History

CycleTreks was first developed in 2001 because of our strong belief that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. But to truly appreciate the natural beauty of our area, you have to see it, smell it, and feel it, and there is no better way to do this then on two wheels.

Offering a variety of high quality, fully escorted or self-guided riding programs, CycleTreks endeavors to assist riders of all types to navigate the diverse routes of our extensive and fantastic regional trail systems. From the famous Lochside and Galloping Goose Trail network, to the intricacies of navigating ferry crossings to the spectacular Gulf Islands, we are constantly improving our tours and contributing to the distinguished proclamation of the region as the "Cycling Capital of Canada".

Who are we?

Owner/operator – Andrew Skinner
Andrew was born and raised in Victoria. Upon graduating he left Victoria to see the world. In 1995, after 10 years of adventurous world travel, Andrew came back home and opened his first eco-tour company; Great Pacific Adventures. Six successful years later Andrew broadened his outdoor adventure portfolio and developed our cycle touring division; CycleTreks. Andrew has had many diverse and adventurous jobs. He has been a windsurf instructor in Mazatlan, Mexico, a scuba dive instructor and operator of a dive company in Cayman Islands, he has worked for Search and Rescue in both the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico and he was a treasure hunter in the Caribbean. Andrew's love of the outdoors is apparent in all of his endeavors and his attention to detail and customer service is obvious in everything he does.

Manager/Guide (and quintessential bike guru) - Rob Fawcett
What can we say about Rob other than riding is his passion and if he could find away to sleep while riding, we think he would! Rob has had a very diverse life; after graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor's degree in Business and a Master's degree in Accounting, Rob went to work for Ernst and Young in Toronto. He soon realized that accounting was not his passion and left to seek out other adventures. Since then, Rob has been an organic juice business owner, an ESL instructor in Taiwan, an inspirational speaker, and a bike shop (mechanic). He has also worked as a cycling guide in both Canada and China. Rob has toured extensively on his bicycle. In 2005-2006, he fulfilled a dream of cycling around the world. This trip took him through 20 countries in 10 months. In addition to Managing CycleTreks', Rob is the North American Marketing Manager for Bike China Adventures (www.bikechina.com). Rob currently lives in Victoria, BC, with his girlfriend and travel partner, Alison. Recently, they have developed a habit of winning Adventure Races together.