The Tour de France has cycling on many people’s minds, and for luxury travelers, there has never been a
better time to tour the world on two wheels. When the 2016 edition of the popular Travel + Leisure Magazine
World’s Best Awards came out recently, tour operators were stunned. A little known company that had never
appeared in the rankings before took the coveted Number One spot as the World’s Best Tour Operator. Gray &
Co. is a high end, 100% custom road and mountain bike (and hike) tour operator out of Canada, created in 2009
by a longtime industry veteran specifically to address the demands of deep-pocketed, experienced travelers who
had “been there and done that.” Owner Cari Gray’s forte is finding awesome places to ride, with great scenery,
hotels, food, and most of all, fantastic pavement with little traffic. She raves about places that are off of many
traveling cyclists’ radar, such as northern Argentina, parts of Australia and the Canary Islands, or Chile’s
Atacama desert for mountain biking enthusiasts, all handpicked because of the quality of the cycling. Before
running a tour to a new area, she gathers her team of guides, support drivers and mechanics, and does the trip, in
advance of paying clients, to make sure everything from road conditions to the hotels is perfect.
While it is hard to beat this level of white glove service, Gray & Co. is not alone—the private and bespoke
bike vacation business is booming at all sorts of price points. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the entire
guided cycling industry, which was pioneered by Butterfield & Robinson, whose slogan is “Slow Down to See
the World,” and started taking customers on luxury journeys in 1966. For decades, B&R, as its ultra-loyal fans
know it, has been the widely acclaimed, award-winning world leader in luxury scheduled cycling trips, and over
the years added hiking, kayaking, sailing and “multi-sport” departures. But they have also vastly grown their
bespoke business—so much that it now accounts for at least half their volume. In other words, while B&R is an
awesome company, the only thing better than their regular trips is their private trips. They are ranked Number
Two in the new Travel + Leisure list (which despite the number of cycling specialists, included tour operators
from many other fields).
【題組】73 What is the meaning of “white glove service”?
(A) careful service
(B) first come first serve
(C) dedicated service from best breed support agents
(D) budget service
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