With 2025 coming to an end, it’s time for our annual look back.
There’s no denying it: 2025 has been a very demanding year here at Bikenomist. We celebrated our 10th anniversary as a company, but it felt like a long climb — easing off at times, only to bite back even harder when we least expected it.
And there were no shortage of setbacks along the way — some of them deeply tragic — which put us to a severe test.
External conditions often didn’t help either: the cycling industry has yet to emerge from its crisis, and this has led to significant cuts in advertising spend by many bicycle and component manufacturers — including some very well-known brands.
But despite all this, throughout 2025 we achieved some meaningful successes — and we’d like to share them with you here.
Bikeitalia continues to grow
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in our lives and, in many cases, is cannibalizing the traffic of those who produce content for the web. Even Aranzulla has stated that he lost 25% of his traffic due to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools.
Over the past 12 months, Bikeitalia has increased its traffic by 89% compared to 2024, and we’re now consistently seeing over 2 million page views per month. How did we do it? By obsessively focusing on quality: careful attention to news, high-quality topics, skilled authors, and respect for the trust of our readers — who have rewarded us with their attention.
To this end, we’ve released a series of new free eBooks, including: the Complete Guide to Indoor Cycling, created in collaboration with Elite; Everything You Need to Know About Cycling Insurance, developed with Bike Protection; and the third edition of the Guide to Buying Your First Gravel Bike, produced with Wilier Triestina.
Over the year, we’ve worked to clarify the new traffic code, and in May we organized a webinar with lawyer Andrea Colombo and engineer Alfredo Drufuca, titled: “How to Keep Building Bike Lanes Under the New Traffic Code.”
For more insights on Bikeitalia, check this out.
The fourth Edition of the Cycle Tourism Show
From April 4 to 6, 2025, we organized the fourth edition of the Cycle Tourism Show, held in Bologna at Piazza Lucio Dalla. It was a special edition, featuring over 150 exhibitors and 22,000 visitors. We brought 40 buyers and tour operators from across Europe, who met our exhibitors in more than 1,000 pre-scheduled meetings.
During the B2B day, we hosted the presentation of the Isnart-Legambiente Cycle Tourism Report, which confirmed the sector’s continued growth, with an economic impact of €9.8 billion, marking a 54% increase compared to the previous year.
The Cycle Tourism Show Finds a New Home
In September, we announced that the Cycle Tourism Show would be moving, with its fifth edition taking place at Padova Fiere from March 27 to 29, 2026. Many asked us why we made this change, which understandably caused some raised eyebrows.
The main reason was space: the Cycle Tourism Show started as a small project, but over time it grew so much that it became difficult to find a venue capable of containing its energy while remaining easily accessible on foot, by bike, or by train for visitors coming from afar.
This decision was also guided by a shared vision with the Region of Veneto, the Padua Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Padua, aiming to create an event designed to appeal to international markets.
Cycle Tourism Forum, regional editions
In 2025, we piloted a traveling format to bring cycle tourism know-how directly to local areas, engaging operators and helping them network. In February, we organized the Cycle Tourism Forum in Umbria in collaboration with the University of Perugia, and in June we held the Cycle Tourism Forum in the Pollino region in partnership with Catasta Pollino.
Overall, we brought together hundreds of operators, helping them collaborate, create synergies, and develop new cycle tourism products.
Partnerships That Matter
or us, 2025 was the year of alliances. We dedicated a lot of time to forging partnerships with other companies that, like us, share the dream of more bicycles on the road and streets designed for people.
To this end, we actively contributed to strengthening the Italian chapter of Women in Cycling, which brings together women working in the bicycle industry to provide them with support and visibility.
We partnered with Komoot to increase the visibility of Italian cycle tourism destinations in international markets.
We signed a commercial partnership with VeloBerlin (April 11–12, 2026), held each year at the iconic Tempelhof Airport in Berlin.
And, last but not least, our very own Pinar was confirmed as a member of the EuroVelo Council, the European network of long-distance cycling routes.
The Hardest Moment
We cannot wrap up this 2025 review without remembering the most difficult moment of the year: the loss of our dear colleague, Barbara Orlandi, who passed away on September 8 after a long illness. She taught us countless lessons and left behind a truly beautiful legacy.
Barbara’s passing overshadowed any joy from the milestones we achieved over the past months, but she left us a way of approaching life: with lightness and courage, even in the face of the greatest challenges. This is how we want to face 2026, which lies ahead of us — with a smile, because every day is a gift.
Our Heartfelt Thanks
So, even though people in Italy sometimes target cyclists, even though national politics shows little interest in creating people-friendly streets, and even though the international landscape is increasingly concerning, we will continue to do our part — supporting those who choose to invest in the growth of urban and cycle tourism infrastructure.
We can achieve this with the support of all of you — partners, clients, readers, friends, and activists. Your trust is our driving force, and together we can continue to promote the positive change that cycling represents.
So, thank you all, and here’s to a great 2026!
And thank you too, Barbara — more than anyone else.
You have no idea how much we miss you. Every single day.
PS: Oh, almost forgot — we’ve recently launched a podcast too! It’s called From Bike to Business (sorry, it’s only in Italian).
