central Europe = desert ?

I understand with some difficulty why some of the the central countries of Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republik and Slovakia) have so few members compared with some other ones around and sometimes with less cycling history (Hungary, Romania, Poland). After the 5 great countries (France,Italy,Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium) with plenty of members, there is like a big hole. Is this a lack of promotion or a lack of interest for those countries in our rules ?

We can imagine this is a lack of promotion. We also have no translator for the newsletter in Deutsch which is a pity. May be someone reading this message could apply.
How do you explain we have so many members from Nederland ?
The answer to this question could help us for other countries.

Dear Daniel,
You are right partly.
I think, thare are 2 reasons:

1, less cycling history and less interest to cycling and less money and spirit / mood for cyclotouring (maybe) - but I know minimum 20 bicycletourer.

2, not so interesting mountains in Hungary.

PS: 5 minutes ago I sent a letter to 15 friends of mine to promote BIG to them and in a forum I also made that 3 days ago.

Gabor :-)

Hi Daniel!

I think it is also a question of money. A good road bike in Eastenr Europe costs a fortune, therefore many people cannot afford buying one. If people had more money, I think there would be more riders from these countries, too. I myself, often save money for a long time to buy a wheel or something else.

The other thing is that cycling does not have a culture. People do not care for their health, instead, when they fall ill, they spend their money on medicine. However, if they wanted to care for their health, they do not have the sufficient money to do so.

And people are victims of advertisements. They buy a TV, instead of a bike. Because health protection does not have a culture in Eastern Europe. So, I think this is more os less the root of the problem.

Thank you for this commentary !
I understand very well. When I went to ride in Romania and Bulgaria in the year 2002 : it was obvious there.
I always wished to open the doors to eastern countries, even if some of the first western members wished to keep the challenge in our western Europe.
Since 10 years, I'm sending the review free the first year to the new eastern members because it's a lot of money for them to contribute and I understand very well that they have the right to receive the same information.
I always managed to include eastern members (Michal, Pavel and Gabor) in our comity, when we changed some BIGs for better ones in their countries. Your mountaineous countries are beautiful and worth of travel.
The eastern countries, newly subscribed in the great Europe, with the new opening of their borders, will be surely richer soon and will become great and BIG (of course) cycleclimbing countries in a few years.
It's the best that I hope for them.

But to explain better my first question : why do some countries like Hungary, Romania, Poland have more members than Germany, Czech Republik, Switzerland or Austria for instance ?
It's a lack of promotion there, I'm sure !

it depends on acquaintances and the idea of members to write in bike-forums and send letters to friends.
The most interesting is Germany, where was a bicycling boom after Jan Ullrich.
Maybe another idea is to see biktravelogues (for example: www.trentobike.org, velofahren.de ) and write to german, austrian writer (bicycletourer also) if they are interested + about their acquaintances.

we hope, it can work :-)

Gabor