The tours range from a half-day e-bike ride around Sydney Harbour to an eight-day European trip along Sweden's Kattegat Coastal Cycle Path, voted Europe's best cycle route in 2018. In between are six- and seven-day Australian itineraries: a circular tour out of Orange averaging 50 km a day on quiet backroads, a 320 km rail-trail and back-road route through Victoria's High Country with two nights each in Bright, Beechworth and Rutherglen, a 240 km Goldfields and Spa tour finishing with two nights in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, and the Gippsland Great Southern Rail Trail on wide compacted gravel free of traffic.

Overseas, the Italy Ciociaria Gourmet Tour bases guests for the week in the hilltop village of Atina, south-west of Rome, in a private residence, with out-and-back routes on quiet roads and very little traffic. The Japan Gourmet Cycle Tour covers Okayama, Hiroshima and Kyoto. The Japan Kyushu Island Tour spends six days riding coastal and mountain roads, orchards, rice fields and tea plantations, with a make-your-own-matcha stop and some train travel. The Sri Lanka Cultural & Charity Cycle Tour combines riding with heritage sites and nature, and US$350 of each participation is donated to medical support at a Colombo hospital; nights are in 4-star accommodation.

What separates these trips from a standard bike tour is the access. Guests describe meals and cultural encounters they would not have found travelling independently, and repeat clients mention the standard of the bikes and the food as much as the routes. The riding is pitched so that non-regular cyclists can do it — one guest on the Great Southern Rail Trail describes herself and her husband as not regular cyclists and recommends it anyway, while a seasoned cyclist on the same Italy trip called it perfect for both of them.

Guides are local and qualified. The Sydney rides run on predominantly dedicated cycleways or quiet residential streets, with a restaurant or Sydney Fish Market lunch built in. Self-guided options come with the route planning and support already done, and supported tours have the operator meeting and checking on riders along the trail.

What's included

- Small-group cycling with a maximum of eight riders (four on Sydney rides) - Quality bikes, with e-bike options - Boutique accommodation on multi-day tours - Local guides and, on some tours, bilingual co-hosts - Restaurant or Sydney Fish Market lunch on the Sydney rides - Route planning and support on self-guided and supported tours - Local food and wine experiences - Cultural and artisan visits - US$350 donation to medical support at a Colombo hospital on the Sri Lanka tour

What's not included

- Travel to and from the tour start point - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Meals and drinks not specified for your chosen tour - Optional add-ons such as the Stockholm 2-day extension