Imagine a website that enabled you to discover all of the cycling experiences available in any location around the globe, and then (with the click of a button) create the cycling adventure of a lifetime.
That’s the vision of Canberra entrepreneur Charles Black, who has recently launched CycleLifeHQ.
CycleLifeHQ allows creators of cycling experiences such as self-guided bike rides, guided tours, skills training, and cycling-friendly accommodation and cafes to list their services for free. Users of the site can then search by location for all available experiences, and easily book the service(s) they wish to use.
Charles, an avid cyclist, already has a number of listings from Canberra curators and is now opening the doors to creators of cycling experiences across Australia and even internationally.
“CycleLifeHQ is like AirBnB for cyclists. When you’re visiting a new location (and even if your hometown), it can be incredibly difficult and time consuming to put together all of the information you need to create the ideal cycling experience. We make it possible for locations and providers to bring that information together and make planning and booking your adventure super simple and convenient.
“We also love what CycleLifeHQ is able to do for service providers. Not every service provider has a website, and of those that do very few will make it to the top of Google. So how do you find these gems? CycleLifeHQ offers every creator of a cycling experience – no matter how big or small – the opportunity to be found by an audience that truly appreciates their offering.”
Charles is a big believer in the benefits of cycling, for mental and physical health as well as broader economic opportunities.
“Cycling has a way of bringing people together, and given the right platform it also has a way of attracting groups of people to a destination.
“CycleLifeHQ also has a strong social enterprise element – it provides indigenous and third world communities with a zero cost way to build micro businesses based on cycle tourism helping them create self-sufficiency.”
It’s a noble vision, and one that has helped land the start-up a place in the Griffin Accelerator program. The program, which announced its winning candidates last week, offers investment, support and mentoring to local start-up businesses that demonstrate true innovation.
Charles, who has left behind 25 years in the corporate world to help shape what he calls the cycling experience industry, is excited to be working on something so meaningful.
“What makes this journey even more exciting is that I am joined in it by my entrepreneurial son Tim.
It’s really cool to show (others) a model where a wise old fart like me can work with a digital native like Tim, and create a cutting edge business that can truly solve some practical problems.”
To learn more about CycleLifeHQ or to discover your own adventure, visit www.cyclelifehq.com.
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