summer is coming
3 months ago we were flat out with back-to-back cycle tours going out every week. Then right at the busiest time of the season everything came to a crashing halt and the world went into lockdown. I cancelled all tours, deferred all bookings to next season and locked away all bikes, vans and trailers for a long cold winter.
Lockdown was a strange time for me, spent in almost complete isolation beavering away on my new website 15 hours a day, with only the occasional bike ride up into the hills around Kingston to keep me sane! Enquiries fell off a cliff and I wondered whether things would ever be the same again.
However as the country has emerged from lockdown I’ve been surprised at how quickly people are adapting to the new normal. Suddenly Kiwis are keen to explore their own back yard and there is no better way to see the country than a fantastic cycle tour with a group of friends. The Aussies don’t want to miss out on the fun and many have been booking in expectation we will soon be all together in a trans-Tasman bubble!
The tours are filling up fast and many are now sold out, particularly in Feb and March. But there are still plenty of options available. I’m hugely grateful to everyone for their support and super excited about the season ahead. Read on to hear about some changes we’ve made to our Around the Mountains trip to make it even more awesome than it already was!
LIFE AFTER A2O
Many people ask me what to do after riding the Central Otago Rail Trail and the Alps 2 Ocean. What could possibly be as good as the A2O? Well, I’ve been pondering that question for a while. And the short answer is, nothing. No single cycle trail has the same scale and grandeur as the A2O. So we’ve created it! We take the best sections of 6 cycle trails including the Around the Mountains, Clutha Gold, Roxburgh Gorge plus a few others, and link them together into an epic 6 day 300km adventure that may just beat the A2O for amazing scenery.
Around the What?
Now, you may have heard parts of the Around the Mountains trail are not worth riding. And you’d be right. We skip those sections and replace them with better trails with more beautiful scenery. Enjoy a boat cruise across Lake Wakatipu, a private tasting of Central Otago best wines, a jet boat ride through the spectacular Roxburgh Gorge. We’ve upgraded to some fabulous accommodation, excellent restaurants, and provide our personal level of service with the best bikes around. We call it the Around the Mountains Clutha Canyon Combo. I know… it’s a mouthful. If you have a better idea for a name, let me know!