The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society July 2017, Volume 34, Issue #7
President’s Report John Pringle
Buckets of money. Tour Leaders. The Danube
Introduction. Terry O’Riley, popular host of CBC’s radio program “Under the Influence” recently noted that though Mcdonald’s sells tons of hamburgers world-wide, they’re really in the real estate business; apparently hamburgers are ancillary to their real estate holdings wealth. This supports his contention that successful business CEOs will understand the true purpose of their respective companies. Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society offers cycling tours, hub & spokes, and organized day rides, but maybe the essence of the Club is to have a contented membership of cycling enthusiasts; touring being but a small part of our overall activities. This year the Board offered 11 events; seven tours (three Canadian, and four international) and four hub & spokes along with hundreds of organzed day rides. The Board has, as well, developed and introduced a governance plan that provides more independence to local chapters. A fresh-faced, well-designed website was successfully rolled out.
The concept of attracting additional tour leaders is discussed “ad nauseum” at every Club Board meeting. And true to form, it was centre-of-attention at June’s meeting. And it will form the basis of September’s meeting where new strategy and policy will begin to be designed to attract tour leaders. It will be presented for membership approval at November’s AGM.
With new tour leaders in mind, it seems a most opportune time to inform Club members that a former, and recently deceased CCCTS member was so high on the Club and its tours that she’s bequeathed us $50,000.00 with few strings attached. These monies will pile on top of our booty of ~$80,000.00; monies we’ve failed to put a dent in over many years. To develop a sensible and constructive strategy for this loot the Board has decided to search for both an upstanding and outstanding member, with proven skills, to join the Board. If you know of such an individual or you believe you’re the one, please get in touch (778-533-1440; knitsui@telus.net ).
Please Note; much of the website is now open to non-members; the perceived shroud of secrecy, lo these many years, has been lifted (Thanks to Max for providing background material for this motion).
Given our attempt to find prospective tour leaders, the story below may provide you the information you’ve been seeking to pick up the cudgel and lead a Danube tour.
Riding the Danube
Background. Our Club’s primary focus has been cycle touring. About 300 tours have been carried out by the Club in its 34 year history (Thanks to Allan Buium for these data). There’ve been local tours (Exploring Victoria, and the Cowichan and Fraser Valleys): Distant tours (Sichuan, China, the Usumbara mountains of Tanzania, and the Argentinian Andes); and Self-support tours (paniers only) and full-support tours. But one of the World’s iconic bicycle routes, the Danube Bike Path, seems not to have been taken on as a formal Club tour (many Club members have ridden parts of it. A few have ridden all of it). This Trail follows the second largest river in Europe from Donauescshingen (Germany) to Constanta (Romania) on the Black Sea. Recently six Club members (three couples) self-guided themselves down a 1 000 km stretch of the Trail from Donauworth (Bavaria) to Budapest (Hungary). One couple began a few days early in order to explore the Salzkammergut (a spectacular lake and alpine tourist area south of Salzberg, Austria) Radweg (bicycle route). They also deviated north of the Danube to ride Bavaria’s Altmuhl River Valley (a 240 km tributary of the Danube). Their independent ride from Donauworth to Lintz was self-supported. The remainder of the tour was supported by a cycle tour company that transported luggage, booked lodgings and organized bike rentals. Thus, we have a range of information that might be useful to those Club members who’ve been contemplating a Club tour in this most beautiful and civilized part of the World.
This narrative is not a descriptive report on cycling the Danube Bike Path from Donauworth (Bavaria), Germany to Budapest (~1 000 km), but lessons learned and observations that might assist Club members and/or prospective tour leaders to make a decision to make the journey or offer it as a Club tour. There’s attractions galore from castles to churches (one with an 18,000 pipe organ), from forests to river valleys, from wineries to beer fests, from coffeeshops to bakeries, from schnitzel to fish and from museums to art galleries. There’s music too. Having just completed the journey I wonder why the paucity of tours here. Beautiful scenery. A flat route. Excellent lodgings. Friendly and helpful locals. Strategically located villages. Excellent lodgings and restaurants. What more could a cyclist want?
Getting there and costs. Bookings were made in November for a mid-May to mid-June ride. Per person costs (CAD) were approximately as follows: Plane to and from Munich was ~$1,300; Train travel to Donauworth was ~100; Tour support [luggage transfers, maps, bike rentals, lodging, & breakfasts (most breakfast settings allowed cyclists to pack a lunch from breakfast provisions)] was ~$2, 7135 CAD. Dinners, not included, were about equal to Canadian prices but in Euros.
Please note – Surprisingly, German punctuality and precision was not of the Swiss variety. Tired and hungry (~13 hours of travel from Victoria) we asked a Donauworth-bound train crew member if the next station was Donauworth; “No, the following stop” was the friendly reply. We relaxed, only to find it had been our station. The conductor sympathesized and offered us free passage back. He walked with us to a train idling at the adjacent platform, hesitated and then said, “Yes this is the train.” Wrong! This left us two hours beyond our forecasted ETA when finally getting to Donauworth. This folly cost us two extra train transfers while lugging heavy luggage. Later in the trip, while awaiting patiently for long overdue service in a Regansberg beer garden, a Swiss tourist smiled and said, “You’re in Germany, not Switzerland. Expect delays.” We smiled, while reflecting on our train-to-Donauworth experience.
Logistics. The tour company provided excellent booklets with maps and cue sheets though we also carried the first three volumes of the Danube Bike Trail by the Bikeline Team (Verlag Esterbauer GmbH); a group producing up-to-date guides of the Danube since 1987. The Altmuhltal Radweg Radwander Karte (map) was deployed for the diversion along the Altmuhl River Valley; this and John Hutchinson’s “Cycing the Danube” (2006 edtion; Cicerone Press). The side trip to the beautifully situated St. Gilgens on the Salzkammergut Radweg (thanks to Bruce and Wenda for suggesting this grand diversion) was assisted by the use of the Salzkammer Radweg map (1: 150,000). Self-guiding was easy for the most part as trails were accurately and timely signed, with little or no vandalism to trail infrastructure. We agreed, the routes/maps/cue sheets never left one stranded. Entering cities could be confusing, but a GPS-equipped phone (thanks Dan) was useful. The bike routes are designed to bring even the uninitiated, but careful, touring cyclist, to strategically situated accommodation – even in the large city of Vienna. The trails/paths were well marked along the entire route and the path surfaces were macadam or well packed gravel dirt. Our 32 mm to 36 mm tires served us well, with only one flat over the 1 000 km travelled.
Self supported and the Altmuhltal Radweg and the Salzkammergut. The two who chose self-support riding were comfortable in their choice. The routes in Germany and Austria were flat and trail construction superior to those in Slovakia and Hungary. The experienced pair of cyclists in their mid-seventies found riding with weight in the early part of the tour caused little discomfort. The weather was warm to hot with only rare use of rain gear; hydration was an important consideration, but good and safe tap water was readily available and used. Two back-to-back weekends coincided with religious Catholic holidays of up to four-day duration; here self-booking proved a strain. In Kilheim a most sympathetic inn keeper (“I don’t like to turn any cyclist away”) with a full house found us suitable lodging 3 km from the city. That evening two German couples from beyond Bavaria invited us to their table over dinner. “Why had they made this friendly gesture,” we asked? “Because we wanted to ensure that you wouldn’t think all Germans were as cranky as Bavarians.” To this point we’d not experienced cranky Bavarians. We kept ears and eyes open after the warning. Further east we missed our recommended lodging, which lay on the south side of the Danube; we were on the north side and it was late afternoon. Rather than travelling 5 km east, catch a ferry, and then 10 km west to reach said accommodation, we found a wonderful gasthaus around the corner in the wee village of Obermuhl. Supper proved to be best fish dinner on the tour and a welcome break from schnitzel and sausage.
Though back only long enough to be free of jet lag, by writing this piece, I’ve become most nostalgic for the Danube and our touring mates. It was a most enjoyable journey. One that all touring cyclists should consider (think Club tour). Deviating from the Danube to visit the lakes and mountains of the Salzgammergut and the Altmuhl River Valley gave us a glimpse at the diversity of cycling routes that exist in and around the Danube Valley; a most beautiful region for the world’s cyclists to play in. EU, keep up the good work.
Welcome New Members
| Diane | Appleby | Kelowna | BC |
| Anne | Tanner | Bowen Island | BC |
| Bill | Cook | Comox | BC |
| Sharon | Cottrill-Cook | Comox | BC |
| Gary | Lucas | Comox | BC |
| Sherry | Long | Comox | BC |
| Donna | Bekkers-Boyd | Manotick | ON |
| Ross | Leeder | Vernon | BC |
| Lisa | Woodward | Victoria | BC |
| Bev | Alden | White Rock | BC |
Andre Milaire Memorial
There will be a brief ceremony at the Veterans Section of the Boundary Bay & Tsawwassen Cemetery at 1:30 on July 5th. It is located on 56th ST. in Tsawwassen . Then a reception at 2:00 at Mary Jane Edwards home in Tsawwassen at #302-1175 55th St. Her phone number is 604-943-6310.
Upcoming Hub and Spokes
Upcoming Tours
Tour Trip Report
McMenamins Portland Trip Report
Newcomer Bike Host Program- My Experience
This spring I started a 3 month commitment as a Newcomer Bike Host. http://bit.ly/BikeHostvolunteerinfo
This is a program that is run by HUB and Immigrant Services Society of BC in Vancouver, to try and introduce newcomers and refugees to the joys of cycling. Myself and another cycling friend signed up together so that when one person is away the other person is there to cover.
We were matched with Iranian woman who had limited cycling and no confidence on a bike. We are nearing the end of our second month and each week I see her improve. I see her becoming more joyful and much more confident both as a person and also on the bike. She struggles with hills but is so determined to get up the hill and keep going.
As experienced cyclists it is easy to forget how we felt when we started cycling. Of course many of us had the good fortune to cycle as kids but not everyone has been so fortunate. Another benefit is that the newcomer is practicing their English and seeing new areas of the city.
The next session starts at the beginning of July for another three months. If anyone is interested I would encourage you to contact HUB and find out more. (see the web address above for further information.)
I would also be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
Berni Koppe
Wallets on Wheels: Cycle Tourism is Great for the Economy
Studies show that tourists on bicycles spend more money. (Momentum Magazine, Jan.7, 2016)
Written by: Geffen Semach
Photo by Bad Kleinkirchheim
Studies have been proving for years that bicyclists are good for business. Cycling customers are more likely to linger, make spur-of-the-moment decisions and purchases, and overall spend more money at bars, restaurants, cafés, and convenience stores in comparison with their car-driving counterparts. However, it is only now that cities and states are recognizing pedal power’s economic potential in tourism.
A term is coming into play a lot more these days: “Wallets on Wheels.” Similar to the business model of bicyclists spending more money, tourism officials are finding that cycling tourists stay longer in a state and spend more per day than other tourists. Tourists on bikes spend more money, to put it simply.
For instance, one state that has tried to profit from this idea is Oregon. Oregon was also the first state to create a Bike Friendly Business Program that focuses on helping businesses market to bicycling tourists. The state has since found that cycling tourism’s contribution to its economy amounts to $400 million USD per year – about $1.1 million per day.
Norma Polovitz Nickerson, director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, conducted a study in late 2013 that found touring cyclists in Montana who were approximately middle aged, spent an average $75 per day and stayed eight nights or more.
Following the release of the study, Montana constructed more bike-in camping spots at state parks and began to work on ways to make the highway rumble strips more bike-friendly.
It goes without saying – all cities, states, and countries are interested in boosting their local economy. As it were, cycle tourists tend to be middle to later aged, affluent, and especially valuable to a state’s economic growth. These tourists stay in small towns, support locally-owned hotels, motels, or bed-and-breakfasts. They go to local cafés and craft breweries, generally preferring local businesses to larger chains. Moreover, bicycling has little impact on the regional landscape. So with it’s added economic bonus, it’s a win-win to support bicycle tourism.
While most states spend, on average, less than 2% of state budgets of federal funds on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, the numbers are increasing. More and more states are recognizing the benefits of the bicycle in helping create a healthier place, but also in attracting economic growth and tourism.
Some other states beside Oregon who are pursuing similar strategies in hopes of appealing to touring cyclists are Colorado (which has committed to spending $100 million over four years to create “the best state for bicycling”), Washington (ranked the most bike-friendly state for eight consecutive years), and Florida (which approved $25 million annually to connect bike paths into a state network).
Massachusetts has likewise set a goal of tripling its number of biking, walking, and mass transit trips between 2010 and 2030 by studying protected bike paths.
We know bicycling is the perfect machine, for your health, for your happiness, for the city. As is turns out, it’s the perfect machine for rural economies as well.
Newsbrief
Published at least ten times a year by The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society, a non – profit organization for retired people and others who enjoy recreational cycling.
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