🐝 Cycle Cities Buzz - The Countdown to 2027 Begins 🚲

Hi Reader,

August is gone and 2027 is around the corner!

We're entering the final stretch of the year, which somehow means that, even while we're still thinking about the current season, we're already starting to think about 2027.

What worked this year?
What didn't?
What would you like to change?

And perhaps most importantly: what kind of business do you want to be running this time next year?

September is often the moment when those questions start becoming a little more real.

So, as we move into the final months of 2026, here's what's happening across Cycle Cities this week.

Symposium News 🤝

September is here, which means we're officially entering the final month of the Symposium Early Bird rate.

And we all know how quickly a month disappears.

If you've been thinking about joining us in Hamburg but haven't booked your place yet, now is a good time to do it.

The Early Bird rate won't be around forever — and once September is over, you'll be paying more.

So don't leave it until October. 😉

Secure your spot

Groupwork Gold Nuggets 💛

We're moving on to the second question from The New Guard: Future Trends.

Nacho Bonilla, Aritza Alcibar Fradua, Marvin Urmersbach, Helene Szabo Darley and Teresa Vilas Boas are taking on questions about the future of bike tourism — and they're not afraid to challenge some popular assumptions.

How do we attract a younger demographic of guides and staff?

The conversation highlighted something that many operators are already experiencing: the balance of power in recruitment has changed.

Some of the ideas shared included:

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→ Lifestyle perks: Offering discounts or free food and drinks at company-owned cafés, creating a social space where staff and their friends can meet.

→ Radical flexibility: Younger staff value the ability to enjoy their summer and have guaranteed free time, even during high-intensity periods.

→ Transparency on tips: Being clear about earning potential during the recruitment process, as immediate income can be a major motivation.

→ Targeted recruitment: Reaching university departments such as History, Architecture and Tourism, or using Instagram to connect with active local communities.

→ A shift in power: Perhaps the biggest takeaway was recognising that companies are no longer simply choosing their staff. Increasingly, staff are choosing the companies they want to work for.

The question isn't just: "How do we find more guides?"

But also: "Why would a young person choose to work with us?"

And that may require us to rethink what we're offering beyond the job itself.

Tool of the Week 🛠️

The Bike Tour Operator Capacity & Demand Playbook

We're currently reviewing the responses you've shared through our Cycle Cities Tool Feedback Survey.

Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to give us feedback. We're using your responses to understand which resources are genuinely useful, what could be improved and what we should build next. And remember, it is an anonymous survey, so feel free to give your honest feedback.

While we wait for a few more responses to come in, here's Tool #14 in the Cycle Cities resource library.

The Bike Tour Operator Capacity & Demand Playbook

Most operators already know when their busy season is. You know which days fill first. When you need more guides. When bikes are sitting unused. And which days leave your team completely overwhelmed.

The challenge isn't understanding demand. It's making better decisions around it. Because capacity and demand are deeply connected.

If you have demand but not enough guides, you can't serve it. If you have bikes but no bookings, your assets are sitting idle. If your schedule is inefficient, your team becomes exhausted. And if demand grows faster than your operational capacity, growth itself can become a problem.

This playbook helps you look at your business through four connected questions:

What capacity do we actually have?

When is demand available?

Where are the constraints?

How can we match the two more intelligently?

If you've been running your business for several years, you probably already have more data than you realise.

The goal is to turn that experience into better decisions, making the most of your available capacity while protecting profitability, customer experience and the long-term health of your business.

Download it here

Community — Highlights ➡️

There's something about September that makes everyone start thinking about the year ahead.

Even if we're still finishing the current season, suddenly 2027 doesn't feel so far away.

And I hope that, when things eventually slow down for you, you'll have the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day and really look at your business.

Over the past months, I've shared a growing library of tools covering everything from direct bookings and customer acquisition to content, partnerships, pricing, profitability and capacity management.

My hope is that these resources aren't just things you download and forget about.

I hope you can come back to them when you have the time, pick the ones that are most relevant to your business and actually put them to work.

Because the ultimate goal isn't to have more spreadsheets, more reports or more things to do.

It's to build a management system that helps you understand your business better, make more informed decisions and create a way of working that is effective, efficient and genuinely sustainable.

So, that is why i'm asking for yout honest feedback, cause as we start thinking about 2027, perhaps that's the question worth asking:

What systems do I need to put in place now to build the business I want to be running next year?

Until next week,

Isabella

Managing Director (Interim)
Cycle Cities 🚲

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