NIAGARA CYCLING TOURS WINS PROVINCEWIDE AWARD

PETER DONATO SAID THE AWARD WILL HELP HIS COMPANY'S CREDIBILITY AND VISIBILITY

A company dedicated to cycling through Niagara's lessknown landmarks has won an Ontario Bike Award.

Ontario By Bike presented the award for Best New Bike Business to Niagara-on-the-Lake's Niagara Cycling Tours.

Peter Donato, who runs Niagara Cycling Tours, said it's nice to win the award when his company is only about a year old.

"We work hard to be bigger than we are," he said. "The big problem we have in this industry is 'What kind of track record does this company have?' 'Let's see the reviews'. So this gives us a leg up."

Donato continued to say the recognition will help credibility, visibility, and accelerate their growth.

"It's a crowded space, there's lots of bike shops and lots of rental companies," he said. "For us, we're a little different. Our focus is really Niagara-wide. There are a bunch of companies that just do Niagara-on-the-Lake. We do some of that, but we're really trying to get people to come to Niagara, and understand that Niagara is a very big region and it's not just Niagara Falls."

Donato, an avid cyclist, said a lot of people who come to Niagara hit up the same tourist spots in Niagara Falls and Niagara-onthe-Lake.

With Niagara Cycling Tours, he hopes to take people to some of the less popular sites.

"What about Pelham? What about Crystal Beach? What about having a tour of the Welland Canal and understanding the ships? What about having a coffee in Port Dalhousie?" he said. "People look at you funny because they really don't know Niagara like we do, that's kind of our goal is to have people leave an experience with us and realize there is so much more to the region."

Tours can start in any municipality and finish in any municipality if necessary, with daily cycling volumes in the 65 kilometres to 110 kilometres range.

For more information, visit niagaracyclingtours.ca.