Top tips for starting your own cycle tour business – from someone who’s done it

If you love cycling, running your own cycle tour business might sound like the stuff of dreams. But it definitely doesn’t have to stay that way – in fact, those dreams can very much become a reality, as proven by Lauren Shaw, founder of successful Cotswold-based cycle tour company Adventure Velo.

In this article, we cover some of the most crucial things to know about setting up your own bike tour company, drawing on invaluable insights and first-hand anecdotes from Lauren. 

Let’s get stuck in 🚴.

It doesn’t matter when you got the ‘cycling bug’

You might think that you need to have been cycling like a pro since before you can remember to set up a cycle tour company. But that’s not the case at all. Although Lauren officially launched Adventure Velo in 2022, she didn’t actually start taking cycling seriously until just four years before that.

“I started cycling in 2018 to take part in a charity event called Ride the Night,” Lauren says. “I hadn’t ridden a bike in years! I trained, completed the ride and was hooked, going onto become a British Cycling Ride Leader and launching a ladies cycling club. One by one the cycling bug swept through our family – one at a time buying a bike and putting in the miles.”

From there, Lauren realised she had what it took to organise cycle tours not just for her friends and family, but for paying customers too.

It helps if you’re a local area expert

The beauty of a great cycle tour is that it means those attending can enjoy a fantastic day out (or several days out) without having to worry about any of the logistics. They entrust you, the expert, to take care of all of that for them in planning out a detailed route. This will likely incorporate things like:

• Plenty of stunning scenery – your tours will need to guide cyclists through beautiful landscapes with some great views.
• Educational opportunities where cyclists can learn about the local area.
• A range of terrains – some tours may focus on relatively flat roads where others will tackle more challenging, hilly areas.
• Refuelling pit stops where cyclists can enjoy snacks and meals, and sample the local delicacies of the area.

To organise all of this, you’ll need to have a strong connection with your tour routes. Naturally, it can help if you live in a scenic location with lots to offer for keen cyclists.

“Living in the Cotswolds, we are so incredibly lucky with the riding that’s available, from the flat lakes to the crazy hills of the North; we have it all,” Says Lauren. “I’ve ridden nearly all the roads in the Cotswolds – the good, the bad and the ugly. 

I wanted to be able to offer the beauty of the Cotswolds to our customers, as not everyone has the confidence to turn up in a new place and just cycle. We take the hassle and stress out of the equation, knowing that the routes and accommodation won’t throw up any surprises.” 

However, you don’t need to limit yourself to just your local area. Adventure Velo also offers tours across Europe – along routes that Lauren has familiarised herself with and become an expert in planning.

“Both myself and Dan (an Adventure Velo guide) rode Dunkerque - Bruges - Rotterdam - Ghent - Dunkerque in 2021; a self guided trip organised by myself,” Says Lauren. “We had such an amazing time – the cycling infrastructure is amazing, the route is flat and there’s so much to see along the way. 

Since then we’ve returned a couple of times and really love the route so wanted to offer it as an Adventure Velo tour. We’ve slimmed it down so we don’t cover as many miles and won't make it as far as Rotterdam, but will have plenty of time to explore what the route has to offer.”

You’ll need to be very good at planning and organising

Running any sort of tour business involves meticulous planning and attention to detail – and perhaps a healthy dose of perfectionism. You’ll need to be innately organised to handle the various aspects of putting together your tours – which can include things like:

• Booking accommodation and restaurants
• Liaising with local businesses 
• Organising bikes for hire
• Meticulously planning your route with realistic timings
• Planning additional activities like paddleboarding and open water swimming

“Being a massive planner myself, I knew that I could organise amazing trips for great value. London to Paris, France, Belgium and Holland, King Alfreds way and many more – often dragging people along with me,” Lauren says. “One of the main challenges of a small business is meeting the expectations of customers. I am very passionate about what I do and if it’s not perfect I take it personally. We really strive to give our customers the best experience possible and try to go above and beyond with the customer experience we provide.”

It can help to find a niche

As well as being knowledgeable about the areas you plan your tours in, it can also be worthwhile honing in on a more specific niche. For example, one of Adventure Velo’s most popular offerings are its Ladies Weekend events. Lauren explains:

“I’m a Breeze Ride Leader and run a female cycling club, so I understand some of the barriers and issues that women can face in cycling. I’m a confident person and cyclist who’ll ride anywhere and everywhere – but I know that some women find turning up to a club ride, which are more often than not male dominated, daunting. 

Our Ladies Weekends offer a fun and supportive environment to do an activity that we love. No one gets left behind, the routes are challenging but doable and everyone comes away with a great sense of achievement.” 

Creating an offering that focuses on a specific audience like this can help you to grow your business and beat any local competition. Or, you might realise that your niche isn’t  audience-focused as such, but related to your own knowledge. You might choose to run bike tours with a foodie focus, for example. Or to really hone in on your historical knowledge to create an educational tour of your local area. 

Check out The Tweed Run to see how one cycling tour company masters the art of niche tourist events. Taking to the streets in their well-pressed best, participants cycle through London’s iconic landmarks, stopping for tea breaks and picnics along the way in true British style.

You’ll need to build a reliable network of suppliers 

Organising cycle tours requires liaising with a range of different suppliers – from hotel and B&B managers through to bike hire companies and local businesses. 

This can be challenging, so it’s important to build up a network of reliable contacts who you can trust to help bring your tours to life. As Lauren explains, though, things won’t always be plain sailing:

“I think the main challenges we face as a small business is having to rely on others – the saying if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself really rings true. Finding suppliers for bike hire and accommodation that’s going to provide the level we want to provide is hard. We’ve had to change suppliers during a tour as they just didn’t meet the standards we require and expect, for example.”

In short – if you’ve got high standards and want things done a certain way, you might find this to be one of the more frustrating aspects of running your tour business. But keeping an open mind and being prepared to problem-solve if things go wrong should help you keep things on track.

Having a reliable event registration platform can be a game-changer

One of the key logistical aspects of managing a bike tour company is handling registrations. Using a great ticketing platform that allows you to manage everything in one place can make a huge difference here.

“As a small business, we love Ticket Tailor, and how it takes away the hassle of keeping track of bookings,” Lauren says. “We can have all the information we need on the Ticket Tailor platform which looks super professional, plus terms and conditions and payments all together. Previously we were sending out booking forms, then payment links – Ticket Tailor cuts the process in half.

We love the fact that we can add waiting lists and hold all the information as well as easily being able to offer discounts codes, which are super easy to set up. The whole system is very user friendly and easy to navigate.”

Tip: Head to our guide to setting up event registration forms to learn more.

Ready to set up your own cycle tour company?

By now, we hope you’re feeling inspired to take the plunge in setting up your own cycle tour company. As Lauren proves, if you’re truly passionate about cycling, have great organisational skills, and feel confident in planning amazing routes – there’s nothing to say you can’t make a success of it. 

Pssst. If you’re looking for a user-friendly ticketing platform that helps you run your bike tours as seamlessly as possible – head here to find out more about partnering up with Ticket Tailor. You’ll get to enjoy:

• Low-cost ticketing geared towards tours and attractions, with a simple flat-fee pricing structure.
• Tons of useful features like waiting lists, discount codes, time-slot ticketing, and ticket grouping.
• A simple, user-friendly interface or both you and your customers, and much more. 

👀Keep reading

You might find this related articles and guides useful:

• How one cycling enthusiast turned their passion into a thriving tour business
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• 9 ticket types to consider for your summer events & attractions