Some Collingwood entrepreneurs were surprised to be named one of the 2023 Best Bicycle Friendly Businesses in Ontario through Ontario By Bike.
Georgian Trail E-Bike Rentals in Collingwood was given the provincial award in a recent ceremony, as they also gear up to open for their second season in April.
“It’s amazing. We were so surprised. Especially with it being less than a year of our business being up,” said co-owner Loriann Marcuzzi. “The connections we’ve made from the award have been great. We’re so grateful.”
Georgian Trail E-Bike Rentals is a contactless system where you can book a half- or full-day e-bike rental through their website, be given a code to unlock a bike at a set location and use the e-bike for that time period. The site will also facilitate recommendations for tourism destinations to hit in the southern Georgian Bay area.
Marcuzzi co-owns the business with her sister, Christina Buttarazzi, and their husbands, Matthew Buttarazzi and Michael Marcuzzi. They started the business last year in July after noting a lack of e-bike tourism options in the area.
“My sister and her husband were in Florida and they happened to be at a restaurant where a man had ridden by on one of these bikes, and their son asked, ‘Is that a motorcycle or a bicycle?’" said Marcuzzi. “After talking to the man who owned the e-bike, we realized that this was something Collingwood needed, being such a high tourist area.”
An e-bike is a bicycle that can be run on electric power as well as by pedalling.
Ontario By Bike is a lead organization developing and promoting cycling tourism in Ontario. Their awards recognize efforts of local organizations or individuals who offer exceptional services and amenities to cyclists. The awards are open to businesses that are certified by Ontario By Bike as bicycle-friendly.
While last year Marcuzzi’s business provided curated recommendations for attractions to hit whenever patrons secured a rental, she says this year they are implementing a passport-style system where they’ve partnered with local businesses to offer discounts if patrons stop at certain destinations, restaurants or other attractions.
For their first season, Marcuzzi said they had their flagship location in Collingwood, and a pop-up in Thornbury adjacent to the Apple Pie Trail.
This coming season, the business is expanding to include pick-up/drop off locations in Creemore and Town of the Blue Mountains. They have also partnered with a bed-and-breakfast for an e-bike rental package and will be attending local tourism events across the region.
“We’re going from 13 e-bikes last year, to 22 this year,” she said. “The response was overwhelming. It’s more than we could have imagined, but we’re so excited.”
For more information on Georgian Trail E-Bike Rentals, click here.
