Bicycle sales surpass new car sales in Europe

by Aimee Heckel · October 28, 2013

An eight-day bike tour through Loire Valley, France.

Novara Gotham Bike at REI.com.

By Aimee Heckel

Those Europeans do love their bicycles. And that love is only growing.

In fact, bicycle sales surpassed new car sales in nearly every European country last year, according to a recent NPR article.

Feeling the two-wheeled love, too? Here are some of our favorite European bicycling tours. Enter: Daydream-about-next-summer’s-vacation mode.

1. Euro Bike and Walking Tours.

This company has been organizing a variety of bike tours throughout Europe, form Spain to Denmark to the Czech Republic, for almost a quarter century. Euro Bike even offers biking vacations for families, beginners, advanced cyclists and mountain bikers. They can custom-design routes to meet travelers’ needs, ability and pace.

Try this: An eight-day tour through Loire Valley, France, for $3,498, leaving June 15. From your bike, you can see castles, the region’s rich culture and quaint villages.

Money-saving tip: Save money on your airfare with these travel coupons.

2. REI bike tours.

You knew you could get a bike and cycling gear at REI, but did you know you REI also organizes cycling vacations around the world? REI can also bring you to Loire Valley, France. Or visit Croatia, Prague to Budapest, Tuscany — the list goes on.

Get free shipping on a bike that costs more than $50 at REI.com (which is basically all of them). Find more REI coupons here (more than 50 of them), where you can also get 3 percent Cash Back from ShopAtHome.com. Learn more ways to save money at REI.com here.

One benefit of buying your bike online is you can find many online-only deals, like this bestselling Novara Gotham Bike for $1,399. Become an REI Member and you can get about $139.90 back, as part of your annual member refund, too.

3. Backroads.com.

Backroads is an award-winning, well known active travel company. We love their bike tour through the Tuscan countryside. Are you a foodie? The Piedmont Biking excursion is a food and wine paradise on wheels. That Tuscany trip isn’t lacking in the tastebud realm, either, with wine-tasting and plenty of local specialties, from fresh pastas to panzanella.

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