It’s the coldest weather I’ve experienced in the 10 years I’ve lived in Texas. My former homes in the Midwest are snowed in by the biggest snowstorm of the year. I’m not thinking much about biking in these circumstances. But we can use the time away from our bikes to make plans. And when doing that, it’s a good idea to dream big.
David Houghton dreams big. His new website, Biciklo, is a guide to biking tours around the world. The premise is simple. Let’s say you want to go somewhere – maybe somewhere exotic – and while you’re there, you want to get in some riding. You could make arrangements to rent a bike and get a map and explore on your own, or you can go on an organized biking tour, with experienced guides who know cool out-of-the-way places and who can look after the mundane details of the trip.
Lots of different companies compete in this field. How can you compare them and figure out which is the best for you? That’s what Biciklo does. Log onto the website, www.biciklo.com, and click on a country you’d like to see by bike. Let’s say Spain, just for kicks. You want to go for a period of two to 10 days, and you want to do some road biking.

Holy cow! I counted 112 different tours in Spain, offered by at least 30 different companies. Once you get those returns, you can start culling them to find the kind of tour that fits your interest. Some feature overnight accommodations in luxury hotels, other say overnights are “indoors.” The tours are described as easy, moderate or challenging. Prices are quoted in Euros, Pound sterling, or U.S. dollars, depending upon the company offering the tour. Of course, there’s a link on each tour to the company that offers it, so you can get further details from their sites.
Most people keep a “bucket list” – list of things they want to do in their lifetimes. Biciklo’s Houghton suggests keeping a “bike-it” list. He hopes his site will help promote bicycle touring as a healthy, environmentally sustainable way to travel.
If you want a break from Old Man Winter, even vicariously, take a look at www.biciklo.com.
Nicely done and good photo too. Enjoyed it! Thanks