Welcome to g4 Productions blog!

We thought it was about time we shared our insight and knowledge on all things cycling, running and event production! With over 50+ years in event planning and production we have seen, heard and done it all! And we thought it would be fun and entertaining to share some of our thoughts with all of you. We will have some guest bloggers stop by as well to share their thoughts on the latest in the industry. We hope you will check back often.

-the gs

www.g4events.com

Thursday, November 13, 2014

King of Bhutan, Naked Cyclists and Baby Boomers




King of Bhutan, Naked Cyclists and Baby Boomers

November 13, 2014






The New Boom in Cycling

At g4 we have been associated with cycling since the early ‘80s and our unscientific observations and research suggests that recreational cycling is actually enjoying a comeback. Annual bike sales may remain flat but the level of activity appears to be way up if we use the number of complaining drivers on the road as a measure.

We saw a recent quote from the League of American Bicyclists that from 2000 to 2011, the numbers of people that are bicycle commuting in large Bicycle Friendly Cities (BFC) increased 80 percent.

An increasing number of cities are making accommodations for bikes.  Bicycling Magazine actually rates the top 50 cities in the U.S. and at least 26 cities have active bike sharing programs according to Wikipedia. Philadelphia, where we work on the Parx Casino Philly Classic Bicycle Race, was rated one of the top five BFCs and this emphasis has become a priority for the current city administration.

In recent years we have seen a significant increase in the numbers and types of bike related activities that are available also tells a different story.

We did a quick Google search for grand fondos, cycling sportives, biking tours and biking adventures reveals events throughout the year across the US as well as Europe and other locations as remote and exotic as Bhutan where they hold an event billed as the world’s hardest mountain race.
A recent article in the NY Times mentions that the King of Bhutan is a mountain bike enthusiast. And because he is king he always wins the event.

Events for cyclists range in length, difficulty and number of days to appeal to every type of rider from the casual to the serious amateur or retired professional who may be looking for a challenge or measure their performance against others.

These events can serve multiple purposes from just recreational to raising funds for charities.  Many times an event will have commercial aspects like showcasing cycling industry products or promoting tourism for a locale. Some even have a political message like the International Naked Bike rides to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world” although looking at some of the photos from the rides may call this message into question.

The ageing baby boomer population is now entering retirement and they have money and time to spend, are more active and want to maintain their physical fitness and perhaps recapture their youth.  And many of them are turning to cycling.

Among consumers in general there has also been a shift from buying things to doing things and having meaningful experiences.

All of this makes us excited about the prospects for cycling in the coming years.

Until next time,
The g’s Alice and Robin

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