About Us

Founder and Partner

Start with someone who has been enamored with motorcycles since the age of 12, add in an extensive professional background in the motorcycle and hospitality industry, finish it off with a love of exploring places somewhat off the beaten path, and you have the recipe for a person destined to start a company like Blue Strada Tours.

Riding motorcycles has been a part of Bill’s life as early as an adventurous young boy back in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa. His first motorcycle was not a motorcycle at all, but a Whizzer Sportsman with a belt drive and no gearbox. The Whizzer lit up Bill’s life and as a result, motorcycles, racing, and riding have been his passion for the last 50+ years.

Throughout his life, the motorcycle industry presented Bill with exciting career opportunities. Executive marketing positions with Husqvarna Motorcycles, Bell Helmets, and ATK Motorcycles allowed him to do something he loved while earning a living. Like any successful person who enjoys a challenge, Bill eventually wanted to branch out and try something on his own. Along with two other partners, Bill launched two new companies—MCM Engine Technologies and Moto Sport Panniers. Both businesses were very specialized and gave him the chance to develop a market for new high performance, environmentally friendly engine technology and exceptional quality touring luggage.

It was while he lived in Southern California that Bill became known for organizing fun and exciting tours. The tours were to such places as Laguna Seca in Monterey, California to see the best road races in the USA and Indianapolis, Indiana to take in the only F1 race held in the United States. After he and his wife, Debbie, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, exploring the Southeast and once again organizing rides seemed like the natural thing for this motorcycle enthusiast to do; the fantastic roads, scenery, and Southern hospitality were too good not to share.

Partner

Claudio was born in 1966 in Tuscany, has spent his life in Italy, France and the US and now lives with his wife Joyce between Rome and San Diego, CA.

After earning a master’s degree in Economics, he has been for a long time a business process engineer and manager. But his real passion were engines. Proud biker since 1980, over the years he came to understand that getting the most out of cars and motorcycles and sharing this passion with people from all over the World was his real mission. In 2009 he started leading car and motorcycle groups and never stopped since.

Besides, in 2011 he founded and started leading Safe Riders, a renown motorcycle safe riding school based in Rome, Italy, where he leads a team of instructors and has personally trained over 1,000 bikers so far.

In the meantime he kept working part-time as a business organization consultant, until in 2023 he had no more time for it.  He is also the author of several successful books on motorcycle and car safe driving and an expert of road safety.

Claudio believes that safety and spirited driving can live together, and professional training is exactly what is required to achieve this. That is why a tour under his lead and care is always a rewarding and unforgettable experience.  

In 2015 he met Bill and started leading his motorcycle tours in Italy. In 2018, when Bill had the idea to offer Miata tours in Italy, Claudio was the natural choice to lead them. The first Miata Tour was held in Tuscany in 2019, and many others followed.

In 2023 Claudio established his own fleet of MX-5s, and in 2024 Bill and Claudio decided to merge and become partners. They have a lot of fun together, and their enthusiasm makes each Blue Strada Tour an unforgettable experience.

IT & E-Marketing Manager

Wayne has been riding motorcycles since he was 17, and is a Miata/Roadster owner and enthusiast. He and his wife were on the inaugural Miata tour of Tuscany and he has been a Blue Strada fan ever since. He has been working in IT for 34 years and is taking on the IT/web development duties at Blue Strada. Besides motorcycling and driving, Wayne is an avid sailor.

Executive Assistant

Joyce was executive assistant at Traveltrust in San Diego, working with the Executive Vice President and with the Director of Events. She was then nearly two decades with internationally-known author Warren Farrell, PhD; and, finally, 15 years with with the Program Director for the Ophthalmology Residency Program at UC San Diego. Joyce also sang in rock ’n’ roll club bands, in a blues band that played at the House of Blues in San Diego, and acted in plays. Currently, she is writing her own book and a play.

Tour Leader, Fleet Manager

Mario is a qualified on- and off-road  motorbike riding instructor who has led groups on motorbikes all his life. Mario also hosts our Miatas garage under his house.

Tour Leader

Francesco, with his profound knowledge of motorcycles and cars, is an excellent tour leader and a great photographer as well.