When it comes to sightseeing tours, Furano is popular because of its lavender fields in the summer and ski resorts in the winter. Biei is another popular destination as its crop rotations make the fields appear as a vast patchwork of different crop fields and its famous blue pond. Usually we ride in a car to see them, but this time we rode on bikes.

“It is only 40 to 50 kms cycling per day, so please join us”, suggested a travel agent.
Without thinking, I replied, “OK I’ll give it a try.”

It was a fam-trip (familiarization and trip) with two invited guests from Australia and Singapore. Both of them were influencers on social networking sites and they were young ladies. The purpose of the trip was that they would give out information about this cycling tour in Hokkaido at each spot on the tour.

The cycling tour started from the Asahikawa Airport where I first met the guests and the staff of a bicycle shop. The bicycle shop staff came by minibus with bikes on the roof for everybody. The shop’s cycling guide, who used to belong to a professional cycling team in Italy, was familiar with every nook and cranny of the area we were going to cycle. After everybody tried out the bikes, he started from the airport and we followed him. I took my place at the end of the line. The hills of Biei have many steep ups and downs. Before long I realized my memory for cycling was from when I was young and full of vigor. A lot of time has passed since then! But don’t worry if you get exhausted on the cycling tour, you can get in the car following the cycling group.

The tour was not just riding bikes all the way to the goal. We loaded the bikes on the roof of the car and rode in the car when the road was too crowded with traffic or was too bumpy to cycle. We cycled only on the roads suited for cycling and for our physical conditions. The cycling guide chose the roads carefully to satisfy every member, despite age differences.
While we were passing through various sightseeing places we could easily drop in to take a picture or stop for some delicious and very popular Hokkaido ice-cream. We could enjoy not only cycling but sightseeing as well.

Although the tour guide may not have matched our level of cycling, riding with us allowed the guide to gauge our physical condition and our needs as cyclists, so they could take care of us with the necessary water supply and nutrition intake.

Fortunately, despite threatening skies in the distance, we rode in cool temperatures under a clear sky in autumn. The guests’ impression after the trip was favorable. They felt the roads were well maintained for easy riding, and the roads were not dangerous because the drivers have good road manners in Hokkaido. They also enjoyed the beautiful scenery and delicious food.

If you come with senior members of your family, they can use e-bikes. If a member of a group is exhausted, he or she can get in a car and follow the group. We can offer tailored services according to your demands so that everyone in your group can enjoy cycling tours in Hokkaido. You can cycle with your family or friends despite differences in age and physical ability.