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The most significant occurrence in the 21st century has to be the Coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in living memory, the whole world was locked down, and everybody was asked to stay at home. This period was especially trying for outdoor explorers and tourists who derive joy from going out and interacting with different parts of the world. Flights were shut down, and people were with their families in their homes all day, every day. This occurrence had devasting on the transportation sector, and the biking industry was affected. Aside from the fact that sales dropped, the competitions organized by bike industry affiliates were postponed and canceled. The post-COVID-19 era has left cyclers and interested parties wondering what the actual effect of COVID-19 was on the bike industry. In this article, we would explain how events affected by COVID-19 affected bikers and the biking industry. Cheers!
The effects of coronavirus on the Biking industry
Postponement of UEFA Euro 2020
International football competitions have always attracted a lot of tourists to the host countries. During this time, there are usually many tourists in the host cities, and bike packers are generally high. More bike packers usually mean that more bikes will be purchased during this period. The Euro 2020 competition was meant to be one of those competitions where millions of people gathered, and thousands would be bike packers. However, with the postponement of the Euro 2020, revenue was lost to the biking industry and its affiliates.
Postponement of Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Another COVID-19 induced occurrence that affected the biking industry was the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This competition is another major event that attracts tourists and athletes from all over the world. With the advocacy for greener forms of transportation, bike sales were meant to soar in 2020 due to competitions like the Olympics. Many bike tourists would have moved around Tokyo with a bike, and even normal people might want to rent a or buy a bike to allow them to move freely within the inner cities of japan. However, with the postponement of this event, the biking industry and its affiliates lost a lot of money.
Cancellation of ISPO Beijing
Another large-scale event that affected the biking industry directly was the ISPO Beijing. The ISPO is a cycling event that attracts bike tourists of different origins to China. These tourists would need gear, and they will also have support teams that need gear. However, the fact that the event was canceled means a significant loss of revenue to the biking industry.
Delay in production of electronic bikes
If you wanted to buy a custom bike in 2020, chances are they would not have been available. This is because the production of bicycles during the COVID-19 lockdown was seriously hampered, and several manufacturers of bike and bike gear complained of the production process during this period. The supply bottlenecks include factory production, testing, and shipping, all of which require human presence and effort. This led to a significant loss of revenue on the part of the bike industry.
Reduction in sale for bike companies
Even though some bikes were produced, there were no massive sales during the lockdown. The reason is simple. If people are stuck in their homes and they have no need for a bicycle (except if they want to buy a recumbent bike which is quite expensive). This led to a significant loss of revenue in the bike industry.
Cancellation of individual bike packing tour
If you planned to go on a bike packing tour in 2020, chances are you had to adjust your plans and stay in your home country. With the coronavirus infecting and killing millions of people, it was not safe to travel. This occurrence affected outdoor explorers who had hopes of traveling to other countries and maybe continents.
Postponement of cycling and other sports around the world
The Tour De France is one of the biggest cycling competitions in the world. It attracts top-notch cyclists along with big brand manufacturers in the biking industry. Unfortunately, this competition had to be canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19N lockdown. However, it was not the only major cycling event that was canceled, as other events across the globe also had to be put on hold.
Conclusion
Coronavirus will remain a topic of interest for a long time. Different analysts will continue to explain how this pandemic that swept the entire world has continued to affect significant parts of the economy and every other industry. The biking industry has begun to recover in 2021. However, like other businesses in the sports and logistics business, the bike industry will still reel from losses for a considerable future. In this article, we have shown you the specific ways that coronavirus has affected the biking industry. Cheers!