Island Cycle Tours

A message from the owner . . .

Since we began operating in 2002, Island Cycle Tours have become Tasmania's premier cycle tour operator, and also Tasmania's only cycling focussed tour operator. Originally concieved as a tour company to cater for soft adventurers looking to enjoy the finer things in life, our tours have since evolved and expanded to include an entire cycle tour programs designed to offer something for everyone.

The same year we also commenced operating the now extremely popular Mt Wellington Descent, a three hour adventure bike ride down Hobart's icon Mt Wellington - at a height of 1270m. Now into it's fourth season, this has become our flagship tour, highly publicised and operating twice a day.

In 2004 we added a new tour program to our evolving product range called Outdoorsy Types Tours. These walk and cycle tours are perfect for the active holiday maker who wants to see all the best bits of Tasmania, but get out from behind the windscreen of the bus!

This year we are really working on improving our tour current tour programs, gaining useful feedback from our guests, and really improving our tour content and inclusions. We've increased the amount of custom cycling tours we offer so we're now working to offer exclusive tours that cater to the needs of a group.

Tasmania is such a fantastic cycle touring state. With light traffic, good roads, spectacular scenery and lots of rolling hills, this little gem of an island is fast becoming a mecca for cycle tourists. Having been brought up in Tasmania, I understand that there are so many areas of this state that people would find captivating. I now endeavour to show visitors to this state that there are better ways to explore than just by sitting behind the windscreen of a car. The sight of the coastline, the sound of the waves, the smell of the rainforest, and the feel of the wind on your face are so appealing to me that I think everyone should have the chance for this experience.

Cycling for many is an activity well beyond their comfort zones. As a company, we've now made the rewarding activity of cycle touring as easy as possible for those less inspired about tackling it on their own. Yummy food, quality accommodation and unique scenery make Tasmania a highly desirable destination for cyclists and non-cyclists as well. Island Cycle Tours is a very special intermingling of local knowledge and the best that Tasmania has to offer. We include visits to our favourite restaurants, use the freshest produce, and find you the most appropriate comfortable lodgings.

A small group of specialised, experienced cyclists are the backbone of Island Cycle Tours and will cater to your every need. Tasmanian, or at least honorary Tasmanians, the guides set the tone of the trip. We are conveyers of knowledge, highly trained, skilled individuals, each with our own personality and background. Along with these differences and unique characteristics, is the one defining feature we all display: a deep passion for our island state and the desire to show it off at its absolute best. We hope you visit us here in Tasmania, we are sure we can find something to meet your needs.

Sam Denmead
General Manager
Island Cycle Tours

Would you like to meet our crew?

Sam Denmead General Manager
Sam started Island Cycle Tours back in July 2002 from a good idea brought up at dinner with Greg LeMond - believe it or not! Greg thought Tasmania was an ideal place for cycling and especially for off-season training, and the business grew from there.
Sam has now returned to Tasmania three times and loves it even more each time she travels. Having grown up in Launceston, Sam is now in Hobart, for the time-being, and loving the cosmpolitan small city with it's fabulous Mt Wellington overlooking it.
With a strong background in Tourism and Hospitality Sam looks after the marketing and promotion of the business, and you may even speak with her when you call to make a booking. Due to her extensive knowledge of Tasmania, Sam looks after group bookings and custom itineraries as well as keeping an eye on the general running of the business. She may even pop up on a tour from time to time.
Sam won the Ministers Award for Young Achiever in the 2002 Tasmanian Tourism Awards and the 2004 Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year for Tasmania.

Damon McCarter (Damo)
Operations Manager Damon started with Island Cycle Tours as a casual guide working on the Mt Wellington Descent. After an overseas break and a big road trip up the east coast of Australia, Damon returned to us in the new position of Operations Manager. He now has the important role of managing all the bikes, vehicles, trailers, tools and all the other bits and pieces that go into making the tours actually run.
When he's not stuck out the back in the workshop, we let him loose with the guests and you'll catch him running Mt Wellington Descent tours if you're lucky. Damon's our quiet achiever, gets the job done in true McGyver style every time, and is always reliable for a laugh even at unfunny jokes.

Ella Prins
Reservations Coordinator Ella is a true local, having grown up on the sunny East coast town of St Helens. She's finished her BA in journalism and gender studies and like many of us, took off to explore the world for a while.
Now that she's spent all her money in South East Asia and Europe, she's returned home and is loving playing tour guide to repay all the friends she made o/s who've now turned up on her doorstep. She's a proud Tasmanian with a love of the water, and luckily because she's so cool, we even forgive her Beverly Hills 90210 re-runs fetish.
Ella has just recently joined the team and is the one you may speak to when you call to book your tour. Or you may recieve an email from her in response to an enquiry or booking.

Georgina Young (George)
Tour leader George is our well-travelled and experienced senior tour leader. She's come to us from a long stint in South America and once upon a time grew up in South Australia. After four years running tours in Chile and Peru, George is fluent in Spanish and Porteguese. She has a passion for new things and currently studying at University honing her skills for wonderful things to come in the future.
Meet George on any of our tours from the Mt Wellington Descent to an extended Outdoorsy Types Tour, she'll be the one that makes your trip a seemless, fun and action-packed trip with her ability to keep you entertained while she regales you with interesting tales and facts about Tasmania.

Joule McDonald
Tour leader Joule's in his third season in Tasmania with us, hailing all the way from Vancouver, Canada. In May we'll lose him again to the call from the waters of Alaska where he's returns as a fishing guide on a boat in the Queen Charlottes during our winter. You're most likely to catch Joule guiding our Outdoorsy Types tours, he's even got his face in our brochures.
He can be seen on our Outdoorsy Types tours and also lend a hand on the Mt Wellington Descent in between guiding and working at Ride Bellerive bike shop with our good friend Adrian. Rarely fazed about anything, Joule is always reliable for a relaxed tour, where nothing is too much trouble - that's why we keep him around!
Joule knows all the cool nightspots in Hobart, so after the tour, he'll be keen to show you the best places in town.

Jimi Anderson
Tour leader Jimi is in his second season with us and together with Joule and George, he guides the Outdoorsy Types Tours and also some of the Mt Wellington Descent tours. He's a dab hand at making cocktails and pulling the perfect beer due his extensive experience at the very funky T42 bar in Hobart - you can catch him there on weekends if you're lucky.
When he's not guiding tours and serving drinks, he can found riding his mountain bike around Hobart and consuming some of the stuff he sells at the bar afterwards. In true Tasmanian style he loves showing off his home state and never tires of the awesome scenery and our clean green image which he hopes remains the drawcard to visitors that it is now.
Jimi is like part of the furniture in Tasmania and can't go more than 100m without stopping to chat to a buddy, but somehow he always seems to finish his tours on time. Yes he can talk, but he certainly knows his stuff, and if he doesn't, he'll do his utmost to find out for you - try him.

Anthony Mann (Ant)
Tour leader Anthony has the learning bug and has returned from his world travels to attend University and bury himself in all things environmental and sciency. We've like pround parents of him as he was recently awarded a research grants to keep his nose in the books a little while longer. We hope he can find some time to guide some tours this summer as he's a fabulous guide with a fabulous personality and ability to make you feel comfortable and safe in his hands.
You may be lucky enough to catch Ant on any of the Outdoorsy Types Tours particularly on the east ocast, and maybe on the ocassional Mt Wellington Descent tour. Anthony is fluent in Spanish and Porteguese from his experiences in South America and can also dabble in German if required. Sehr Gut!
(image may not represent actual guide)

Damien Jones (Jonesy)
Tour leader Jonesy drops by to guide tours as much as his studies allow, he's at university trying to finish his Geography degree. During the summer though, he'll be found guiding our Mt Wellington Descent tours or helping out his folks on the farm. His distinctive Aussie accent and boyish charm is sure to impress the ladies, one day! He's a bit of a sports nut, keen on SCUBA diving, surfing, underwater hockey and of course mountain biking.
Having grown up in Tassie, he's a true blue local and loves to show visitors where to find the best pint in town whenever he's given the chance. Jonesy loves meeting overseas visitors and sharing his love of the state with anyone who'll listen to him.

Julian Farmery (Jules)
Tour leader Jules is another who's finally decided to get that piece of paper to say he can teach and is at Uni studying Education. In amongst his studies Jules can be found guiding Mt Wellington Descent tours and is also on the ocassional Outdoorsy Types Tour, plus he practises his teaching skills as a surf school guide in his spare time.
Jules has travelled far and wide in his time, and is a proficient mountain biker. In fact he's pretty good at just about anything he turns his hand to. A Tasmanian upbringing has seen him develop a strong love of all things natural and this is more than obvious when you listen to him speak about the places he loves the most.

Michael Brennan
Tour leader Mike is currently studying to be a Drama Teacher but has a previous degree in Geography and Environmental Studies and Post-Grad Qualifications in Environmental Management and Development.
Mike's a pretty keen cyclist and is also into kayaking, sculpture, theatre, camping and bushwalking. Before returning to work and study in Tasmania, Mike was working in environmental education, developing and delivering programs in schools in Sydney and Melbourne.
He can found working for us this summer on the Mt Wellington Descent tour and we've also nabbed him to look after some of our custom group tours. He's renowned for his sense of humour, get him to give his safety briefing in one his many accents for a hilarious start to the tour.
(image may not represent actual guide)

Shaun Jupp (Juppy)
Mt Wellington Descent guide Juppy is our newest addition to the team, he's just returned to his home town of Hobart after a stint in the Northern Territory.
(image may not represent actual guide)

Andrew Terhell
Mt Wellington Descent guide Andrew is the new rookie of the team, he's a snowboard instructor in his spare time, and will head off to Mt Hotham during our winter time.
(image may not represent actual guide)

HOME

Sam Denmead General Manager	Sam started Island Cycle Tours back in July 2002 from a good idea brought up at dinner with Greg LeMond - believe it or not! Greg thought Tasmania was an ideal place for cycling and especially for off-season training, and the business grew from there. Sam has now returned to Tasmania three times and loves it even more each time she travels. Having grown up in Launceston, Sam is now in Hobart, for the time-being, and loving the cosmpolitan small city with it's fabulous Mt Wellington overlooking it. With a strong background in Tourism and Hospitality Sam looks after the marketing and promotion of the business, and you may even speak with her when you call to make a booking. Due to her extensive knowledge of Tasmania, Sam looks after group bookings and custom itineraries as well as keeping an eye on the general running of the business. She may even pop up on a tour from time to time. Sam won the Ministers Award for Young Achiever in the 2002 Tasmanian Tourism Awards and the 2004 Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year for Tasmania.
Damon McCarter (Damo) Operations Manager	Damon started with Island Cycle Tours as a casual guide working on the Mt Wellington Descent. After an overseas break and a big road trip up the east coast of Australia, Damon returned to us in the new position of Operations Manager. He now has the important role of managing all the bikes, vehicles, trailers, tools and all the other bits and pieces that go into making the tours actually run. When he's not stuck out the back in the workshop, we let him loose with the guests and you'll catch him running Mt Wellington Descent tours if you're lucky. Damon's our quiet achiever, gets the job done in true McGyver style every time, and is always reliable for a laugh even at unfunny jokes.
Ella Prins Reservations Coordinator	Ella is a true local, having grown up on the sunny East coast town of St Helens. She's finished her BA in journalism and gender studies and like many of us, took off to explore the world for a while. Now that she's spent all her money in South East Asia and Europe, she's returned home and is loving playing tour guide to repay all the friends she made o/s who've now turned up on her doorstep. She's a proud Tasmanian with a love of the water, and luckily because she's so cool, we even forgive her Beverly Hills 90210 re-runs fetish. Ella has just recently joined the team and is the one you may speak to when you call to book your tour. Or you may recieve an email from her in response to an enquiry or booking.
Georgina Young (George) Tour leader	George is our well-travelled and experienced senior tour leader. She's come to us from a long stint in South America and once upon a time grew up in South Australia. After four years running tours in Chile and Peru, George is fluent in Spanish and Porteguese. She has a passion for new things and currently studying at University honing her skills for wonderful things to come in the future. Meet George on any of our tours from the Mt Wellington Descent to an extended Outdoorsy Types Tour, she'll be the one that makes your trip a seemless, fun and action-packed trip with her ability to keep you entertained while she regales you with interesting tales and facts about Tasmania.
Joule McDonald Tour leader	Joule's in his third season in Tasmania with us, hailing all the way from Vancouver, Canada. In May we'll lose him again to the call from the waters of Alaska where he's returns as a fishing guide on a boat in the Queen Charlottes during our winter. You're most likely to catch Joule guiding our Outdoorsy Types tours, he's even got his face in our brochures. He can be seen on our Outdoorsy Types tours and also lend a hand on the Mt Wellington Descent in between guiding and working at Ride Bellerive bike shop with our good friend Adrian. Rarely fazed about anything, Joule is always reliable for a relaxed tour, where nothing is too much trouble - that's why we keep him around! Joule knows all the cool nightspots in Hobart, so after the tour, he'll be keen to show you the best places in town.
Jimi Anderson Tour leader	Jimi is in his second season with us and together with Joule and George, he guides the Outdoorsy Types Tours and also some of the Mt Wellington Descent tours. He's a dab hand at making cocktails and pulling the perfect beer due his extensive experience at the very funky T42 bar in Hobart - you can catch him there on weekends if you're lucky. When he's not guiding tours and serving drinks, he can found riding his mountain bike around Hobart and consuming some of the stuff he sells at the bar afterwards. In true Tasmanian style he loves showing off his home state and never tires of the awesome scenery and our clean green image which he hopes remains the drawcard to visitors that it is now. Jimi is like part of the furniture in Tasmania and can't go more than 100m without stopping to chat to a buddy, but somehow he always seems to finish his tours on time. Yes he can talk, but he certainly knows his stuff, and if he doesn't, he'll do his utmost to find out for you - try him.
Anthony Mann (Ant) Tour leader	Anthony has the learning bug and has returned from his world travels to attend University and bury himself in all things environmental and sciency. We've like pround parents of him as he was recently awarded a research grants to keep his nose in the books a little while longer. We hope he can find some time to guide some tours this summer as he's a fabulous guide with a fabulous personality and ability to make you feel comfortable and safe in his hands. You may be lucky enough to catch Ant on any of the Outdoorsy Types Tours particularly on the east ocast, and maybe on the ocassional Mt Wellington Descent tour. Anthony is fluent in Spanish and Porteguese from his experiences in South America and can also dabble in German if required. Sehr Gut! (image may not represent actual guide)
Damien Jones (Jonesy) Tour leader	Jonesy drops by to guide tours as much as his studies allow, he's at university trying to finish his Geography degree. During the summer though, he'll be found guiding our Mt Wellington Descent tours or helping out his folks on the farm. His distinctive Aussie accent and boyish charm is sure to impress the ladies, one day! He's a bit of a sports nut, keen on SCUBA diving, surfing, underwater hockey and of course mountain biking. Having grown up in Tassie, he's a true blue local and loves to show visitors where to find the best pint in town whenever he's given the chance. Jonesy loves meeting overseas visitors and sharing his love of the state with anyone who'll listen to him.
Julian Farmery (Jules) Tour leader	Jules is another who's finally decided to get that piece of paper to say he can teach and is at Uni studying Education. In amongst his studies Jules can be found guiding Mt Wellington Descent tours and is also on the ocassional Outdoorsy Types Tour, plus he practises his teaching skills as a surf school guide in his spare time. Jules has travelled far and wide in his time, and is a proficient mountain biker. In fact he's pretty good at just about anything he turns his hand to. A Tasmanian upbringing has seen him develop a strong love of all things natural and this is more than obvious when you listen to him speak about the places he loves the most.
Michael Brennan Tour leader	Mike is currently studying to be a Drama Teacher but has a previous degree in Geography and Environmental Studies and Post-Grad Qualifications in Environmental Management and Development. Mike's a pretty keen cyclist and is also into kayaking, sculpture, theatre, camping and bushwalking. Before returning to work and study in Tasmania, Mike was working in environmental education, developing and delivering programs in schools in Sydney and Melbourne. He can found working for us this summer on the Mt Wellington Descent tour and we've also nabbed him to look after some of our custom group tours. He's renowned for his sense of humour, get him to give his safety briefing in one his many accents for a hilarious start to the tour. (image may not represent actual guide)
Shaun Jupp (Juppy) Mt Wellington Descent guide	Juppy is our newest addition to the team, he's just returned to his home town of Hobart after a stint in the Northern Territory. (image may not represent actual guide)
Andrew Terhell Mt Wellington Descent guide	Andrew is the new rookie of the team, he's a snowboard instructor in his spare time, and will head off to Mt Hotham during our winter time. (image may not represent actual guide)