If you haven’t heard of CampoVelo yet, it’s a fun-packed weekend event in Napa Valley that combines food, wine, cycling, and wellness. You can choose to come just for a day or spend the entire three days. Held in April every year, CampoVelo is best described as the Great Cyclist Get Together because everyone at the event simply loves to ride a bike, not to mention eat great food and drink some wine. After all, that’s one of the reasons we ride bikes anyway, right?
The weekend of activity takes place in Calistoga, CA in the heart of Napa Valley. The event brings together famous chefs, wine and beer makers, and even professional athletes to join in the fun and provide inspiration. Chefs like Chris Cosentino, a former professional mountain bike racer and the chef and co-owner of San Francisco’s Cockscomb restaurant; Jackrabbit in Portland, OR; and Acacia House at Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Napa Valley.
Last month, I headed up to Calistoga on a Saturday to take part in the festivities. The day started with a variety of bike rides on offer, including everything from mountain bike rides and fast road rides to a women’s only ride. And these weren’t your average group rides. Fueling stations were located at vineyards and featured gourmet snacks created by the guest chefs, along with a full assortment of fuel by CLIF, the title sponsor of the weekend.
Once back in Calistoga, the afternoon was filled with more food, wine tasting, and culinary demos where you could learn everything from delicious vegan recipes to fuel your training to the importance of salt in the cyclists diet. I had the opportunity to taste my first Impossible Burger. Verdict? It’s good but definitely does not taste like beef.
The highlight of the Saturday schedule was the Speedway event with relay races and other bike activities around the track, including food trucks, beer, wine, and live music. Legendary cyclist Bob Roll was on hand to add color commentary to the entertaining races.
So if you have ever dreamt about riding bikes in Napa, grab some friends and come on out next year. I am planning to convince a bunch of my female cycling friends to come make a girls weekend of it.