Bicycling is one of the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities and tourism in India. Cycling tourism is an environmentally friendly way to explore a new place or rediscover your favourite destination. It is becoming more and more popular worldwide, since it permits an in-depth communication both with nature and people. Bicycling contributes to better community health and leads to more savings, less congestion, and happier people.
Bicycle tourism is a concept that many people aware of or haven’t yet tried for themselves. Therefore, it’s important to build support and outreach through your community.
Bicycle tourism can consist of a lot of things, it has been defined by the Path Less Pedaled as “any travel-related activity for the purpose of pleasure which incorporates a bicycle.”
Cycling tourism has obtained its popularity across the world for its high values on physical/mental health, social connections, entertainment and sustainability issues for the past century.
There are different categories of Bicycle Tourism and some of the broad categories are Road, Gravel and Mountain biking.
Huge transitions in cycling tourism will be created for the next 75 years, from 2020 to 2095, owing to new technology developments, which include electric bicycle and green power generation, urban cities development and environmental concerns/problems.
Bicycle Tourism Destination
A bicycle tourism destination is anywhere you want to ride a bike on their vacation. The possibilities are endless, given the many different types of bicycling and the variety of visitors’ preferences. It may vary from a small, remote town to a huge urban downtown. The key to attracting bicycling visitors is ensuring that there is somewhere enjoyable for them to ride.
You may ride along a regional or cross-country bike route, a long bike path or rail trail, a network of mountain bike trails, or an urban historic district with separated bike lanes.
A cultural, historical, or scenic attraction that your area is known for.
Implementing a long-distance trail has shown time and again to revitalize the communities along with it, especially if there are additional efforts to build bike tourism, like establishing a trail towns program.
However, this doesn’t mean you need to have the best biking infrastructure in place to become a destination.
During the last decade, there has been a greater inclination towards bicycling in urban transportation. This opens up for a development of bicycle tourism as a form of urban sustainable tourism, taking advantage of improved infrastructure and facilities for cycling tourists. This development may be viewed as an innovative process based on incremental changes.
Cycling around various landscapes of India is not just an adventure, it’s so much more than that. You get to take the path less-known, literally and figuratively. A luxury that road trips provide, but better when on a cycle. You will get to experience a serene sense of calm that something the most ‘touristy’ trips don’t allow you to.
There are enough cycling routes in India to take you on an amazing journey and bring out the adventurous side in you.
Spoke Herd bring to you the best destinations for a crazy cycling holiday in India:
Goa
Cycling tours in Goa allows the tourists to experience the flip side of Goa; the scenic, nature dense side of Goa. Goa is a beautiful state with beautiful beaches and beautiful forests.
Long stretches of tree-lined roads are a common sight there as are determined cyclists bent upon making the best of the experience. Peddling along a road with forests on one side and the sea on the other, makes for a wonderful memory.
You can take part in various different types of cycling tours in Goa, tours for a single day that can be completed in 3 to 6 hours or longer cycling tour that take place over a couple of days and allows you to explore Goa in better.
Rishikesh
Through various Mountain Bike ride tours in Rishikesh – Uttarakhand, you can discover some of the finest backroads an adventure cyclist could wish for.
The Bike rides unveils with snow-capped Himalayas and the intricate bucolic villages, traverses through majestic Himalayan Forest and ends at chaotic holy river Ganga.
There’s no better way to spend your holiday than experiencing the excitement of cycling on India’ longest and highest Sky Cycle set-up in Rishikesh. Gazing the entire city of Rishikesh, the Ganges and mountain ranges while pedaling your way up in the air suspended by strong steel cable is as thrilling as it can get.
Jim Corbett
Jim Corbett offers challenging yet pleasing paths. The bikers can ride their bicycles along rural areas and the countryside with a few slightly challenging routes in the woodland, camp along forestry streams, or close to old temples, discovers flora and fauna in the thick wilds of the Corbett area.
This varied experience is enough for the beginners and experience bikers alike. One should not miss out on the opportunity to cycle inside a jungle on rough terrains. Passing the huge termite forts and a pathway carpeted in dry foliage, you can pedal in peace and silence, soaking in the subtle sounds and smells of the jungle.
Dharamshala
Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj are some of the most beautiful locations in Himachal Pradesh for many reasons. It offers various cycling tours; One day Private Kangra Valley Cycling Tour from Dharamshala, E-biking tour to Norbulingka Buddhist Monastery as well as visiting one of the oldest Hindu temples of Dharamshala called Aghanjar Mahadev Temple, E-biking tours through the pine forests and tea plantations and tasting different kinds of tea.
You can explore the gorgeous hilltop city by cycling to some of its popular local destinations and visiting traditional village settlements.
Some of the other beautiful places that let you experience the thrill of cycling to the max are Pushkar, Puducherry, Ooty, Mysore, Udaipur, Coonoor, Kadaikanal, Munnar, Darjeeling, Manali, Hampi and Leh.
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