About Susan and Her Adventures
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
~ Maya Angelou
~ Maya Angelou
Conception of Susan's Adventures, LLC!
My Mission and Why
I offer professional tennis teaching services and guided scenic bike tours of Marco Island. I am fourth-generation in my family to enjoy living on the tropical isle and feel there’s nothing better than tennis and biking in the fresh Gulf air and warm Florida sunshine. It’s fun-filled adventure! I do this to keep my mother's spirit alive while promoting and serving up an active and healthy lifestyle, and an appreciation for the great outdoors and Nature to guests from near and afar. (See below for My Story and Bicycle Tribute to My Mother.)
My small boutique business was established in 2013. I am an owner-operator, licensed, insured and accomplished having earned numerous awards since inception. So no worries, you'll be well taken care of and in good hands. I have taught tennis for over 30 years and have led over 650 guided bike tours. I pride myself on delivering authentic, personalized, informative, educational and high-quality services to my customers. I look forward to meeting and taking care of you while creating some memorable tennis and bike experiences for you and your party here in the Sunshine State!
I offer professional tennis teaching services and guided scenic bike tours of Marco Island. I am fourth-generation in my family to enjoy living on the tropical isle and feel there’s nothing better than tennis and biking in the fresh Gulf air and warm Florida sunshine. It’s fun-filled adventure! I do this to keep my mother's spirit alive while promoting and serving up an active and healthy lifestyle, and an appreciation for the great outdoors and Nature to guests from near and afar. (See below for My Story and Bicycle Tribute to My Mother.)
My small boutique business was established in 2013. I am an owner-operator, licensed, insured and accomplished having earned numerous awards since inception. So no worries, you'll be well taken care of and in good hands. I have taught tennis for over 30 years and have led over 650 guided bike tours. I pride myself on delivering authentic, personalized, informative, educational and high-quality services to my customers. I look forward to meeting and taking care of you while creating some memorable tennis and bike experiences for you and your party here in the Sunshine State!
My Background
While I was born and raised in Libertyville, Illinois, some of my earliest and fondest memories were of family vacations to Marco Island. Our favorite activities were playing tennis and riding bikes in the Florida sunshine. This is where my passions took seed. Although I spent my college years in the Midwest, and over the course of my lifetime I have lived and visited many wonderful places around the world, I have a special affinity for the magic of Marco. I hope you will join me to experience my passions of tennis and biking on the beautiful island. You surely won't be disappointed.
My Love of Tennis
At an early age I fell in love with the game of tennis. As time went on that interest took hold and became a daily activity, turned passion, turned career. Carrying my interest into school, I captained and played for my high school tennis team where I was the Doubles Runner-Up in the Illinois State Championships and an All-State selection as a Sophomore. The next chapter was playing NCAA Division I college tennis at the University of Iowa, competing in both singles and doubles for the Hawkeye's while earning my business degree in Marketing.
Upon graduation, I combined my love for sport with business which led me to sports marketing work with IMG, World Team Tennis and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment on their event management sides. I promoted various professional sporting events ranging from tennis and golf to ice skating. At the same time, I became a USPTA/RSPA Certified Elite Tennis Professional, which afforded me opportunities to teach, coach and play tennis across the country as well as overseas. In doing so, I had the privilege of working with some of the leading tennis coaches in the industry such as Coach Wayne Bryan of Southern California and Coaches Dick Gould, Frank Brennan and John Whitlinger at Stanford University. From all of that time honing my skills, my teaching and coaching experience spans the entire range from all ages and levels; novice to sectional, national and internationally-ranked juniors and adults. All the while, I also competed on the tournament circuits in California, Florida and Europe achieving top results in Open rankings, and more recently, was the 2014 USPTA/RSPA National Clay Court Doubles Champion and Singles Runner-Up, and the 2015 USPTA/RSPA Doubles Player of the Year.
Still today, one of my greatest joys is not only playing for my own enjoyment, but also sharing my passion by helping players of all ages and abilities fall in love with the game and what I think is the greatest sport out there! It is always my pleasure to be a part of their tennis journey.
My Story and Bicycle Tribute to My Mother
The summer of 2009 I had the unique opportunity to teach tennis to some of Belgium’s top talent and most promising juniors at the country’s National Training Center in Antwerp, Belgium. During that time in Europe, I also went on a bike trip that followed the Tour de France race to honor my mom whom I had recently lost to cancer. I rode in some of the very stages of the Tour in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. That incredible experience motivated me to participate again in 2010 which took me to the French Pyrenees. Those combined extraordinary adventures is where I drew my inspiration to create Susan's Adventures, specifically Sunshine Bike Tours in dedication to my Mother.
It was my parents who gave me my first bicycle which proved to be my savior in the end. Over the years my mom and I spent innumerable hours bike riding and exploring Marco Island on our annual family vacations, thus the seed was planted long ago. Little did I know what an important role that simple pleasure of biking would play in the future. When my Mother passed away from cancer, I learned that it’s not about the bike, but rather what the bike can do for you. A month after her passing, I embarked on a journey that took me to participate in the Livestrong Challenge in Austin, Texas where I raised over $14,000 for cancer research in memory of her. Shortly thereafter, I found myself on Europe's most prized mountain tops for the Tour de France bike race cheering on the riders, including cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. I experienced both the pain and exhilaration of riding and conquering some of the very routes of the Tour. It was in that “moment” you see in the photo below with me holding up my Livestrong poster on the impressive summit of the Tourmalet, that a transformative experience took place. I found myself calm and having inner peace which then allowed me to propel forward with a guided bike tour business as a tribute to my Mother.
My Mother use to call me “Susan Sunshine”, thus the name Sunshine Bike Tours. Her favorite flower was the Forget-Me-Not, and some of her last words to me were, “Don’t forget me.” And magically out of nowhere, a ladybug appeared on my bedside table the night of her passing which began the countless sightings to come thereafter to-date. Thus the ladybug accessory theme on my tour bikes. I hope you will join me in my passion sharing some two wheel happiness together while helping to keep the memory and spirit of my Mother alive. ~ Susan Evans, Founder, Owner-Operator
While I was born and raised in Libertyville, Illinois, some of my earliest and fondest memories were of family vacations to Marco Island. Our favorite activities were playing tennis and riding bikes in the Florida sunshine. This is where my passions took seed. Although I spent my college years in the Midwest, and over the course of my lifetime I have lived and visited many wonderful places around the world, I have a special affinity for the magic of Marco. I hope you will join me to experience my passions of tennis and biking on the beautiful island. You surely won't be disappointed.
My Love of Tennis
At an early age I fell in love with the game of tennis. As time went on that interest took hold and became a daily activity, turned passion, turned career. Carrying my interest into school, I captained and played for my high school tennis team where I was the Doubles Runner-Up in the Illinois State Championships and an All-State selection as a Sophomore. The next chapter was playing NCAA Division I college tennis at the University of Iowa, competing in both singles and doubles for the Hawkeye's while earning my business degree in Marketing.
Upon graduation, I combined my love for sport with business which led me to sports marketing work with IMG, World Team Tennis and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment on their event management sides. I promoted various professional sporting events ranging from tennis and golf to ice skating. At the same time, I became a USPTA/RSPA Certified Elite Tennis Professional, which afforded me opportunities to teach, coach and play tennis across the country as well as overseas. In doing so, I had the privilege of working with some of the leading tennis coaches in the industry such as Coach Wayne Bryan of Southern California and Coaches Dick Gould, Frank Brennan and John Whitlinger at Stanford University. From all of that time honing my skills, my teaching and coaching experience spans the entire range from all ages and levels; novice to sectional, national and internationally-ranked juniors and adults. All the while, I also competed on the tournament circuits in California, Florida and Europe achieving top results in Open rankings, and more recently, was the 2014 USPTA/RSPA National Clay Court Doubles Champion and Singles Runner-Up, and the 2015 USPTA/RSPA Doubles Player of the Year.
Still today, one of my greatest joys is not only playing for my own enjoyment, but also sharing my passion by helping players of all ages and abilities fall in love with the game and what I think is the greatest sport out there! It is always my pleasure to be a part of their tennis journey.
My Story and Bicycle Tribute to My Mother
The summer of 2009 I had the unique opportunity to teach tennis to some of Belgium’s top talent and most promising juniors at the country’s National Training Center in Antwerp, Belgium. During that time in Europe, I also went on a bike trip that followed the Tour de France race to honor my mom whom I had recently lost to cancer. I rode in some of the very stages of the Tour in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. That incredible experience motivated me to participate again in 2010 which took me to the French Pyrenees. Those combined extraordinary adventures is where I drew my inspiration to create Susan's Adventures, specifically Sunshine Bike Tours in dedication to my Mother.
It was my parents who gave me my first bicycle which proved to be my savior in the end. Over the years my mom and I spent innumerable hours bike riding and exploring Marco Island on our annual family vacations, thus the seed was planted long ago. Little did I know what an important role that simple pleasure of biking would play in the future. When my Mother passed away from cancer, I learned that it’s not about the bike, but rather what the bike can do for you. A month after her passing, I embarked on a journey that took me to participate in the Livestrong Challenge in Austin, Texas where I raised over $14,000 for cancer research in memory of her. Shortly thereafter, I found myself on Europe's most prized mountain tops for the Tour de France bike race cheering on the riders, including cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. I experienced both the pain and exhilaration of riding and conquering some of the very routes of the Tour. It was in that “moment” you see in the photo below with me holding up my Livestrong poster on the impressive summit of the Tourmalet, that a transformative experience took place. I found myself calm and having inner peace which then allowed me to propel forward with a guided bike tour business as a tribute to my Mother.
My Mother use to call me “Susan Sunshine”, thus the name Sunshine Bike Tours. Her favorite flower was the Forget-Me-Not, and some of her last words to me were, “Don’t forget me.” And magically out of nowhere, a ladybug appeared on my bedside table the night of her passing which began the countless sightings to come thereafter to-date. Thus the ladybug accessory theme on my tour bikes. I hope you will join me in my passion sharing some two wheel happiness together while helping to keep the memory and spirit of my Mother alive. ~ Susan Evans, Founder, Owner-Operator
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