GUIDING - A UNIQUE APPROACH
When you travel with a bicycle you want to relax in the safe knowledge that you are in capable, experienced hands. Whether you’re on a one day experience or a multi-day journey the need for local expertise, combined with industry leading standards of service and safety, remains the same.
The Qualified Cycle Leader
For over 23 years the UK has had the world leading, government sponsored, "Mountain Bike Leader Award, now run by British Cycling” qualifications available for every guide. There are award levels that cover everything from leading on dirt roads and easy tracks, to high level awards for remote environments or multi-day expeditions. Our international guides hold every level.
FACT: CycleActive puts its guides through the highest level of National Governing Body Mountain bike leadership training.
So what does it add to your holiday experience?
A major benefit is the smooth, safe running of your holiday, which is of paramount importance when you’re cycling at home or abroad. This safety comes in many forms:
- Knowing that your bike is checked daily, by someone qualified to spot mechanical problems and sort them out
- Having a leader who can give tips or advice on how to be more skilled or comfortable on your bike, and get maximum enjoyment out of the cycling
- having a leader who can manage emergencies (at home and abroad) with calm efficiency and the reassurance of high level Emergency Incident Management first aid training
- With all of this comes an ability to inject fun, energy and great experiences into any trip. They are also directly responsible for your holiday, so they really go the extra mile to make sure everything runs perfectly.
The Local Expert
A local guide is your connection to the world around you, a vital link that lets you get closer to the culture, the people and the country you visit. For many this element of cycling is the most important part of any holiday – it’s not so much the cycling, but the connection to the world around you that is so enjoyable.
We select our local guiding partners with real care, and the guides we work with are some of the best you’ll find in the world. The enthusiasm for their home country, and for sharing its magic with you, really sets them apart and adds a dimension to your trip that is hard to explain or put a value on. If there are local guiding qualifications then they will have these too – topping up their knowledge on the history, ecology and other interesting topics that can help to enrich your holiday.
If we are running a trip with partners who have all of the skills, training and experience we look for, we do not send guides from the UK as well. However, in many countries around the world we know that running a tour with a local and a CycleActive guide makes a huge difference to the levels of safety, service and cycling flexibility.
One Guide or Two?
Choosing a cycle tour with two guides has a huge range of benefits, including:
- Flexible ride choices, with easy options and challenging options on the same day (great if you fancy a lazy day, or for groups/couples of differing abilities)
- Greater knowledge, thanks to the blend of experiences and skills that two guides can bring to the trip
- Greater freedom, if you want to try something that’s different from the main itinerary, two guides can help make it happen
- Smoother service, as everything flows more easily, from loading bikes, to moving bags to everyday tour management
- In some countries, such as Cuba, we also have expert support drivers to carry the bags, or transfer us from place to place when the distance is too great to cycle (or we want a lift to the top of a long climb!)
If we are running a trip with one guide, we’re careful to ensure that group sizes are kept small, and the cycling level is very clearly shown on this website and discussed at the time of booking. This ensures that we can offer the best possible rides at that level of fitness or skill, with an expert guide who knows what you’ve come for – and how to make sure you get it.
Our approach has been refined over many years, and we’re proud of the enjoyment it brings to cyclists of all ages, abilities and interests. Not to mention the hundreds of “non-cyclists” who simply want to use cycling as a way of exploring and discovering new countries and cultures.
Here are the CV’s of our directors, which guide and instruct:
Rich Barnard (Managing director)
Rich is probably one of the most in-demand cycle instructors in the UK right now. With years of experience on the trails and high in the mountains of the UK, Europe and Africa, Rich’s personal mountain biking skills are very impressive. He has a raft of coaching qualifications under his belt – British Cycling & MBLA Tutor, CTC, MBL and National Standards as well as ML and other mountain/water qualifications from his “past life” as a senior instructor with the prestigious Outward Bound Trust.
As a leader Rich has tremendous expertise, and a great ability to get things done, working tirelessly to ensure that wherever he is in the world he’s running a great tour. His ability to manage, lead, motivate and take care of a group is a real asset to him, our team and anyone who travels with him.
Qualifications: British Cycling & MBLA Tutor & Mountain Bike Leader, Expedition Leader. CTC Skills Instructor. National Standards cycle trainer. British Cycling Level 2 Activity Coach. Mountain Leader Training Board - Mountain Leader. BSc Outdoor & Environmental Education.
Jon Chalmers (Operations director)
Jon began his outdoor career as an instructor with the prestigious Outward Bound Trust, working out of their centre at Ullswater in The Lake District. Whilst gaining an excellent reputation for his relaxed but effective style of leadership and training, Jon picked up a wide range of qualifications and experience with groups of all ages and interests.
As a mountain biker Jon developed his skills on England’s highest and most demanding peaks, combined with a great deal of time spent working and exploring in the Alps. His incredible ability to climb, descend, jump and drop off almost anything has to be seen to be believed. He moved to full time mountain bike instruction in 2008, and works for CycleActive full time as both a guide and an instructor, covering the whole range of courses and holidays we offer worldwide.
Qualifications: MBLA Mountain Bike Leader. CTC Skills Instructor. Mountain Leader Training Board - Mountain Leader. BA Outdoor Leadership.
ABOUT CYCLEACTIVE
CycleActive runs in the same friendly, well informed and professional way now as when we started out back in 1996.
Travel writer and Adventure Travel Editor of The Telegraph, Richard Madden, came on our very first holiday and even then his comment in the paper read “A fantastic first tour! This has to be a success.”
The secret, we feel, is in our desire to do things as we’d like them done ourselves. If we were visiting a country we’d want to know that our tour operator had been out there, cycled with the local guides, bringing across ideas from their experiences in other parts of the world – in short, we’d want to know that true experts were taking a real interest in every little detail of our holiday.
If we were getting some coaching we’d want the best in the business to deliver it – not just the best riders, but great educators who understand the fine arts of communication, explanation and motivation.We’re not motivated by pure business goals, to us CycleActive is about giving people the very best cycling experiences, whatever their interests, age or ability.
This approach started in 1996 when Chris Ford set up CycleActive and moved to east Africa, after qualifying as a chartered accountant and corporate recovery specialist with Deloittes. With a strong background in professional services Chris was determined to create high quality cycle experiences, delivered in a friendly, approachable and helpful way. By 1999, after three years “cutting our teeth” in Africa we felt confident that we could plan great trips and courses anywhere in the world.
The take over - In 2014 Chris Ford the founder of CycleActive left due to personal reasons. Rich Barnard (Now the managing director) grabbed the opportunity to run the company in the same friendly manner which Chris had built over the years. Moving from mountain bike guide to business owner was a steep learning curve and the previous 6 years of full time employment at CycleActive stood Rich in good stead to further the company. Chris can still be found loitering around the office with a cup of coffee in his hand, letting us all know about the next big idea.
What does this mean for you? – From your first call to us we’ll give honest, clear and practical advice to ensure that you find a course that fits your needs or a holiday to match your abilities and interests. We will ensure that the whole booking process runs smoothly, and so will your trip.
Our commitment to research has also been a vital part of the development of the business. We have worked with leading cycle organisations, outdoor industry experts and educationalists to ensure that we continually improve and evolve our services. From the Olympic Talent Team to magazine-sponsored race teams, committed dirt jumpers, primary and secondary schools or the probation service – we’ve delivered training to fit the needs of every one of our clients.
What does this mean for you? - Our coaching delivers results that have to be seen to be believed, often in a very short time. Whether novice, child, enthusiast or pro/elite racer we know how to bring the best out of your biking and move your skills, confidence and enjoyment forwards at a rapid pace.
Our holidays are more popular each year, as returning clients revisit favourite destinations and discover new ones, with guides they trust. We’re always adding new programmes but this is a slow process, because we insist on taking responsibility for our own detailed research. This is what guarantees the quality of our tours, and allows us to give real, practical advice whenever a new client or old friend calls for advice.
What does this mean for you? - By travelling with a company run by cyclists, who do their own research and have a real passion for this form of travel, you know that you can relax and enjoy a truly amazing holiday.