In Creignish, Cape Breton, the trail runs close enough to the ocean that the view becomes part of the ride. For Isabé Rooyakkers, owner and day-to-day operator of Oceanview Cycling Inc., that simple fact became the beginning of a business: give people an easy, joyful way to travel farther, linger longer, and experience the picturesque coast at their own pace.
The idea came during a season of change. Isabé was expecting and knew she wanted work that could fit around life with a new baby. “I knew I was going to stay home with a child,” she says. “So we thought, I need something to do — but something I can do with the baby with me.”
Cycling already felt natural. Her family and her partner Jan’s family both had a connection to bikes, and Jan’s sister is a professional cyclist. When Isabé looked around at where they lived, she saw something even more practical: a 90-kilometre trail with very few businesses serving people along the route.
“We live on the trail, basically,” she says. “There’s two businesses on the 90-kilometre trail. So we were like, hmm, that’s actually a gap in the market.”
From there, things moved quickly. “The idea came up,” she says. “We made it happen.”
Finding an Opportunity Along the Trail
Oceanview Cycling opened in May 2024, renting a small space on the Creignish community grounds. With support from CBDC InRich, Isabé was able to turn the idea into a real operation. The process began after a referral, and one of the most helpful pieces was business planning support.
“That was the nice part, the easiest part,” she says. CBDC InRich connected her with someone who could help shape the plan properly. “I just made my own very amateurish business plan,” she recalls with a laugh, and the support helped turn it into something stronger.
The business received a $25,000 CBDC loan, which helped purchase six e-bikes and a storage container for the property. Jan’s parents purchased two additional bikes, bringing the starting fleet to eight. The bikes were a significant investment, with several costing between $3,000 and $4,000 each, but Isabé wanted quality from the beginning.
“We only have the Gazelle e-bikes, the Dutch e-bikes,” she says. “We could have gone with cheaper bikes, but we know the Gazelles are very good. They last long. This is our third season, and I’ve never had any issues with any of them.”
That reliability matters, especially for customers who may be trying an e-bike for the first time. Isabé always gives riders an introduction before they set off, explaining that the bikes feel familiar and approachable.
“They are actual normal bikes, just with the built-in help,” she says. “They feel like a very normal bike, you just go faster.”
The Joy of the Ride
For many visitors, that is the magic of the business. The trail itself is not difficult, but the e-bike changes what is possible in a two- or three-hour rental. “With the e-bike, you can cover so much more distance,” Isabé says. “You can see more.”
Most customers are tourists, including many from the United States, though locals have also played an important role. Early on, the Creignish Community Hall helped bring attention to the business by running a learn-to-ride-an-e-bike program, which also provided a welcome boost in those first months.
Today, most bookings come through the website, email, phone, text, business cards, and word of mouth. Some people reserve months in advance, while others call the same morning. Many ride toward Judique, about 20 kilometres away, where they can stop for food, music, and a break before heading back.
When asked what riders see along the way, Isabé puts it plainly: “There’s just the ocean.”
Of course, in Cape Breton, “just the ocean” can be more than enough.
Isabé’s favourite part of the business is not the logistics or even the bikes themselves. It is the moment people return. “I like to meet all the people and talk to them, see where they come from,” she says. “And then just the joy they have after they return the bikes. They’re usually very, very happy, and that makes me…”
She trails off, but the meaning is clear. The business gives people a little freedom, a little confidence, and a fresh way to enjoy a place she knows is beautiful.
Like many seasonal tourism businesses, Oceanview Cycling has had its challenges. Balancing the business with a young child means she cannot always be on-site all day, and advertising can be expensive. Last year, trail closures connected to wildfire conditions also meant missed bookings during important summer weeks. Isabé operates officially from May to October, though she can accommodate riders in other months when the weather is clear.
The Trail Ahead
Still, the business is growing in possibility. Isabé would love to add more bikes, including models that make cycling accessible to more people. She imagines lower-step bikes for older riders, or even a Dutch-style cargo bike with a box in front where children can sit.
“I want to expand,” she says. “I would love to expand. I want more bikes. I want more special accessible bikes too so that we can accommodate as many people as possible.”
She also sees potential in partnerships. “There are so many great local tourism operators we could partner with, to improve the customer’s overall experience with our business and with the region.”
That practical optimism runs through the whole story of Oceanview Cycling. The business began with a young family looking for a sustainable way forward. It grew from a clear gap in the local tourism landscape. And now it offers visitors a simple invitation: get on a bike, follow the coast, and see how much farther the day can take you.
For Isabé, that is the heart of it. Not a complicated pitch. Not a hard sell. Just good bikes, a beautiful trail, and the satisfaction of watching people come back smiling.
Merci à l’Agence de promotion économique du Canada atlantique (APECA), qui collabore avec nous pour soutenir les petites entreprises et les entrepreneurs en devenir. Ensemble, nous continuerons à bâtir une économie plus forte dans le Canada atlantique, en favorisant la création d’emplois et en renforçant nos communautés rurales.