Hi Reader,

Firstly, we have a new Member to announce this week!

I would like to give a warm welcome to Fiona from Lochs, Bens and Glens in the Scottish Highlands.

Fiona grew up on the Isle of Tiree. She and her husband Lance were competitive cyclists, so they bring their love of mountain biking and the outdoors together to create wonderful guided rides through stunning landscapes. Check out the beautiful scenery on their website. They're based out of Dunoon, so next time you are heading Scotside, be sure to pay them a visit!

We hope you will feel at home here in this community alongside our other members in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the rest of the UK. And we hope to meet you face to face at our upcoming Symposium! Read on for more important info about that.

Moving on to our buzzy discussions this week...

Discussion

Did you get the London Bicycle Tour Company Christmas Lights Tour Newsletter last week? It's good to see what Rob and Fabian are up to. I have posted it in the comments of our Christmas thread.

Talking overtourism, a bike tour was stopped in Valencia last week by a group of locals, telling the Dutch tourists to go home. Things got a bit nasty! See the link in Ashton's comment. Thanks Rob and Ashton for sharing. Is it going to get worse? What would you do if your bike tour was stopped by an urban protest?

There's plenty more to look at on our Discussion Board at the moment... jump in there and chime in on any thread you fancy...

Symposium 2026 Host City Announcement

The Host is Hyped, the Guides are Amped!!

The 2026 Cycle Cities Symposium Host City will be announced TONIGHT!!!

We are all meeting in a secret (soon to be made public) city from 23-25 Feb 2026. Almost time to book your flights/trains/ferries. Watch out for the notification from Mighty Networks TONIGHT!!

Helmets for 2026

Our factory is ready and waiting to deliver more amazing Cycle Cities helmets for next season. Check out our Helmets Space for more info, or to place an order, go straight to cyclecities.tours/helmets

Bumps in the Road, but Making Progress.

Sometimes life throws a curveball. We have seen a few curveballs in 2025.

I am happy to report that Ginette from Merry Pedaller is out of Hospital and recovering well. She's looking forward to being back on the bike! Sending more big love Ginette and we can't wait to see you back in the saddle.

Patience and persistance pays off. Time heals. It's great that we have a supportive community that is so well interlocked. You don't grow that overnight. Coming back together in February is exciting for me as your leader.

Today is a BIG milestone as I confirm and announce our host city for Sympoisum 2026. Thanks for sticking with us through the roadbumps. Symposium 2026 will bring us all back together, communicating face to face, investing in and reaping the rewards from this amazing bike tour community.

Steve Kopandy The Director of Cycle Cities. View Profile