The cycling season is soon coming to an end and everything is pointing towards the cycle tours of 2025! As every year, interesting destinations will be investigated, cycle paths explored and hotels tested to create our brand new, tailor-made cycle tours.
What does it take for millions of cyclists to achieve holiday happiness over the decades? This is answered by the man who is committed to providing numerous happy travel moments for cyclists: our Andreas.
he area in Europe for the next project will be decided by the team. The ideas usually come from the company itself, but there are also suggestions from our customers. Once the decision has been made, Andreas’ work begins. On his first visit to the region he starts searching – where are the extraordinary sights that are easily accessible by bike? Negotiations with hotels must be conducted, cooperation with bicycle repair shops agreed and a well-functioning luggage transport system introduced.
The best part of his job is travelling, he explains. He travels more than 100 days a year, always on the lookout for the most beautiful routes for new cycle tours. A one-week cycle tour accounts for 300km on average. In order to find the ideal routes for cyclists, it usually takes 10 times that distance to prepare. Of course, all of this is not just about cycling.
For Andreas, there are three important pieces of the puzzle that every cycle tour he has developed must have: a breathtaking landscape, cultural highlights and culinary delights. It’s best if that’s in each day. He is reluctant to note that this is not always possible. But his quest to fulfill these self-imposed criteria is strong.
Not every region is suitable for cycle tourism – no matter how beautiful. Andreas has different criteria than the normal holiday guest. The route condition and length of the daily stages are especially important. Incidentally, there are between 35 and 65 kilometres per day, depending on the topography of the stage.
For Andreas the rough work is done. The team back home can now create a programme offer and sell the new cycle tour. Now to the detailed work. And that’s when our product manager gets on his bike again. He cycles the whole route himself. So about 300km and more. Equipped with a voice recorder, a rain jacket, a large bottle of water and a GPS device to record the data. Based on the data, the map material is created, which each traveller is provided with in their travel documents.
His luggage? It’s transported from hotel to hotel, just like our holiday-makers. He needs a dictation machine to record everything that strikes him. At which intersection do you have to turn? Where is the railway crossing? What special features does the day’s stage offer? Which sights are on the route? Where are the bike shops? And how exactly does a cyclist get from hotel to hotel? In addition to this basic information, however, secret tips from locals are of particular importance, and he strives to get them for cycle tours.
Now it’s all about fine tuning: so our cyclists get the best impression of the new tour, beautiful pictures are required. Whether on our website, in the catalogue or on our social media channels – photos of our cycle tours are everywhere. In order to best present our tours, all levers are set into motion. Models are booked, a photographer organised and beautiful weather ordered…and hopefully delivered! 😉
Andreas has always been an avid cyclist. At age 17 he had already conquered Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, with his racing bike. Then he got onto a mountain bike.
The Maishofen (Salzburgerland) native headed to the city of Salzburg to study law. While studying he worked as a tour guide for Eurobike. He has been responsible for the development of the company’s cycle tours for 10 years now.
Then there is the big moment when guests arrive back at the hotel after the first day of cycling, put away their bikes and end the day with a cool drink on the terrace of their accommodation. The suitcases were already waiting in their hotel for them. Well, everything worked. Better than expected. The day’s route was well signposted, the bike path wonderful, the scenery was simply fantastic. A true moment of cycling happiness – for us as well as you.
