Inside our Ateliers: The hidden engines powering Butterfield & Robinson’s European trips

Bikes, panniers, water bottles, jerseys, navigation systems. Those are just some of the items on the checklist our two Ateliers in Europe manage for every traveller on every trip.&nbsp;Located in <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/places-to-go/europe/france/burgundy">Beaune, France</a>, and <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/places-to-go/europe/italy/tuscany">Arezzo, Italy</a>, our two Ateliers are the engine behind all of our trips on the European continent. They’re also the places where magic happens. And it all starts with a team meeting 30 days before a trip’s departure.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Behind the Scenes of Butterfield &amp; Robinson’s European Ateliers&nbsp;</h3>The teams in each location meet to determine the needs of travellers who will soon hit the road on <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/how-to-travel/small-group/biking">biking</a>, <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/how-to-travel/small-group/walking-hiking">walking</a> and <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/how-to-travel/small-group/multi-active">multi-active</a> trips, and ensure that inventory matches those requests.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We track every single piece of equipment—phones, bikes, vans and even walking sticks, because every trip has different requests,” says Nicola Bali, head of B&amp;R’s Arezzo Atelier.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Beaune alone that includes 600 bikes, along with helmets, handlebar bags, pedals, locks, “all the equipment that we are sending on trips,” says Mikael Gautheret, B&amp;R’s manager of technical operations in Beaune. The fleet in Arezzo has an additional 300 in its fleet to cover trips in <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/places-to-go/europe/italy">Italy</a>, <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/places-to-go/europe/croatia">Croatia</a>, <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/places-to-go/europe/slovenia">Slovenia</a> and other European countries in that area of the continent.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>How Luxury Cycling Trips in Europe Are Prepared&nbsp;</h3>It’s a lot of things to keep spinning, but those aren’t only wheels they have to manage. There are the B&amp;R vans, too, essential for trips to move travellers, gear and mid-ride snacks, of course. At the start of the season there may be five or six vans to keep track of, but in high season that number reaches as high as 40. “For those, we have to install roof racks and decals,” says Mikael. They then meet with the guides for the trip ahead and load up the van to ensure they have everything they need for the week.&nbsp;&nbsp;When travellers get on their bikes for the first ride of their trip, they notice the phone on each bike has their trips rides ready to access and at their fingertips. That’s the Ateliers’ work, too. It’s all part of the cycling experience, Nico says, “day by day with the different routes.”&nbsp;

<h3>Customizing Every Ride for the Traveller&nbsp;</h3>They often take requests, the goal being that every traveller feels as comfortable on a B&amp;R bike as they are on their equipment at home. Whether it’s a gel seat for added comfort or a seat riser to make riding in an upright position easier to manage, the Atelier teams deliver. They’ve had requests for recumbent bikes, required by a traveller to accommodate a neurological disorder, and a tandem bike for use by a blind traveller and their co-rider.&nbsp;“Every year we have been able to fit this one special traveller with the recumbent bike,” says Nico. “And they’re so grateful because every year we accomplish this mission it means they’re able to travel with us.”&nbsp;And they’re prepared for last-minute changes and requests. Mika recalls having to drive one bike to Spain from the Beaune Atelier to ensure a traveller had their ride on time. Nico recalls a request, from a trip in Puglia seven years ago, for a specific bike. “It was just a couple days before the trip started, that the request came through,” Nico explains. “We had to find the fastest way there, so we sent someone on the overnight train, and were able to provide the bike to this traveller.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately, instances like this are rare. “Usually, we have two spare bikes on a trip,” Mika explains. “But if needed, we can make it happen.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Innovation and Expertise Behind Every B&amp;R Journey&nbsp;</h3>Even with tried-and-true systems, there is no ordinary day for our Atelier teams. This spring they’re busy incorporating our <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/get-inspired/travel-journal/engineering-the-perfect-ride-inside-our-new-e-bike-and-e-road-bike-fleet">new E-bikes</a> into their fleets. Both Mika and Nico consulted with Tim McDermott, B&amp;R’s in-house bike aficionado, during the design and construction of the bikes.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I think we spent more than one year going back and forth to make we had the right shape and components,” says Nico. “It’s been a good challenge.”&nbsp;&nbsp;It’s more proof that the journey of every B&amp;R bike starts and ends with the teams at the Ateliers.&nbsp;

Go behind the scenes with Butterfield & Robinson’s European Ateliers in France and Italy, where expert teams prepare bikes and gear for bespoke luxury active trips.