At the time of writing it is one month from our first group landing in destination. Our first group are the future of cycling - a young and extremely able group of athletes who are aiming for a career in the sport. Whilst their ambitions are quite different to the majority of our guests, there is one striking similarity - they love riding their bikes. And it is this love of cycling that is the golden thread across all our groups.
This blog post features a few of our insights into the future of cycling travel - 2024 and beyond. However, before writing more - our greatest insight is that our aforementioned golden thread will always be trending #1 in our world.
Pic.1 - Slovenia and adventure go hand in hand
Adventure is in.
We are receiving a number of enquiries about 'point to point' adventures. From the north coast of Holland to the mountain of the Dolomites, there seems to be an appetite for 4/5 day trips joining up landmarks, cities or local cycle routes. This presents an interesting challenge for us to coordinate all elements of the trip and keep the price down (and within new Brexit regulations)), but there are some fabulous options for something slightly different:
Valencia to Barcelona - 4 day trip
London to Brussels - 3 day trip via the cobbles of Flanders
Salzburg to Venice - a 5 day cycle through the Dolomites
Paris to Lyon - a 3 day cycle on the route of the 1st ever stage of the Tour de France
Group travel is stressful
This sounds like a strange insight, but we are getting a number of new groups travelling with us because the logistics were becoming too tricky and expensive to pull together in a DiY fashion. This has meant we are working with some groups on a hybrid basis - using their template and our systems/processes
Sustainable travel
We get a number of questions throughout the year about sustainability. They are both the most important questions and most difficult to answer. The short answer is that flying regularly is not at all good for the environment. However, flying as a group rather than on a number of different flights, is a much better option.
Travelling everywhere by bicycle when in resort is fantastic, and we also advocate using local bike shops, local restaurants etc where possible so that we are giving back to the communities who support our trips.
In short - there is no magic wand, but one flight is better than twenty flights per group.
Majorca is still very popular, but.......
Mallorca is still the cornerstone of the UK cycling holiday market. Cyclists flock to the island from March through to late October and the infrastructure to support cyclists in the region is 2nd to none. I have written before about Mallorca - it is a magnificent cycling destination, but it is not the only one and it's popularity is both great and tricky for us.
We have had several groups and cyclists contact us looking for alternatives to Mallorca, where they have had many great trips, but are now looking for something new. This does excite us as we have (what we believe) a number of great alternatives.
Pic 2. The lighthouse ride is fantastic and a real favourite for all who visit Mallorca
The Canary Islands
The Canary Islands have long been popular with Triathletes and multi sport enthusiasts. However, with an increasing number of the pro peloton choosing this region for a winter training base, the masses are following. Gran Canaria is a particular favourite and one which we will be putting more energy into from lat 2024.
The Costa Blanca is the place to train from Jan to April
We are heading to our Costa Blanca base for 30 days across 2024 hosting groups of all sizes and ages. Calpe has long been a favourite of the pro peloton, however the slightly quieter neighbouring towns - Altea, Javea, Denia and Oliva are also growing in popularity. For variety of roads, training opportunities and logistical ease - this region is a real favourite of ours and we consider the Oliva Nova Resort our Spanish home. So long may this trend continue.
Pic 3. The hairpins of Vall d'Ebo near Pego - a great climb for all.
E bikes are cool
We have known this for a few years, but we believe the development of E-bikes is the most exciting development in our industry. It has made cycling travel accessible to more people. Moreover, it is super fun and removes some of the pre trip anxiety for many of our guests. We are huge advocates of the e-bike and hope that any stigma that may have been attached to them is a thing of the past.
There are many other insights that we could have included, but they become more mundane and we risk descending into an advert rather than an article of interest.
We cannot wait to get travelling and our season started and look forward to sharing many smiles and amazing experiences with our guests throughout 2024.
For more info on any of our trips please contact info@sportabikeplus.com