Cycling is the New Travel Trend
It's organic, green friendly, healthy and a fantastic way to experience a region. And it seems the idea of cycling as a way to travel and experience the food, culture and wine of a region is catching on.
Take New York, possibly one of the busiest traffic cities in the world, now with dedicated cycling lanes in downtown Manhattan. Some of the hippest hotels across America are joining in. New York’s The Mark on the Upper East Side has a fleet of cycles that have attached monogrammed bells, and baskets for stuffing with offerings from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s picnic menu. Who would have thought cycling in New York would not only be encouraged, but cool!
It’s food and pedals at the Soho and Tribeca Grands too, where trendy urban bikes come complete with maps and chicken club sandwiches. Even on the west coast in Santa Monica, Shutters on the Beach has a new bunch of typical cool Californian style bikes called Ellipticals, which are like a stair trainer in a gym on wheels! And what a brilliant way to discover Santa Monica like a local, cruising along the beach side boulevard, stopping for coffee or even a wine, or two!
When edgy, hip hotels are investing time, marketing and money into something like cycling, it's normally a sign it's what their customers want, and is a growing trend that has become mainstream.
Closer to home here in Australia, we love the idea of cycling to the fantastic MONA in Hobart. Artbikes is a scheme allowing art lovers to visit galleries and museums on bike. Brilliant.
Tour de Vines has released a new self guided gourmet based day tour out of Beechworth that also gets you to experience the food, wine and scenic highlights of the Milawa region in North East Victoria. Aptly titled Tour de Pedal to Produce it's the new way to discover this gourmet region.
Cycling is definitely growing as a must do on our travels.
