Michael Effron Reflects On His 14 inGamba Trips…And More
Michael Effron is already thinking about his next trip. Actually, scratch that—he’s thinking about one that hasn’t even been announced yet.
“We’ll be the first to sign up for the Burgundy week as soon as we hear about it,” he says about a new trip that could well be on inGamba’s 2027 calendar.
At this point, he means it. After 14 trips, inGamba isn’t just a vacation for Michael—it’s part of his life.
At face value, Effron—a management consultant from South Bend, Indiana who specializes in supply chain management—might not come off as someone you’d immediately peg as an obsessive cyclist. After all, he lives, as he puts it, “in the flatlands,” far from the dramatic climbs and switchbacks that define many of Europe’s most iconic rides. But that contrast is part of what drew him in—and what keeps him coming back.
“My first trip was 10 years ago in the Dolomites. I first heard of inGamba many years ago, when I read a piece about it in the New York Times travel section,” Effron says. “inGamba was just getting started, but both my wife and I thought it sounded perfect—the best thing in the world. But we were in the middle of raising kids, and it was just beyond our ability in all respects to do it. Then this trip came up, and it had the magic words ‘Miguel Indurain’ and ‘Gran Fondo.’ Miguel Indurain was my hero when I got into the sport, and Janet was like, ‘You have to do this one.’”
So he did.
That first trip was to the Dolomites—arguably one of the most challenging places a rider from northern Indiana could choose. “The week included something like 50,000 feet of climbing,” Effron recalls. “I was the slow guy in the group. The riding was so far beyond me.” Everything was new, he remembers, from the climbing and descending to the daily post-ride massage.
But he finished every ride.
More importantly, he came home transformed. Janet noticed it immediately. “You look 10 years younger,” she told him. Then she added, “You need to do this again.”
And he has—to the tune of twice a year, virtually every year since. For Effron—who is rarely seen without his inGamba cap—these trips offer something rare: a combination of physical challenge, travel, and total mental release.
“It’s both my relaxation and my opportunity to ride in places I have never ridden before,” he explains. “The biggest decisions I have to make all week are, ‘Do I want another glass of wine?’ or ‘Do I want another serving of the meal?’ You are down to the most basic decisions, and given how life is, that is just liberating.”
Ask Effron to name a favorite trip, and he hesitates. “I get that question a lot, but every trip is so different and has its own experiences,” he says.
There are, however, a few standouts.
He’s returned to Lecchi, inGamba’s spiritual home, three times, drawn by its atmosphere and consistency. And the Mont Ventoux and Schloss Elmau trips are also high on his list. “They strike a particularly good balance, offering the right kind of challenges for everybody, along with exceptional riding.” And then there are the Dolomites, which have become something of a personal tradition. “We actually go there by ourselves almost every year,” he says.
Still, part of the magic lies in the variety. “Is there really a bad trip?” he asks. “I have yet to experience one.”
That sense of discovery was especially clear during his two most recent trips: back-to-back weeks at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It was his first time doing consecutive trips, but he had long wanted to experience the Spring Classics in this way.
Riding the same roads as the pros gave him a deeper appreciation for the unique character of these two Monuments. “You really get a sense of just how different they are,” he says. “The cobbles of Flanders are actually tame in comparison to those of Roubaix, as crazy as that might sound.” Roubaix, he explains, is “relentless,” with a level of roughness and unpredictability that has to be felt to be understood.
And yet, even after 14 trips, Effron isn’t slowing down. If anything, he’s looking ahead. Late-season trips to Lecchi often fit well into his calendar, but one destination is already circled in his mind: Burgundy in 2027.
“The cycling just looks amazing,” he says. “And I know the food is going to be out of this world.”
When that trip is announced, there’s little doubt he’ll be ready.
After all, some traditions are worth keeping.
