DIARIO BUENOS AIRES HERALD

BUENOS AIRES HERALD

Wheeling around BA’s history landmarks-

It´s not all about the joy of the ride, or getting the right bike for you or the Sports gear that will suit you body contour and- still more important- the requirements of the local transit authorities. It’s also about finding the motivation to go out there on a short biking trip that, apart from the obvious benefit of physical exercise, will prove a rewarding cultural experience.

This the young entrepreneurs behind Buenos Aires Urban Biking have clearly understood. Combining outdoors sports, tourism and an overview of BA’s landmarks- the ones any tour guide will take you, and the ones that would otherwise go unnoticed- they offer a malleable biking experience.

There are several options to fit your body fitness, your cultural appetite or simply your budget. In general, these bikes rides- guided by two enthusiastic youths, Nicolás and Rodrigo- depart from the area of Palermo/Recoleta, wheeling all the way south to the places where Buenos Aires, once a tiny hamlet, started to expand. During the 6-hr, 25-km ride you will be furnished with a wealth of architectural and historical information, focusing on the lesser known aspects of it. A case in point: the advent of electricity and the subsequent development, and related subjects such as the energy needed for elevators which in turn permitted the growth of high-rises. Powerhouses, precisely, are some of the architectural landmarks the tour guides focus on- red brick buildings in La Boca quarter of town.

As further proof of their penchant for history, Buenos Aires Urban Biking guides point at BA’s greatest paradox: a port city without a waterfront as such for urban dwellers to revel on, and the architectural-commercial triumph of Puerto Madero to the detriment of the long-forgotten Puerto Huergo, once devised for the Riachuelo area and technically more feasible.

Suitable for individuals or groups, these tours capitalize on the accessibility granted by the two-wheeler, smoothly gliding through urban transit or, for daring riders in for an adrenalin fix, traversing bumpy streets and roads. Tours are available in Spanish or English, with an additional fee for equipment rental (top of the range mountain bikes, helmets, dayglo outwear) if required.

For further information- and for advice on how to summon up all your dormant energy for these rides- phone 4371-4685, email: urbanbiking@hotmail.com

LEISURE TRAVEL

Biking tours in BA

For the physically fit, the best vantage point from which to see the city may be a bike saddle during a guided bicycle tour.

Thanks to the healthy initiative of two young entrepreneurs, people who feel stupid pedaling a fixed bicycle In a gym can now see the sights of the city atop a real bike, learn a lot and have fun in the process. In English or Spanish.

They will hear how the Spaniards criticized the bullfights in Plaza San Martin as uncouth because the toreador grabbed the bull by the tail, how the patriots stopped the advance of English troops there in 1820, and how General José de San Martin used it as a training ground for the troops he led to Chile over the Andes.

Then there are the stories of Avenida de Mayo, Avenida alvear and the mansions of the late 19th century; the monuments donated to the city by its Spanish, German, English and Italian communities; the rivalry of two engineers over the design of the city’s port; how the arrival of electricity sparked a revolution in lifestyles; and what Charles Thays, the French designer of most of Buenos Aires’ important parks and squares, was like.

But among the many tales told on the spot during the four-hour, 12-km cycling tour led by journalist Nicolás Falcioni, 27, and industrial designer Rodrigo Fernandez Valdivieso, 26, the most bizarre is without doubt about how the 350-hectare Nature Reserve came to exist a few blocks from the city centre, and survive until now as one of the few victories of environmentalists against urban ills. That’s the rest stop where they pass around sandwiches, an alfajor and mate, after having taken people from Palermo to Recoleta, Retiro and Puerto Madero. Then come La Boca, San Telmo, Montserrat, Plaza de Mayo and Congreso. They take care of getting the bikes back to the point of departure.

This four-hour urban circuit costs 40 pesos if they provide the bikes and safety equipment, $25 if you bring your own. A shorter two-and-a-half-hour version is $25/18.

Their excursion to Tigre, which implies taking the bikes on the train from Retiro, getting off in Olivos and seeing all the attractions on the way to the port and historic neighbourhood of Tigre, lasts half a day and also costs $40/25.

If you are an inveterate biker and want to do the two half-day excursions one after another, it will cost you $70/50

For more information, call Nicolás at 4371-1338, Rodrigo at 4371-4685 0r (15) 5175-6388 or e-mail: urbanbiking@hotmail.com
 

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  Tour Sur
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  Tour Norte
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  Tigre full day con Kayak
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  Tour Nocturno
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  Alquileres