2025 has already got off to a flying (or should that be rolling) start as we’re set to welcome more of you than ever on a Skedaddle holiday this year! The wider Skedaddle community has also flourished as we announced exciting new partnerships with Cycling UK and BIKMO (cycle and travel insurance), as well as strengthened our existing partnerships with Sustrans, Giant and Endura. It all comes down to giving everyone the best possible experience by bike and Skedaddlers can enjoy a few extra perks too with exclusive discounts and offers!
2025 is a landmark year for Skedaddle as we’ll be celebrating 30 years of exploring the world by bike. It’s amazing to look back at how the technology and sport of cycling has evolved over that time. As we look ahead to another wonderful year on wheels, here are some of the recent cycling trends to watch out for as you begin to feel excited about your next adventure.
Bicycle design and innovation
We’ve been a partner of Giant for almost 30 years and over that time we’ve seen huge leaps in technological advances in cycles. Giant remains an industry leader and we know first-hand just how capable their bikes are, as we have tried and tested them year on year across our range of road cycling, leisure cycling, mountain biking and gravel riding holidays.
The latest bicycle technology for off-road riding
One of the bike trends we’re seeing is greater adaptability for off-road bikes. Giant’s gravel bike ‘Revolt’ has a flip chip rear dropout that allows the rider to adjust the wheelbase between a shorter, more agile feel and a longer setting that improves stability and allows a tyre clearance of up to 54mm. The framesets are lighter and adjusted geometry is aimed at improving speed and efficiency. Recent models also have added cable integration and internal frame storage.
The Giant Trance mountain bike is more versatile than ever with adjustable geometry thanks to their flip chip bicycle technology, as well as the option to swap out a 29 inch rear wheel for 27.5 for a ‘mullet’ setup to improve handling on technical terrain.
Electric bike evolution
E-bikes continue to grow in popularity and last year approximately 37% of those hiring a bike for their Skedaddle trip, hired an e-bike. Most of our e-bike hires are hybrid bikes for leisure cycling holidays. The Giant Entour, Dailytour and Anytour bikes are ideal for handling varied terrain and are incredibly comfortable to ride. The evolution of batteries means they can now deliver up to 90+ miles to one charge when used in ‘eco’ mode! We’ve set the bikes up with puncture-resistant inner tubes and sealant. The Anytour comes with a belt drive and gears encased in a hub. All of these features help to reduce the risk of a mechanical, though of course the Skedaddle team will always be on hand should that happen.
We now have over 90 holidays with e-bike options in our range, including some of our most popular long-haul tours in Chile, China and Vietnam. You’ll find numerous electric bike holidays in our leisure cycling range and you can hire an e-bike on any of our leisure cycling holidays! Electric mountain bikes are proving popular and we now have a brilliant range of eMTB holidays and eMTB only departures that you can choose from.
Participation
Forget MAMILs (middle aged men in lycra) – apparently the latest trending cohort is the MAWIL (middle aged woman in lycra). Strava reported an 11% increase in the number of female cyclists in 2024 with those aged over 61 covering the most distance year round. Garmin shared similar findings with women taking the top spot as the fastest growing demographic with a 9% increase in cycling activities.
It’s great to see more women out enjoying cycling. On Skedaddle holidays we continue to see a gender split that is getting closer to 50/50. Women represented 45.5% of our customers across all Skedaddle holidays in 2024 but this varies across the different cycling types. For example, women represented 55.9% of our customers on cycling adventures. In leisure cycling the split is almost exactly 50/50. We tend to see a lot of couples but also more women choosing to go on self-guided group holidays together.
We mentioned e-bikes as a trend that is encouraging more people to ride further and explore more on two wheels. Gravel riding is another area that continues to become increasingly popular. 2024 saw the launch of our gravel range with our first trips running across the UK, Spain and Italy. Gravel riding is fun and challenging so it’s no surprise that more of you want to dabble with gravel on your next holiday. We’re growing our range of easier-grade holidays that are perfect for those new to gravel, such as Costa de la Luz and Cadiz Discoverer.
Wellness on wheels
We all know that travelling will take you out of your daily routine and that cycling is good for your body and mind. “Calmcations” – holidays focused on tranquillity – are increasingly popular, with more folk seeking off-grid locations and ways to escape in nature. We’ve always been drawn to explore remote landscapes on two wheels; these are our favourite wilderness escapes that promise a journey like no other.
Of course, improved physical fitness is a happy side-effect of a cycling holiday and indeed you can cycle yourself fit on a holiday. Some of our most challenging tours remain hugely popular with more people looking to conquer big mountains or cross an entire country on an Iconic Journey.
E-bikes are also enabling more people to enjoy the simple pleasures of a cycling holiday and take on some of the more daunting challenge rides like riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats or the UK’s favourite coast to coast (C2C).
Cycling holiday trends
Our top five most popular destinations last year were the UK, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. Our three most popular oversees destinations were Vietnam, India and Morocco. Cycling adventures oversees have taken a few years to reach pre-pandemic levels but now look set be more popular than ever. Our 2025 tours in China and Cuba are filling up fast!
Skedaddle’s ethos has always been about exploring beyond the tourist trail but wider travel industry trends report that more and more people are now looking to head off the beaten path, noting far-flung destinations like Uzbekistan, or those closer to home, like Norfolk (both of which you can explore with Skedaddle). If you’re searching for the ultimate wilderness adventure, you could pedal across the vast plains of Mongolia or discover the magic of Chile, which first captured the imagination of Paul and Straws back in 1994. Closer to home you could explore Spain’s Extremadura or cycle across southern Italy. In the UK, we’d encourage you to explore lesser known (but equally amazing) cycling destinations like Suffolk or Northumberland.
Private adventures
We’ve helped tons of Skedaddlers create their own bespoke cycling holidays over the years. You can turn almost any Skedaddle holiday in our range into a private departure. But for those seeking greater flexibility to tailor a trip to suit your group’s specific needs, why not take a look at our Skedaddle Classics, Your Way collection. These tours are all based in places our local teams know like the back of their hands and the holiday elements can be tweaked, from the number of days, you’d like to cycle, to bike hire, the level of support, accommodation and beyond. For those looking for something a little bit different, take a look at our dedicated Tailor Made page and drop us a line with your idea – we’ll do our best to turn it into a reality!
Explore our full range of cycling holidays in 2025 here!