GET BACK OUT THERE
HOW CYCLING TRIPS CAN REBOOT THE WORLD
At first glance, cycling appears to be one of the lucky industries that has not been ruined by Covid-19. With people keen to avoid public transport and stay active, Halfords has seen a 57.1 per cent surge in bike sales, while some UK regions have witnessed a 300 per cent rise in bike use. But although local riding and bike commuting have grown, cycle tourism has collapsed. From UK sportives to European training camps, Alpine holidays to Gran Fondo events, bike travel has become increasingly di!cult and daunting. Tour operators have been o"ering refunds, credit notes and date transfers, and most sportives have been postponed until 2021. As an industry built on adventure and camaraderie, cycle tourism was destined to su"er in the world of social isolation.
The outlook for the entire global tourism industry is bleak. Visit Britain is predicting 25.3 million fewer visits and a decline of £19.7 billion in tourism spending in the UK this year, while the World Tourism Organisation believes international tourist numbers could plummet by 60-80 per cent overall. Cycling is a key part of this tourism ecosystem. The normal annual tourism spend by cyclists in the UK is £520 million, with 1.23 million overnight cycle trips made each year, while cycle tourism annually contributes €44 billion to the European economy.
As nervous tourists ponder their options, cycling certainly o"ers advantages over other holidays during the pandemic: the activity takes place outside; riders typically travel in small groups; and cyclists can drive around the UK – or to the continent – if they want to avoid airports and trains. Most people would be happier to share an open road than a swimming pool or a nightclub. But cycling also has some unique challenges. For instance, mass starts at sportives now seem like a lethal biohazard. And the idea of sweaty hands clawing at plates of chopped bananas and sliced cake on a group training camp is inconceivable.
London cyclist Nic Frank – a veteran of multiple seven-day Haute Route sportives across Europe – embodies the new sense of caution among cyclists. “It becomes di!cult to plan for anything more than several weeks ahead. My risk appetite is probably cautious. So I am not looking to do organised events like sportives but I will do selforganised, smaller and more local activities that are simpler and safer. A trip abroad means travel and complicated logistics. I can reframe this as an opportunity to explore local routes and connect with friends on small group rides out of London or a campsite trip to Wales or the Peak District.”
LOCAL HEROES
Sam Jones, communications and media manager at the charity Cycling UK (cyclinguk.org), believes staycations will be this year’s trend. “People don’t want to travel far but there are benefits in exploring your own backyard,” he says. “There does seem to be focus on staying in the UK. There have already been big bookings in the Highlands.”
But what kind of staycation will riders choose? Jones predicts a rise in cycle touring and gravel/ adventure cycling, with riders heading o"-grid on bikepacking trips or to conquer routes like the Great North Trail, which stretches from the Peak District to the northern tip of Scotland. “You have traditional pannier riders: people who might take public transport or ride the Highlands (North
Coast) 500, and that includes your bikepacker community and self-su!cient travellers,” he says. “We probably will see an increase in that kind of riding as it limits social interaction. You are camping and going to places where your chances of encountering people are much lower.”
David Hall, Road Cycling Product Manager at cycle travel experts Saddle Skedaddle (skedaddle. com), says the company is already making safety upgrades and hopes to run tours in the UK, Italy and Spain this year. “We anticipate there will be an increase in UK cycling holidays as cyclists look to avoid airports and stay local,” he explains. “We’re lucky to have a large range of UK tours to choose from, and our iconic tour of Land’s End to John o’ Groats is already filling up fast for 2021. To help meet this demand, the local team is working on some exciting new itineraries. We’re planning a new week-long Scottish adventure, which will be perfect for those eager to escape cities and crowds. And a new five-day tour of both the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales
25.3 MILL ION FEWER VISITS TO BRITAIN ARE PREDICTED, ALONG WITH A DECLINE OF £19.7 BILLION IN TOURISM SPENDING IN THE UK THIS YEAR “People don’t want to travel far. There does seem to be focus on staying in the UK. There have already been big bookings in the Highlands.” SAM JONES CYCLINGUK.ORG
National Park will take in some legendary climbs, such as Hardknott, Wrynose and Buttertubs.”
Hall says many customers have already transferred their bookings to 2021, but interest in travel remains high. “We launched a new feature on our website recently, allowing users to register their interest without paying a deposit, and we’ve seen a great response to this. It proves there is certainly appetite to get out on the bikes in a vast array of destinations, from the popular European staples, such as the Alps and the Pyrenees, to more exotic destinations, such as the Colombian Andes.”
EURO S TA RS
Lyn Eyb of Freewheeling France – an independent online resource for cycle tourism in France (freewheelingfrance.com) – believes bike tourism to be surprisingly resilient. “I’ve continued to field enquiries throughout the pandemic from riders who have postponed rather than cancelled their trips to France,” she explains. “The industry here has been very flexible in terms of accommodating date changes and transferring bookings to future dates. In terms of 2020, the numbers are obviously still comparatively small. I expect that to pick up as the year progresses, as long as there are no second waves or Covid spikes.”
During the pandemic, tourists may be more likely to opt for self-catering accommodation and self-guided tours. “We may find more people hire bikes rather than bring their own,” says Eyb, “or book self-guided packages with bike hire, accommodation and route maps included to take some of the worry out of planning. With the cancellation of sportives and other events, I expect road riders to also rejig their plans. For example, one rider I recently spoke to had planned to ride a sportive, but instead is using a fixed base in the Pyrenees to get in some climbing.” The community spirit of cycle tourism should make safety advice easier to come by. “Tour companies, specialist B&Bs and hotels recommend good places to eat or nice co ee stops all the time, but now they’ll also include information on whether there’s outdoor seating, plus local feedback on social distancing.”
Those who do travel can expect a more authentic experience: 86 per cent of French people will go on holiday in France this year, according to a survey for 13 regional tourism committees. Across Europe, cycle tourism companies are adapting to meet these shifting trends. “This year, to hopefully salvage some of the season, we are focusing our activity predominantly on the European and local market,” explains Bruno Toutain of Cyclomundo
86% OF FRENCH PEOPLE WILL
GO ON HOLIDAY IN FRANCE THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO A SURVEY FOR 13 REGIONAL TOURISM COMMITTEES
(cyclomundo.com), which organises tours in France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. “We have launched a sub-division called Geneva Cycling (genevacycling.com), which is available in six European languages, to encourage people to travel locally and ‘staycation’ by bike. But lately we have seen a rise in bookings from clients in France and Switzerland as well as countries such as Germany and the UK.”
Toutain has also noticed a shift towards socially distanced holidays. “There has perhaps been more interest in self-guided tours rather than guided tours. And we have noticed more people arriving by car – including clients from the UK.” Frequent fliers will know that driving is a safer option for your precious bike, as well as your immunity.
NEW NORMAL
Despite the chaos, Roberto Huber, Director of the Alta Badia tourism brand (altabadia.org), has already noticed a rise in tourism in the Dolomites. “There are a big number of Italian cyclists but also people coming from Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and England,” he explains. “The most requested accommodation is for apartments, which allow the riders to enjoy their holiday without contact with other people.”
But Klaus Irsara, of the bike-friendly Hotel Melodia Del Bosco (melodiadelbosco.it) in Alta Badia, says hotels have introduced rigorous protocols to reassure guests. “This summer, for example, we’re o ering an online check-in, while all meals are served at the table with no selfservice bu et,” he explains. “We focus especially on cleaning and sanitising all the contact points in the public areas. In all these areas, there are several hand sanitisers.” Guests are assigned a specific table in the dining room for the duration of their stay, and sta members are temperaturechecked twice per day. Plus, the fitness centre and massage services must be booked at set time slots to ensure safe distancing.
This kind of safety regime will be the norm on cycle holidays across Europe. “Now is the time to adapt and give the customers the security they are looking for,” explains Alberto Delgado of Tenerife Bike Training (tenerifebiketrainign. com). “Hotel bu ets are going to change, with a lot less contact with food and plates. We will have sanitiser in each van and it will be mandatory to use every time we stop. One of us will serve customers at the feed stops, and we’ll be extremely careful with touching bikes when fixing them.”
With their mass starts and large crowds, sportives face a much slower return. British
“The most requested accommodation is for apartments, which allow riders to avoid contact with other people.” ROBERTO HUBER ALTABADIA.ORG 60 80% THE FIGURE THAT THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANISATION BELIEVES INTERNATIONAL TOURIST NUMBERS COULD PLUMMET BY DUE TO COVID
Cycling is planning a phased return to races later this year, using new hygiene protocols, along with and test-and-trace procedures. But events like RideLondon, the Fred Whitton Challenge, the Maratona dles Dolomites and the Haute Route Alps have been postponed until 2021. “This decision was hard to take as meeting our riders in real-life events is what the Haute Route is all about,” says Guillaume Martin, Head of Marketing at the Haute Route. “Fortunately, we are now in a position to keep the Haute Route Ventoux and Haute Route Mexico in the calendar this year. Both events will happen in October 2020 and we are very excited.”
Martin says competitors can expect strong safety protocols, with a controlled management of bib collections, pre-race briefings potentially moving online, and hygienic feed stations. “The key thing for us is finding the right balance between assuring the safety of our riders and still getting the social elements of the Haute Route.”
WAITING GAME
Most sportive riders will simply have to bide their time. RideLondon is asking cyclists to do their own socially-distanced ‘My Prudential RideLondon challenge’ for charity. And tourists can register online for a bib and ride the ‘My Maratona dles Dolomites’ course any time. But when mass races do return, will cyclists want to go? Roberto Huber expects the Maratona to make a strong recovery. “The pleasure of riding together is a fundamental part of cycling and most riders want to live these moments again. The first Gran Fondo will take place in Italy in September and these events are already fully booked.”
When – and how far – cyclists are willing to travel will ultimately come down to their own personal ambitions and fears. Dr Matthew Lamont, a senior lecturer in the School of Business and Tourism at Southern Cross University, concludes that local travel will be the focus for most. “Obviously Covid has disrupted global travel and it’s uncertain whether we will return to a world anything like it was before 2020,” he cautions. “My view is that what travel of any sort looks like in the future hinges on the development of a vaccine. But for the time being, there is likely to be a degree of hesitation in returning to mass air travel.”
When riders do feel safe to travel, they are likely to experience a powerful psychological urge to return to the Alps and the Pyrenees. Dr Lamont says cycling allows them to “physically and intellectually engage with these hallowed places”; looking at pictures of mountains won’t be enough. “If there is an e ective vaccine, we’ll see travel rebound strongly. Tourism and the experience economy are ingrained in our psyche. People will crave travel when it becomes safe again.”
€44
BILLION THE AMOUNT THAT CYCLE TOURISM CONTRIBUTES TO THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY EACH YEAR