Jim Plaunt has no regrets about trading in his four-wheeled method of transportation for two wheels.
After years spent wracking up thousands of miles and too much time in the car as a salesman with Dover Elevator Co., Plaunt shrugged off his sales uniform in favor of bicycle shorts and jerseys and opened
Bike Tour Vacations LLC one year ago in South Lyon. The career transition was not a stretch for the 56-year-old Minnesota native who says he's been a biker "forever."
For three summers he shared his love of bicycle riding with Boy Scout troops in Duluth where he ran the "Pedal, Paddle and Pack" program.
Though not nearly as rigorous, the two- and four-day tours he leads for Bike Tour Vacations definitely capitalize on a passion he developed early on.
"Now as adults we're trying to step it up a little bit," Plaunt says. "All of our tours have a name and theme. We travel with a sagwagon so if there's inclement weather, mechanical problems or if you're tired you can ride in a car. We're not going out to ride as fast as we can. We're going out to enjoy ourselves and see some truly beautiful scenery."
For those who want a different experience, there are options galore. Plaunt says about 50 miles are ridden on each day of the rides.
"If someone says they're done after 25 miles that's OK, but there are 1,000 opportunities to add extra miles," he says.
The elevator salesman-turned tour guide readily admits his business plan closely follows that of a bicycle tour company in Vermont called
Peace of Mind Guaranteed or POMG. In 2004, Plaunt traveled to Vermont to take a bike tour with POMG.
He coupled his experience with POMG with another not-so-great tour last year in Michigan to create the framework for his new venture.
"During that ride last year the weather turned south real quick with two days of 40 mile per hour winds and it was cold and rainy," Plaunt says. "There were 500 people in our section of the ride and about one-third of them ended up calling friends to come pick them up. When you have 500 people in one part and four separate tours running, there's no way you can handle a weather emergency like that."
Hence the ever-present sagwagon and reassurances to those taking Bike Tour Vacations that going at their own pace is not only perfectly acceptable, but encouraged. This message fits well with the 45 to 65-year-old market Plaunt is targeting.
"Vermont has mountains, but we have some tremendous beauty and three great lakes that they don't have," he says.
Plaunt recently led the "Wine and Cheese Tour" which started with dinner at La Cantina restaurant in Paw Paw and wound up in Byron Center. The two- and four-day versions of this tour give participants the opportunity to see wine in the making at St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw and Fenn Valley Winery in Fennville and artisan cheesemaking in Byron Center.
And no, it's not all about knocking back copious amounts of wine or gnoshing on multiple pieces of cheese.
"This tour is encouraging them to learn about viticulture and the growing, harvesting and marketing of wine," Plaunt says. "With the artisan cheese, someone has to be real intimate with a goat."
In addition to the Wine and Cheese tour, Plaunt offers a Casino Run Tour where riders spend three nights at three different casinos in the Traverse City area and a Sunrise Shore tour which starts just east of Mackinaw City on quiet, country roads with stops at three or four lighthouses along the way.
The tours are less about the tourist attractions lining the route and more about the scenery along the byways most people riding in cars never see.
This is what attracted Glenn resident Maria Maslanka who got to know Flaunt when he contacted staff at the South Haven Convention & Visitors Bureau for help in connecting with local bicycle shop owners about roads which would be good for tours. Maslanka's mother happened to be one of the staff people.
Maslanka says she called him and realized he was genuine. "I thought 'wow this is a great idea and I could be his contact.'"
Maslanka was a tour leader for a Wine and Cheese Tour ride in May.
"Everyone had so much fun," she says. "We started in Paw Paw and ventured through all the country roads. We have really nice, solid blacktop roads and we stopped in Allegan and went to lunch at a winery. It's such a beautiful place for people to see and there's so many places people don't even know about."
The tours are limited to 20 people at any given time, however Plaunt says the average number of participants is between eight and 10. He said all of his tour guides are personal acquaintances or people who come highly recommended and they all have other professions or skills.
Maslanka, for example, works in a chiropractor's office, in addition to doing some tutoring. Like Plaunt, she has plenty of experience riding a bicycle.
"I've done endurance racing and a lot of 24-hour adventure races and ultra-marathons," she says.
She's willing to take it slow and easy for the riders she guides on tours which generally begin with some type of gathering the night before the tour so riders can get to know each other. Plaunt says he tries to find hotels that will allow tour groups to leave their vehicles until the end of the ride.
The $200 per day cost of the rides includes most meals and lodging.
"If we're in the Upper Peninsula we're bringing our lunch because there are so few places to buy food" along the route, Plaunt says.
As word continues to spread about the bike tour operation, Plaunt says he continues to work on ways to turn a profit, something which has yet to happen.
People are already signed up for two tours this summer and Plaunt is considering the addition of other tours including one which would follow the Amtrak line between Detroit and Chicago. "We'd bike one way and take the train back," he says. "I also want to have bike trail tours."
His season begins in mid-May and winds down when the fall colors are gone.
"It is my fulltime job. It's comical because I have an expensive website and it becomes a hobby if no one buys anything," he says, "I'm trying to make decisions to make this is a long-term business."
Jane C. Parikh is a freelance reporter and writer with more than 20 years of experience. She is the owner of In So Many Words, based in Battle Creek.
Photos by Erik Holladay.
Captions:
Jim Plaunt, left, owner of Bike Tour Vacations, his son, Jason, and employee Kathy Rosochacki all are excited for the new venture that will take people on two and four day tours in southeast and southwest Michigan.
Jim Plaunt is owner and operator of Bike Tour Vacations, LLC. He gave up a sales job and lots of travel by car to lead bike tours.
Martin E. MacDougall, left, and Gary Childs have been vital contributors to the finance, marketing, and logistical support for Bike Vacations, LLC.