Hi Reader,

There’s a lot happening inside Cycle Cities right now.

We’re getting closer to bringing everyone together in Hamburg, while at the same time continuing the conversations that make the community useful week after week.

From how operators manage demand in hot and busy cities, to how we can build businesses that don’t depend on the owner being involved in absolutely everything, the goal is always the same:

share what works, learn from each other, and turn good ideas into something practical.

Here’s what’s happening this week.

Symposium News 🤝

The Early Bird rate is officially over and we’re really happy to see how many members have already secured their place for Hamburg.

The excitement is building, and it’s great to see the Symposium taking shape with so many operators from across the network joining us.

For those who registered this week, I’ll be sending you an email with more information and inviting you to take part in the programme, either as a speaker or in one of our conversations/panels.

The Symposium is not just about listening to experts. It’s a great opportunity for members to share what they’ve learned, what they’re testing and what they think the rest of the group should know.

We want the programme to reflect the knowledge that already exists within Cycle Cities.

The following content is only visible for the Cycle Cities Members.

⏰ Early Bird ends is over, but you can still catch the Flexi Rate

If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to do it and secure the reduced Early Bird rate.

Groupwork Gold Nuggets 💛

We’re moving on to another group this week:

Afternoon B — Iberian Logistics: Heat, Seasonality & Regulations

Jose Ferri, Ińigo Ansa, Javier Muela Díaz, Tiago Monteiro, Bruno Correia and Pedro Carmo discussed how to deal with demand during the hottest and most challenging parts of the day.

One of their questions was:

How do you shift guests towards Sunset or Early Bird slots?

Two ideas stood out:

The following content is only visible for the Cycle Cities Members.

Tool of the Week 🛠️

#19 — The Owner Independence Playbook

For many small operators, the business still revolves around one person.

You’re the owner + guide + salesperson + customer service + mechanic + marketer.

The goal of this new playbook isn’t to tell you to delegate everything.

It’s to help you build a business that doesn’t require the owner to be involved in every decision.

We’re looking at practical tools such as:

Owner Dependency Audit​
Where is the business still too dependent on you?

Delegation Map​
What should stay with you, and what could move elsewhere?

Decision Ownership Matrix​
Who should actually be making each type of decision?

Weekly Owner Time Audit​
Where is your time going — and where shouldn't it be?

The idea is simple:

A healthier business isn't necessarily one where the owner does less. It's one where the owner doesn't have to do everything.

Community — Highlights ➡️

A big congratulations to Shayne and the SA eBikes team in McLaren Vale, Australia, who have been shortlisted for a 2026 South Australian Tourism Award, with the winners announced on November 6.

They were awarded Silver last year and have continued working to grow and promote cycling tourism in their region. They’ve also been finalists in the State Climate Change Leaders Awards and are the current Australian Great Wine Capitals tourism services gold medalist.

And what makes this especially impressive?

They’re a team of just two people.

After seven years of building e-bike tourism in their region, Shayne shared that they’re now welcoming many more guests than they originally imagined.

Good luck for November, Shayne!

Don't forget we have a webinar coming:

🤖 AI-Powered Social Media for Bike Tour Operators

📅 21 October​
🕖 19:00 CET​
⏱️ 1 hour​
💻 Google Meet​

The session will be recorded, so you’ll be able to watch it afterwards if you can’t join live.

More details and the meeting link coming soon.

See you in the group,

Isabella

Managing Director (Interim)
Cycle Cities 🚲