Cyclists start global tours service
Local entrepreneurs’ venture connects bike lovers with guides in dozens of cities
Two Calgary entrepreneurs have launched a global service to connect bike lovers to local guides all over the world, and have already gotten some big names in pro cycling on board.
VeloGuide, sometimes described as Airbnb for cyclists but perhaps more closely resembling Tinder for bike tourists, uses the power of the internet to help globe-trotting cyclists connect with locals who know the best bike routes.
Here’s how it works: A travelling cyclist uses the website to connect with a local who has signed up as a guide. The guide then takes the traveller on a ride planned with local insight, such as the best place for a mid-ride water refresh or the perfect scenic viewpoint.
The guide is paid for the work through the website, and VeloGuide takes a cut.
Guides from dozens of global cities are already on board, including some icons in the cycling world, such as former Lance Armstrong teammate George Hincapie and pro-turned-author and YouTube star Phil Gaimon.
The project is the brainchild of Calgarians Joel Goralski, a land developer, and Gilles Brassart, an expat French restaurateur, two bike lovers who met years ago when Goralski happened into a restaurant where Brassart was working.
Since then, they have collaborated on other ventures, including Cassis Bistro, inside the Casel building owned by Goralski in southwest Calgary. After the success of the bistro, their shared love of cycling led to Velo Cafe, a coffee shop inspired by traditional Italian bicycle cafes, which is also the starting point for many group bike rides.
But the duo’s cycling lives really came together with VeloGuide. Brassart says he came to the idea while attending a friend’s wedding in Spain and, itching for a ride through the Spanish countryside, was stymied because of his lack of local knowledge. Goralski saw the power of local bike guides through a business property he owns in Mexico, where he rents rooms to vacationers and takes them on bike rides through his favourite places.
“It’s an idea that just seems to make sense,” Goralski says. “Cyclists really seem to love it. It’s one of those ideas you wonder why nobody has done it before.”
The idea formed through conversations over espresso and croissants at Cassis Bistro, but moving from idea to internet startup is rarely easy.
The fledgling company, however, got a boost when mutual friends introduced Goralski to Gaimon, who was building a post-retirement career in California writing books about cycling and posting quirky YouTube videos.
Gaimon quickly agreed to be a guide on the platform to make some extra money, and because he loves showing off cycling routes around his home in Malibu, Calif.
More pro cyclists followed, which further motivated high-performing and knowledgeable amateurs from around the world to follow suit. Today, users can book more than 500 guides in more than 60 countries over six continents.
“Most guides want to earn a bit of extra money, but most of them, they just love riding,” Brassart says. “They are passionate about meeting new people.”
The company is still in startup mode, but is growing quickly and has big plans for the future. For the two founders, their goal is just making it easier for more people to get on a bike and enjoy a ride.
“We’ve built so much of this through the bike community, and that’s really something we want to help build,” Goralski says. “We’d love for more people to just get out there and enjoy a ride.”
Cyclists really seem to love it. It’s one of those ideas you wonder why nobody has done it before.