• Bike Rental
    • Bicycle Models >
      • Aluminium Road Bike
      • Gravel Bike
      • Light Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Mens Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Womens Touring Bike
      • Hardtail Mountain Bike
      • Electric Assisted E-Bike
    • Bicycle Accessories
    • Bike Size
    • Rental Packs >
      • Book a Rental Pack
    • Book a Bike
  • Cycling Holidays
    • Portugal Cycling Holidays >
      • Alentejo Bike Tour
      • Algarve Bike Tour
      • Algarve Gravel Bike Tour
      • Azores Bike Tour
      • Camino Portugues Bike Tour
      • Douro Valley Bike Tour
      • Eurovelo 1 Porto to Lisbon Bike Tour
      • Rota Vicentina Bike Tour
    • Spain Cycling Holidays >
      • Andalucian Adventure Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 8 Day Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 15 Day Bike Tour
      • Picos de Europa Bike Tour
      • Catalonia Girona Bike Tour
    • Book a Self Guided Cycling Holiday
    • Day Trips >
      • E-Bike Day Trips
      • Mountain Bike Day Tours in Sintra >
        • Single Track Attack - MTB
        • Sintra Surf & Turf - MTB
      • Guides
      • Book a Day Trip
  • Camino Cycling
    • Camino Cycling Holidays
    • Camino Touring Packs >
      • Camino 7 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 10 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 14 Day Touring Pack
    • Camino Bicycle Rental >
      • Camino Mountain Bike Rental
      • Camino Touring Bike Rental
      • Camino Road Bike Rental
  • Book Now
    • Travel Insurance
  • Contacts
    • Directory
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Blog
    • Environmental
    • Press Kit
    • Travel Agents
    • FAQ
    • Terms & Conditions >
      • Price List
    • Privacy Policy
Cycling Rentals
  • Bike Rental
    • Bicycle Models >
      • Aluminium Road Bike
      • Gravel Bike
      • Light Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Mens Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Womens Touring Bike
      • Hardtail Mountain Bike
      • Electric Assisted E-Bike
    • Bicycle Accessories
    • Bike Size
    • Rental Packs >
      • Book a Rental Pack
    • Book a Bike
  • Cycling Holidays
    • Portugal Cycling Holidays >
      • Alentejo Bike Tour
      • Algarve Bike Tour
      • Algarve Gravel Bike Tour
      • Azores Bike Tour
      • Camino Portugues Bike Tour
      • Douro Valley Bike Tour
      • Eurovelo 1 Porto to Lisbon Bike Tour
      • Rota Vicentina Bike Tour
    • Spain Cycling Holidays >
      • Andalucian Adventure Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 8 Day Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 15 Day Bike Tour
      • Picos de Europa Bike Tour
      • Catalonia Girona Bike Tour
    • Book a Self Guided Cycling Holiday
    • Day Trips >
      • E-Bike Day Trips
      • Mountain Bike Day Tours in Sintra >
        • Single Track Attack - MTB
        • Sintra Surf & Turf - MTB
      • Guides
      • Book a Day Trip
  • Camino Cycling
    • Camino Cycling Holidays
    • Camino Touring Packs >
      • Camino 7 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 10 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 14 Day Touring Pack
    • Camino Bicycle Rental >
      • Camino Mountain Bike Rental
      • Camino Touring Bike Rental
      • Camino Road Bike Rental
  • Book Now
    • Travel Insurance
  • Contacts
    • Directory
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Blog
    • Environmental
    • Press Kit
    • Travel Agents
    • FAQ
    • Terms & Conditions >
      • Price List
    • Privacy Policy

Blog 

Cycling Rentals, in the beginning

7/20/2020

1 Comment

 
Cycling Rentals in the beginning Minho bicycle tour in Portugal
In these Corona virus times, one of the big problems for small travel businesses like ours is the lack of confidence that uncertainty brings.

​Some of our new clients were concerned about booking with a "young" company, so we asked the original founder to tell you all about the very beginning - way back in 1986!
This time of the year always makes me remember CTTC's - or as it was known then, CYCLE PORTUGAL's - very first tour which began on Oct 16, 1986.

The date is burned into my memory for more than just sentimental reasons.  First of all, we had no real experience with cycling tours (we just knew it was a marvelous idea) and we were exhausted from working so hard all year to find the perfect bike routes, picnic sites, hotels,  restaurants and so on.  

​No one else, that we knew of, had ever designed a bike tour in Portugal, or anywhere else for that matter.
Granite stone arch in a village on the Minho bicycle tour in Portugal
We had no one to copy (a grand old tradition in the bike-touring world).  It was hard to decide in which region to do our inaugural tour, but in the end we settled on the Minho province in the north as we felt it was the most magical and "olde worlde".  

And, we knew everyone loved "olde worlde".  So we plotted our route through picturesque villages, lush vineyards and fairytale castles.  

I designed the route maps which had more adjectives about the scenery than actual directions.  

​We planned to picnic almost everyday so that was an added treat for our clients.
Picnic beside a river on the Minho bicycle tour in Portugal
The tour group turned out to be a large one, as the office in the US had decided to sell it for a special price, being the inaugural tour and all.  

I almost fainted when I walked into the hotel lobby that first morning.  There seemed to be hundreds of eager cyclists.  

To make matters truly complicated, that was the year a terrible freak hurricane hit Europe from southern England to, yes, you got it, northern Portugal.  

For several days the weather was just blustery and rainy but the group bravely soldiered on - sodden picnics and all.

They were a jolly forgiving bunch who meshed together perfectly and decided that no matter what they were going to have a fabulous time.  

​God really does answer desperate prayers.
Bicycle tour group in 1986 in the Minho region in Portugal
The people of the Minho couldn't have been more wonderful, as well.  

​In the various manor houses we stayed in, some of the owners organized programs with folklore dancing and music and others wine-tastings and tours of the wet vineyards.

The people in the little villages thought we must have been a racing team, albeit an odd one, with so many women and gray haired participants. But, what the hey, they energetically cheered us on and wished us well anyway!
Bicycle tour group standing by an old granite wall in the Minho in Portugal
On the last day's ride the heavens opened up and the wind took a deep breath and blew 2 bicycles off our roof rack.  After retrieving them, we were the last vehicle allowed on the bridge, over the Lima River and into Viana do Castelo, before it closed.  

​Going out to dinner that night, we had to hitch up our skirts and pants legs and wade through the water in the hotel lobby and then through the driving rain to our cozy restaurant.  By then, the worst had died down and we had a fabulous night toasting the fact that we'd all made it through.  

The tour turned out to be a thundering success and many of our fearless group came back for seconds ...and thirds and fourths. Whew!

Written by Maggie Deffense

Founder of Cycling Portugal, mentor and tour writer for Cycling Rentals & Cycling Centuries Bike Tours

1 Comment
Jaskiran Kaur link
12/10/2020 02:29:42 am

Wow, that's was very interesting. I think in this era too every country should start Bike rental as they are great for environment as well as no need to maintain them ,etc. I also think that every Bike Rental Companies should definitely have an app and also a fleet management system ,Both can be very powerful and helpful tool to manage everything and can also help in growing the business. An app and management system provides so many features. Features of apps can be like Renting bike GPS Tracking ,etc Features for Fleet Management System can be like tracking driver’s performance ,customer service , asset tracking, etc. A company named 'Cerebrum Infotech' develops theses types of apps and Fleet Management System. They can customize it according to your needs and requirements. They give free demo and consultation.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.


    TAGS

    All
    Bike Maintenance
    Bike Touring Stories
    Buying Guides
    Camino De Santiago
    Contests
    Environment
    Gravel Bike
    How To
    Portugal
    Spain
    Travel Resources
    Your Stories


    RSS Feed

Fuji bikes Cycling Rentals partner
Cycling Rentals Official Rota Vicentina Partner
Official Portugal Tour and Travel Company
Kona Bikes Cycling Rentals partner

Cycling In Portugal

Bicycle Holidays in Portugal
Rota Vicentina Self Guided
Douro Valley Self Guided
Alentejo Self Guided Bike Tour
​Portugal Cycling Routes

Cycling In Spain

Bicycle Holidays in Spain
Camino de Santiago Bike Rental
Andalucia Cycling Self Guided
Picos de Europa Self Guided
​
Spain Cycling Routes

Bikes & Equipment

Road Bike Rental
Mountain Bike Rental
Touring Bike Rental
Electric Bike Rental
​
Bike Tour Gear Rentals

Follow Us

Follow us on social media where we share all our special offers, news, ​events & more.

CONTACT Us

EU (+351) 963 501 222
USA  (+1) 321 392 0616
​UK  (+44) (0)208 816 8637
cycling rentals tripadvisor hall of fame award 2019

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Travel Agents | Press Kit | Travel Insurance  © Cycling Rentals 2022

Cycling-Rentals is a division of Cycling through the Centuries. Registered Tour Operator RNAAT nº58/2006. Registered Travel Agent RNAVT nº 5035
  • Bike Rental
    • Bicycle Models >
      • Aluminium Road Bike
      • Gravel Bike
      • Light Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Mens Touring Bike
      • Hybrid Womens Touring Bike
      • Hardtail Mountain Bike
      • Electric Assisted E-Bike
    • Bicycle Accessories
    • Bike Size
    • Rental Packs >
      • Book a Rental Pack
    • Book a Bike
  • Cycling Holidays
    • Portugal Cycling Holidays >
      • Alentejo Bike Tour
      • Algarve Bike Tour
      • Algarve Gravel Bike Tour
      • Azores Bike Tour
      • Camino Portugues Bike Tour
      • Douro Valley Bike Tour
      • Eurovelo 1 Porto to Lisbon Bike Tour
      • Rota Vicentina Bike Tour
    • Spain Cycling Holidays >
      • Andalucian Adventure Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 8 Day Bike Tour
      • Camino de Santiago 15 Day Bike Tour
      • Picos de Europa Bike Tour
      • Catalonia Girona Bike Tour
    • Book a Self Guided Cycling Holiday
    • Day Trips >
      • E-Bike Day Trips
      • Mountain Bike Day Tours in Sintra >
        • Single Track Attack - MTB
        • Sintra Surf & Turf - MTB
      • Guides
      • Book a Day Trip
  • Camino Cycling
    • Camino Cycling Holidays
    • Camino Touring Packs >
      • Camino 7 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 10 Day Touring Pack
      • Camino 14 Day Touring Pack
    • Camino Bicycle Rental >
      • Camino Mountain Bike Rental
      • Camino Touring Bike Rental
      • Camino Road Bike Rental
  • Book Now
    • Travel Insurance
  • Contacts
    • Directory
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Blog
    • Environmental
    • Press Kit
    • Travel Agents
    • FAQ
    • Terms & Conditions >
      • Price List
    • Privacy Policy