1993: Founding of PEDALO Touristik GmbH
by Laurenz Stritzinger and Josef Orthofer. Both passionate cyclists themselves, they met in the summer of 1992 while working as tour guides for a cycling tour operator still in business today, and spent many hours together on the ski slopes (and après-ski) the following winter. At some point, over the second or third beer, Josef asked: "Laurenz, why don’t we start our own business?"
The rest, as they say, is history:
1994-2002: Pioneers of cycle tourism
In the first decade of its existence, PEDALO was very active in the field of cycle & coach tours. It was the pioneering era of cycle touring as we know it today, mainly in groups and with a guide. The two company founders often travelled by bike themselves, and soon, a first employee was hired to hold down the fort while they are away. In the early days, the most popular destinations included the Altmühltal valley, Lake Constance, the Tauern cycle path and, of course, the 'mother of all cycle paths', the Danube cycle path. In the 1999 season, PEDALO pioneered the 'Bike & Boat' combination, which is still popular today.
2003: Relocation to Grieskirchen
PEDALO was ten years old and 'all grown up'. At the very beginning, it had been enough to convert a former playroom into an office. One by one, rooms were added until the offices covered the entire ground floor of Josef Orthofer's home. Finally, it became too cramped and in 2003, new company premises were rented in nearby Grieskirchen. There was enough space there for a fleet of hire bikes - and for a larger team. By that time, the company employed ten people.
2004-2012: Always at the forefront
Over the years, bicycle touring has evolved and PEDALO has made a significant contribution to this thanks to its unerring nose for new developments. Today, people travel less by coach and more individually, increasingly by e-bike. The PEDALO catalogue gets a few pages thicker every year. Since 2007, PEDALO has also organised road bike tours, a product segment for which PEDALO is still the first port of call for many partners.
2013: PEDALO Touristik GmbH is 20 years old
On its milestone birthday, the PEDALO team could look back and pat itself on the back with satisfaction. The 'start-up' had become an established company. The guestlist for the specially curated anniversary trip to South Tyrol included many long-standing regulars.
2014-2017: Cycling holidays made by PEDALO
PEDALO had found its place in the world of cycle holidays. Within the industry, the company was primarily known as an expert for the regions of Upper Austria, Carinthia, Bavaria, the Main Cycle Path and the French Loire Valley. Not all employees were based in the Grieskirchen office by this time; we also had team members in Villach, Bamberg and Tours working directly with our guests.
2018/2019: A change in the company's structure
After 25 eventful years, Josef Orthofer retired from management to devote himself to his private life, but continued to support the company in an advisory capacity. At the same time, PEDALO shares were acquired by Eurofun Holding S.r.l., leading to an even closer and more professional collaboration with many long-standing partners and friends in the industry, also thanks to the newly implemented database specifically programmed for the group.
2020-2022: Corona pandemic and restart
In March 2020, everything literally came to a standstill. Then things got really hectic for a while with cancellations, rescheduling, rebooking and question upon question from our customers. After that, though, there was a whole new appreciation for our product. The whole world was suddenly cycling, and individual active holidays 'at home' and in neighbouring countries were more in fashion than ever. PEDALO already organised many cycling tours in Austria and Germany and started expanding its programme in these destinations in particular.
2023: A new partnership is formed
Based in Engelhartszell, just 40 kilometres from Grieskirchen, Radreisefreunde has long been a valued partner for PEDALO. During many discussions between PEDALO Managing Director Laurenz Stritzinger and Radreisefreunde Managing Director Hubert Simader, it became increasingly clear how well the two companies could complement each other beyond individual co-operations. Finally, the word 'merger' was uttered for the first time - and an exciting new chapter in our history began.
