It all came together for Andy Levine in the Swiss Alps. The recent college graduate had landed a job as jack-of-all-trades for ultra prestigious art dealer Bruno Bischofberger. Andy shoveled the walk, answered the phones, stretched canvases for renowned painters, hobnobbed with the artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, spent days discussing the merits of Andy Warhol and weekends heli-skiing with his boss. It was a stroke of luck for a risk-taking kid; Andy envisioned a life filled with his passions for business, art, travel, fine wine and jumping out of helicopters.

An avid biker, Andy had been toying with the idea of luxury bike tours against gorgeous backdrops—think Martha Stewart meets Lance Armstrong—and, ensconced in the creativity of Bischofberger’s salon, he had a eureka moment of his own: DuVine Adventures, a series of bike tours through some of the world’s most beautiful, art-inspiring landscapes. Andy began leading bikers through France. Minor success, and then major. He hired tour guides, moved back to the States, set up shop in Somerville and then broadened his horizons. Duvine now offers tours in more than a dozen locations including Tuscany, Bordeaux, Mallorca, and closer to home, Cape Cod. Trippers pedal 25 miles a day, stay in rustic inns and a-list spas and take in the sights, sounds and especially the tastes of the area. The Bordeaux trip features private wine tastings and vineyard-hopping through a countryside fit for an artist’s canvas.

Andy believes in shooting the hole—you see your opening, you go for it. It’s a skiing term that has nothing to do with bikes but everything to do with life. The credo has served him well. This year, National Geographic Adventure selected DuVine as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.” In spite of the limping economy, business is still booming, Andy says, with more than $2 million in sales last year. With a heart of a businessman and soul of an artist, Andy Levine devotes himself to blazing a fresh trail, picking up friends and explorers along the way, and shooting the hole every chance he has.

www.duvine.com

Here's an update submitted by student writer Alex Koenig on the "Where's Andy?" front...

DuVine Adventures: Riding the Way to Success 

The slogan for bike tours and adventure company DuVine Adventures is fairly simple: “Bike. Eat. Drink. Sleep.” DuVine Adventures delivers on all of these things, and much, much more. Since the company’s inception in 1996, DuVine Adventures has offered deluxe bicycle tours all over the world. Passengers are given the opportunity to trek through villages all over Europe, bike tours in France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, South America, Czech Republic, Austria, Napa and Sonoma – all the while staying in five-star hotels, dining at the finest restaurants and sipping world-renowned wines. 

DuVine tour groups tend to be on the smaller side, with an average of 8 to 12 guests and a maximum of 16 passengers per group. The small group size allows passengers to befriend one another easily. Furthermore, each group is equipped with two tour guides that possess a wealth of insights regarding the aesthetics, history, cuisine, and traditions of the destinations being explored.

“Guides have to be certified and go through our training to get a job on our tours,” stated DuVine Tour Coordinator Megan Barba. “Guides need to everything, from being able to explain art history, to being a good host. To be one of our guides you’re not just an average bike guide, you’re a wine maker, you’re a psychologist, and you’re an art historian.”

In addition to group tours, travelers have other options, from family tours and solo tours to a unique yoga adventure that according to DuVine’s website, “invites you to uplift your mind, body, and spirit on a truly unique meditation.”   

“The bikes were incredible,” said Jeff Greenberg, a Boston native who went on the DuVine trip to France.  “By the time I had finished the trip, I wanted to move to France!”

As a result of the company’s high-end bike tours, DuVine has earned a hearty amount of critical recognition, as it was chosen by National Geographic Traveler as one of the 2009 Tours of a Lifetime in the May/June 2009 issue.

At the helm of DuVine Adventures is Andy Levine, who is the president and founder of the company. Levine has always been a traveler at heart, and ever since he was young, he wanted a chance to immerse himself in other cultures abroad. Levine’s goal with DuVine was to appeal to people with just as big of a passion for travel as he does.  

“We want to exceed our clients expectations and to make the unexpected attainable; to give unique adventures that you could never do on your own.” 

Levine has pushed himself to deliver bike tours that are as relaxing as they are exhilarating.“ Getting a good workout on the bike is important, but at the same time, we want our guests to enjoy the sights, the food, and the wine. The more our guests can kick back and enjoy the fresh air, the better.” 

What are DuVine’s plans for the future? “We always want to keep discovering,” said Levine. “Whether it’s a new place to eat, a new bottle of wine, or a new trail to bike down, we always want to give our new travelers and returning travelers something that they have never seen before. It’s the DuVine way.”