sincerity and enthusiasm that I was prompted immediately to book the next available tour. The Times article, while truly glowing, did not do full justice to the experience I had during our 5 day late September Red Rocks tour–wonderful big hearted new friends showed up from all over the country to join the tour; magnificent breathtaking scenery throughout each day; spectacular biking terrain(and, in retrospect, this includes the two nearly impossible straight up hills on day 2 and day 5); wonderful meals on the road and beautiful lodgings and meals each evening; big-spirited Lizard Head staff to keep things very well organized along the way (including beautiful Suzie who caught and re-directed me one day in her Jeep as I was embarking down a wrong road and guide Eric who was “Johnny on the Spot” when I had a flat); and tremendous increase in my confidence to now tackle any sort of bike ride of any distance in any place. Some of us, former strangers, talked at the airport the morning after tour end about meeting up to do it again next year.