Veloguide Partnership
VeloGuide brings on-demand ‘ride and guide’ sharing app to global cycling enthusiasts
Calgary company revolutionizes cycling tourism with easy to use app
Calgary, Alberta – (April 1, 2019) VeloGuide is revolutionizing the cycling tourism industry with its easy to use ‘ride and guide’ sharing app, connecting globetrotting cyclists with local guides. Founded by Calgary local, Joel Goralski, in collaboration with a core team of visionaries, professional riders and cycling enthusiasts, VeloGuide includes a growing network of more than 1600 local VeloGuides offering rides in 587 cities in 69 countries worldwide.
VeloGuide was created to answer the demand for local cycling tours that don’t require signing up for traditional multi-day or large group riding experiences. By creating an easy and affordable approach to finding, booking and paying for the experience of riding a bike when you’re away from home, VeloGuide promises to do for cycling tourism what Uber and AirBnB have done for ride and home sharing. With VeloGuide, you can choose the destination, the length of the ride, the pace and a guide that fits your ability.
“When I decided to create VeloGuide, it was to be global,” says VeloGuide founder Joel Goralski. “I had the goal that no matter where you are travelling you can connect with a VeloGuide and a bike. You really get to ride like a local, without having to think or plan.”
As an add-on to a business trip in a new city, an opportunity to stay active during travel, and a chance to immerse in a destination and explore on two wheels, VeloGuide connects travellers and locals through a shared love of biking and travel. For prospective customers, VeloGuideallows guests to ride anywhere like a local, making cycling in new places easier, safer and far more interesting. Once you’ve booked a VeloGuide, all you need is a helmet (you can bring shoes and pedals if you’d like) and the VeloGuide will set you up with a high-quality, well maintained bike rental, or guests can choose a bike from VeloGuide’s ever expanding inventory of quality bikes listed for rent on the digital platform.
VeloGuide started after Goralski moved his family to Mexico for a year. Quickly, one year turned into two years, then three and Goralski started offering local visitors bike tours as a fun side hustle.
Soon the demand for tours increased beyond his capacity to support individually, and Goralski saw a real opportunity to fill a need in the tourism marketplace. “We thought it would be an interesting way for us to bring people together. Mexico, in general, is not known as a cycling destination however, it is amazing. Our experience made us wonder how many other amazing places are there in the world to ride? That could be New York City or Bangkok or a small place we’ve never heard of.”
After three years of sweat-equity and strategic visioning, what started as a side project for Goralski, has now evolved into an in-house team of 15 spread from the Canadian Rocky Mountains to France and Mexico.
About VeloGuide
VeloGuide is a free app that connects cycling enthusiasts with local VeloGuides no matter where they are located. Found in 587 cities in 69 countries worldwide, VeloGuide has more than 1600 local guides that include pro cyclists as well as former Olympic athletes. VeloGuide offers travellers the chance to experience breathtaking rides with top of the line bikes in a convenient and hassle-free way. As cycling tourism grows worldwide, so too does VeloGuide’s business, with rapid growth since their launch in the Fall of 2017 at the Hincapie Gran Fondo in Greenville, South Carolina.
With VeloGuide you can ride like a local. For more information on VeloGuide visit veloguide.com or download the app for free on the Apple Store or Google Play.
