Bespoke Cycle Tours

This personalised guided e-bike tour covers 17 km around the highlights of Sydney's inner harbour, crossing both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Anzac Bridge for sweeping views over one of the world's most famous waterways. Starting from Milsons Point on the northern side of the Harbour Bridge, the route meanders along the waterfront on bike trails and shared paths, with a qualified local guide explaining Sydney's unique natural and built environment along the way.

The day is paced to suit the group, with a harbourside coffee stop and, depending on the group's interests, a visit to either a boutique public art gallery or the National Maritime Museum. Lunch is a choice between a quality café or seafood at the famous Sydney Fish Market. With a maximum of four riders on high-quality Moustache e-bikes, it's a relaxed, intimate way to see the city.

Highlights:

• Cycling across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge
• Views over the harbour from multiple vantage points, including Observatory Hill
• Harbourside coffee stop
• Choice of a boutique public art gallery or the National Maritime Museum
• Waterfront riding through Barangaroo and Darling Harbour
• Café or seafood lunch at the Sydney Fish Market

Surface and terrain:
Around 95% on cycle paths and shared bike/pedestrian paths, avoiding busy traffic (the FAQ says 90%). Some sections have heavy pedestrian traffic. Mostly flat with a few short ascents and descents.

Suitable for:
Occasional cyclists with moderate fitness who are confident riding on narrow two-way cycle paths and moving slowly through pedestrians in an urban setting. Riders must be over 150 cm tall.

This personalised guided e-bike tour explores Sydney's northern side, riding through the wealthy harbourside suburb of Mosman and the striking natural beauty of Middle Harbour. The route winds alongside creeks, inlets and beaches, mixing well-known landmarks with "secret" beaches and lesser-known natural and built attractions, with a qualified local guide sharing insights along the way.

The pace suits the group, with a waterside morning tea and time to swim at Manly Beach for those so inclined, before a restaurant lunch overlooking the ocean at Manly. As tours run mid-week, beaches are usually quiet. With a maximum of four riders on high-quality Moustache e-bikes, it's an intimate and relaxed way to experience Sydney's coastal lifestyle.

Highlights:

• Cycling through harbourside Mosman
• The natural beauty of Middle Harbour's creeks and inlets
• Hidden "secret" beaches alongside iconic ones
• Waterside morning tea
• Optional swim at Manly Beach
• Restaurant lunch overlooking the ocean at Manly

**Surface and terrain: **
Mostly flat or gently sloping, with a few short but steep ascents and descents and some sharp turns.

Suitable for:
Riders with moderate cycling skills and fitness. Not suitable for beginners, given the short steep hills and sharp turns, though e-bikes make the climbs manageable.

This circular tour radiates out from Orange, a regional food and wine hub in Central NSW, riding mainly quiet backroads through sheep and cattle country, vineyards and historic villages. Overnight stops include the arts-and-crafts village of Millthorpe, the National Trust-classified village of Carcoar, Cowra with its POW camp site and Japanese Gardens, heritage-listed Canowindra and Cudal, where platypus can sometimes be spotted along Boree Creek.

The route peels back the region's many layers, from its geography and gold-rush history to its farming, art and regional produce, with winery lunches, an organic farm visit and plenty of time to meet the locals. It can be ridden self-guided with daily luggage transfers and detailed tour notes, or as a supported group tour with a back-up vehicle, more meals and a celebratory final dinner at one of Orange's renowned restaurants.

Highlights:

• Cowra's Japanese Gardens and POW camp site
• The National Trust-classified village of Carcoar
• Canowindra's winding heritage main street and optional hot air balloon flight
• Rosnay Organic Farm and Winery, plus fine pinot noir and organic wines
• Quality art and craft boutiques in Millthorpe
• Winery lunch on the final day back into Orange

Surface and terrain: 75% quiet sealed backroads, 20% gravel roads and 5% busier main roads. Gently rolling hills with moderate 1-5% gradients, plenty of flat stretches, and a 15 km climb on the final day.

Weather:
Spring (Sep-Nov) and autumn (Mar-early May) are best, around 10-25°C. June to August is cold, and December to February hot, especially on the plains west of Orange.

Suitable for:
Riders comfortable with around 50-55 km a day over rolling terrain with some gravel, who enjoy regional food, wine and history. The supported tour suits small groups wanting a more social, fully looked-after experience.

This gourmet cycling tour is a unique collaboration between Bespoke Cycle Tours and Risa and Aaron, owner-operators of the two-hatted Kadota Japanese restaurant in Daylesford, Victoria. Beginning in Osaka, the group takes the Shinkansen to Risa's hometown of Okayama for two days of cultural and culinary discovery, including Korakuen Garden and the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.

The route then heads to Naoshima Art Island before riding one of Japan's signature routes, the Shimanami Kaido, which crosses six islands by bridge. In Hiroshima, riders visit the Peace Memorial Park, followed by a day on Miyajima Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The final two nights are in Kyoto, with curated cycling, a traditional Kaiseki dinner and a night in a Ryokan.

Throughout, meals are carefully chosen by the hosts, ranging from Izakaya and hidden-gem sushi to Yakiniku and Kyoto's seasonal cuisine.

Highlights:

• Cycling the Shimanami Kaido, one of Japan's great rides
• Korakuen, one of Japan's three most beautiful gardens, and Okayama Castle
• Naoshima Art Island and the Chichu Art Museum
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima's floating Torii gate
• Kyoto's temple precincts, a Kaiseki dinner and a night in a Ryokan
• Curated local dining and onsen hot springs

Surface and terrain: Predominantly shared bike paths and dedicated cycleways, including the Okayama-Soja Cycle Route, Shimanami Kaido and Kyoto's Mt Konpira-Nijo Castle Cycling Road.

Suitable for:
Food and culture lovers comfortable with relaxed daily rides of 10-50 km, with the option of longer distances on the Shimanami Kaido. E-bikes and walking options make it accessible to a range of abilities.

This tour is a unique collaboration with Ciociaria-based food and culture specialists Paolo and Kelly Picarazzi of Antica Travel, with Paolo born in the region. Ciociaria lies 90 minutes south-east of Rome, and its ancient Italic tribes were absorbed into the Roman Empire around 300 BC, though their love of food, wine, music and the natural environment lives on.

Starting and finishing in Rome, the tour is based for seven nights in an 18th-century aristocratic palace in the hilltop village of Atina, overlooking the fertile Comino Valley with the Abruzzo mountains as a backdrop. Riders cycle with a local guide on out-and-back rides averaging 40 km a day, along scenic backroads to nearby villages, wineries, markets and historic sites, with flexibility for longer or shorter rides.

Days are filled with cheese making, winery lunches, meetings with local producers and fine regional dining.

Highlights:

• Quiet sealed backroads through the Comino Valley and its hilltop villages
• Seven nights in a restored 18th-century aristocratic palace
• Making your own ricotta with one of the valley's most respected cheese makers
• Winery visits, local markets and a 2,000-year-old flour mill
• Pilgrim walk to the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna of Canneto
• Lake Posta Fibreno, a favourite retreat of Cicero

Surface and terrain:
95% paved quiet rural roads, with occasional narrow stretches through villages and vineyards. Mostly flat valley riding with gentle ascents and descents, plus some steeper climbs into hilltop villages and between valleys.

Suitable for:
Food, wine and culture lovers comfortable riding around 40 km a day with some steeper climbs, which e-bikes make manageable. Non-cyclists can be catered for.