Our History

Timeline:

1973

Dr. Dale P. Hart begins leading academic/student tours to the archaeological sites in Greece by bus.

1977

Dale purchases a new Peugeot PA-60 touring bike and rides solo from Rome to London, fully self contained.

1979

Dale Hart develops his first commercial departure of Classical Greece, ironically called "Bicycle Greece."

1980

The Hart family drives a rusted out Ford Maverick from Rochester, NY to Savannah, GA. They sell the car ($15) and pedal home. 17 days.

1984

Classic Adventures begins to grow, adding more departures to more destinations. Dale leaves the academic world to pursue commercial bicycle touring full time.

1989

Oldest son, Nathan Hart, joins Classic Adventures full time, bringing his bicycle repair expertise to Classic Adventures.

1994

CA partners with Trek to provide new, state of the art, rental bikes. Middle son, Benton Hart, joins CA full time as tour director.

1996

Dianne Hart retires from teaching high school English and joins CA full time.

1998

Bicycling Magazine names CA tour of the Island of Crete as one of the "50 best rides on the planet."

2001

Classic Adventures rental fleet grows to 300+ bicycles worldwide, with depots in upstate New York, France (Beaune), and Greece (Ancient Corinth).

2002

Dale Hart officially retires, and Benton Hart assumes day to day operations. Dale ultimately fails at retirement and continues to guide departures in Greece.

2006

Dale Hart rides coast to coast solo & self contained.

2008

Dale & Dianne ride coast to coast following the Northern Tier Route on their brand new carbon fiber road bikes.