Portland, MAINE (3/4/10) – Norman Patry’s journey from the desk of an investment office to a bicycle seat in coastal Maine is not just the story of a man who pursued – and caught – his dream. It’s also a tale of how one person’s vision can inspire others.

Patry’s business, Summer Feet, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary, in providing van-assisted bicycle tours, where all lodging, food and other logistics are handled for clients.

The business grew out Patry’s cross-country bicycle adventure, which he took as a break from his work with annuities and other financial instruments, even though he had not being on a bike for 13 years. Today, Summer Feet trips spur others to get out of their homes and, in many cases, onto bicycles for the first time in years.

“I hadn’t been on a bicycle outside for at least 16 years,” said Colleen Harwood, a nurse who lives in Bolton, Mass. “But two years ago, I decided to take a trip with Summer Feet to coastal Maine, as a way to get my husband away from his Blackberry and laptop.”

“A trip like that just does so much good for your psyche,” she said. “You let things go.”

The day after her return from the trip, Harwood bought a bicycle. She is now an avid cyclist who has twice completed 50-mile fundraising rides for charity. It also helped her reconnect with family, she said.

“This trip said to my husband and me that we really are still connected as a couple and can have fun together,” Harwood said. “I think it’s good for any relationship to do something like this.”

Summer Feet offers bicycle tours to some of the most stunningly beautiful locations in New England, Canada and New Zealand. Four new trips are planned for this summer. Two are geared for all cyclists:

• Quebec, where riders will take the Route Verte, which was first among the Top Ten Bike Routes selected by National Geographic Magazine. The trip includes Quebec City, as well as historic villages and beautiful natural features such as the spectacular Montmorency Falls.

• Cape Breton, which has been described by Bicycling Magazine as one of the best rides in North America. This trip includes Cape Breton Highlands National Park and incorporates the Scottish flavor to be found in this part of Nova Scotia.

Summer Feet’s other two new trips are being adapted to meet the needs of deaf people. These vacations will be led by experienced bicycle-trip guides who also are fluent in American Sign Language. The first of these trips will take place Aug. 27-29, in and around Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor, Maine. The other will be Sept. 24-26 to the area around scenic Camden, Maine.

“It’s amazing how much I’ve learned doing this,” Patry said. “I love riding my bike, of course. That’s how I got started. But I also really enjoy the other part of the business — making sure clients have incredible, sometimes life-changing experiences.”

Andrea Schall took a Summer Feet trip to the Maine coast in 2006, even though she was not much of a bicyclist at the time.

“It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. Norman and his guides totally understand what you need, and they take care of you,” said Schall, who lives in Los Angeles. “It actually got me into biking to the point where I bought a bicycle and bike all the time now.”

Summer Feet is different from many of the large tour operators, in its ability to find unique local experiences that higher-volume businesses miss. His trips to Camden, Maine, for example offer sunset dinner cruises on schooners.

“Summer Feet is very purposeful in how they run the trip to make sure that you have a wonderful experience,” said Tom Braun, a middle school teacher from Iowa who was an active bicyclist even before his first Summer Feet trip. “A lot of the places you stay are right on the water. The food is great. And you don’t carry a suitcase at any time in the trip, because they take care of all that for you.”

Patry began his cross-country trip by taking a book out of his local library and getting a map of Virginia through the Adventure Cycling Association. A few years later, he stopped working with finance in Massachusetts, so that he could move to Maine and start Summer Feet.

“The first year we had 11 clients, total,” Patry said. “Today, we help hundreds of people explore beautiful, new areas every year. Some of our clients bike all the time. But others really fall in love with bicycles on our trips, the same way that I did on that ride across America.”

Based in Portland, Maine, Summer Feet offers travelers assisted bicycle tours and the most-authentic experiences available of beautiful locations in Maine, Canada and New Zealand. Summer Feet has a decade of experience in providing van support, knowledgeable guides and logistics for memorable bicycle vacations. More information is available at www.summerfeet.net, via email to info@summerfeet.net, or by phone at 866-857-9544.

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