When I planned my ride on the Sea to Sky Trail with my family, I had questions I couldn't fully answer from my desk. Would the hostels have somewhere to store our bikes inside overnight? Would the buses take three bikes? The Squamish Connector said two maximum. SkyLynx would take three but only bagged… what kind of bag, exactly?
We found out, eventually. The Whistler hostel had a ski room. The Squamish hostel had locked cargo containers. The bus took all three bikes despite what the website said. I overnighted a bike bag from Amazon and packed my bike in a parking lot.
Every answer required a phone call, an email, or a calculated guess.
Every touring cyclist in BC is doing the same detective work.
That's the problem We Welcome Cyclists is designed to fix.
What we built, and why
Quebec figured this out a long time ago. Their Bienvenue Cyclistes program has been running for decades, and 31% of overnight cycle tourists in Quebec adapt their itinerary based on Bienvenue cyclistes! certification. Ontario By Bike has done the same since 2007 and now has over 1,600 certified businesses.
BC has had pieces of this — GoByBike BC's directory among them — but nothing built for touring. Until now.
We Welcome Cyclists is the BC Cycle Tourism Society's certification for businesses that genuinely serve bikepackers and cycle tourists. Seven categories, criteria written for what each one actually needs, and — this is the part I care about — every listing tells you what you're getting before you arrive.
For accommodations, secure indoor overnight storage is required. Not a bike rack out front. The arrangement gets described in the listing, so you know whether it's a locked room, a garage, or bikes-in-rooms before you book. (Whistler hostel: would have passed.)
Campgrounds commit to always having space for self-contained cyclists arriving by bike. Not "we'll try" — a real commitment, for groups up to six, for one night.
Restaurants have to give you somewhere to park where you can keep an eye on your loaded bike. Anyone who's parked a fully loaded bike at a rack 2 blocks away while trying to enjoy lunch knows why.
And transportation — buses, ferries, shuttles, luggage transfer — is its own category in our criteria, with the listing telling you about bagging requirements, advance booking, and bike fees. (SkyLynx: would have told me about the bag.)
How it works
Apply through our website. We review applications ourselves. You'll hear from us. Approved businesses appear in the directory, filterable by category, region, and the amenities that actually matter to a touring cyclist.
If you run a business that's great for cyclists, Apply for accreditation →. If you know one, send them our way. If you're planning a trip, search the directory →.
We built these criteria for cyclists like the three of us, sorting out bike bags in a Whistler bus loop ... and cyclists like you. If we missed something, tell us: contact us →.
— Heather
** Bikes on BC buses and ferries is its own saga! More in a future issue. **
Sources: Bienvenue Cyclistes attestation program, Vélo Québec; Ontario By Bike business directory, Ontario By Bike.