Congratulations to Jemison Cycling Tours on celebrating their 10th Anniversary Trip in Girona!
Here I Go! Cycling Spain with a Pro… a tour through Girona with Marty Jemison
I first met Marty Jemison in high school. I was 16. I recall riding in the back of a pick-up truck with him, in weather that was much too cold. It was the 80’s… seat belts? safety precautions? We weren’t so good at that stuff. The beauty was there were no cell phones either so our mothers never really knew how stupid we were… (as if we moms have a handle on it now! Hah!).
Fast-forward 30 years. I now live in Park City, Utah, the home of JEMISON Cycling Tours. A friend talked me into signing up for Jemison’s signature tour through Spain guided by none other than Marty himself. What makes this interesting is that I’m quite a beginner when it comes to biking, especially every day for many miles. I’ve been trying to train for this “vacation” but I find I’m more interested in the scenery than my MPH, RPMs, cadence, velocity, or whatever. After my first 20-mile training ride, I felt like I had just finished a stage of the Tours in Europe I used to do! Yahoo! It hasn’t gotten much better. Luckily, I’ve been told that Marty offers wonderful side trips AND there is always the ‘broom wagon’ to sweep my butt off the pavement.
Who is Marty Jemison? Briefly, he started his racing career in Utah in 1987. By 1989, he was a Category 1 racer. In 1993, he began riding for the US National Team and won the US Amateur Road Racing Championships. From 1995-2000, he rode for the US Postal Team including two Tour de France races where he finished 96th and 48th, as well as 5th in Stage 13.
After living in Girona for 6 years while riding in the Professional Peloton, Marty and his wife, Jill, decided to share their love of this incredible region in Spain with others and created JEMISON Cycling Tours. The GIRONA tour is their Signature Tour and this September is the 10th Anniversary of a dream-come-true: a successful cycling tour business. I will have the privilege of sharing it with them.
Join me (and my camera), Marty, Jill, and others on this 10th Anniversary Tour as I post a photo blog detailing the highlights. If I can’t make it up the hill (quite likely) I am assured of fantastic hiking, museums, ancient ruins, art, spas, cultural experiences and great food & wine. I am looking forward to sampling the region’s local choice, Rioja! Stay tuned.