Cyclists as an economic force

We have decided to produce our next version of "High Gear",  our Lake Constance cycling guide as an e-book and are revising the book at the moment. Checking a long list of bike shops is somewhat of a drudge, but from time to time we are cheered up by the improvements we notice. Just as an example, the gardens on the island of Mainau used to offer minimal security for cycle tourists who wished to visit these impressive gardens. There was a row of bike stands at the main gate. What one could do with one's bags was not clear. In the 2004 version of our guide we wrote that we felt that one could do more for the touring cyclist in view of their numbers and the costs of visiting the gardens. I doubt very much whether our words had any effect on the management of the gardens, but the number of cyclists visiting the gardens obviously did. I was pleased to read recently on the Mainau website:

"Getting to Mainau Island by bicycle is very easy and environment-friendly as the Lake Constance cycle path runs right by the wonderful Flower Island. We’ve a modal modern cycle parking area for you to leave your bicycles or bicycles with trailers as well as lockers for your personal possessions at the mainland car park. We’ve also tools which you can use to make small repairs to your bicycle." 

Wonderful. We will definitely visit the gardens the next time we are in the area. We can heartily recommend the visit.