We received and analyzed 330 responses in total. Of these, 149 came from members, a little less than half the club, and 181 from non-members. The member survey went much deeper, with thirty-two questions, while the public survey asked for more general feedback about KLND.

Here are the results: the good numbers, the less comfortable data, the heartwarming feedback, and the lines you threw right back at us.

How did you hear about the Club?

Two channels bring in the vast majority of members: social media and our own website. Together they account for 79 percent of responses, which confirms one of our main strengths, media and communication. Word of mouth is the third strongest source, and it's the best in terms of quality, so it's one we need to keep developing.

Overall satisfaction

A few of our favorite written responses:

Being part of a close-knit, ever-growing cycling family.

My small, safe, and understanding circle.

With my financial support, I'm helping great people organize great events.

Thank you.

Rating the membership benefits

We asked which benefit delivered the most value over the past year. The ranking surprised us in a few places, and it reshuffled some of what we used to believe about ourselves.

We drew two main conclusions from this. First, our shared communication platform, Discord, the digital route library, and community experiences are clearly leading the pack.

Geographic spread of the membership

Our membership is heavily centered on Budapest and Pest county, with 62 percent of responses coming from there, but coverage still spans 16 counties plus the capital, out of 17 regional responses. We have at least one KLND member in 16 of Hungary's 19 counties, plus Budapest. That's something we're hugely proud of, but it also sets us a task: operating in one place isn't enough, we need to think nationally and bring rural locations into the picture.

What does the community feeling come down to?

Many of you also wrote about what determines the feeling of belonging. It's not about price and it's not about benefits, four factors kept coming up again and again.

Pace and inclusivity

More group rides I actually dare to join, because I won't have to worry about being the slowest one.

Not knowing people personally

If you don't really know people, the barrier to entry feels really small, and there seems to be a lot of cliquishness.

It's hard for me to feel like I belong here, because the image of KLND is that everyone here is a really hardcore rider, and if you're not, there's no place for you.

Geographic distance

At least 21 members asked for a local, rural presence, specifically missing more activity in these regions: Eastern Hungary, the Bükk, the Mecsek, the Great Plain, Lake Balaton, the Őrség, Vas county.

Regularity and predictability

We heard from many places that more regular, smaller events are needed, and, for the sake of predictability, a season calendar as early as possible.

What would you like to see from KLND?

95 members answered in free text what we'd need more of to be a truly valuable community. The main themes among the answers:

Shorter group rides, maybe even a fixed weekly evening slot.

Since I moved near Veszprém, it would be great to have some kind of local KLND hub there too.

2027 wishlist

We asked what types of events you'd be happy to take part in during 2027. Multiple answers were allowed, so the percentages show willingness to participate relative to the 151 members.

Ideas that came in outside the list: a casual, long-weekend camp along the lines of "NoCamp", a joint charity ride, a short international cycling city trip, family and kids' programs, a bike repair workshop, and a joint tour with local conservation experts.

Race or tour?

We asked you to place yourself on a scale between pure touring and pure racing. The average leans well toward touring: 54 percent of respondents sit on the two most tour-oriented points of the scale.

At the same time, 52 people asked for one-day gravel races, and several specifically asked us to keep the race series too. This shows a split picture: we got criticized both for having too many races, and for becoming too tour-focused.

What's the problem only we can solve?

74 members answered the question of what overarching problem only we, as the KLND community, can solve.

A lot of people long to get out into nature, they're just scared to go alone, unsure of themselves, and don't have the local knowledge.

What you threw back at us

We're owning these criticisms, we didn't leave them out of the recap.

No more empty promises that never happen.

For a lot of people this comes across as "he wants it his way and that's that," basically an autocracy. That's not needed, and it's clearly not the case either. There are reasons behind every decision, and when we spell them out, the whole system instantly feels more open.

I still don't feel like a member of the community, even after two years.

And one piece of outside criticism from a non-member:

Cool, but a bit elite, a bit pro. As a beginner gravel rider I find it hard to connect, I'm afraid of being looked down on.

What we take from this, and accept

The things that fell through or were communicated late were our mistakes. The core problem isn't that the Camp doesn't come together in a given year, that a custom sleeping bag idea stays just an idea, or that the webshop slips, it's that you were left not knowing what to expect for a long time. Asking for patience isn't information, and that's a completely fair point.

We announced more things than we delivered. There's only one good answer to that: promise less, keep those promises, and involve the community on the resourcing side.

Whatever we don't explain, you read as arbitrary. There are real reasons behind our decisions, and we're going to rethink and improve how we communicate them.

Where to from here? Our plans for 2027 and beyond

Based on your feedback, our own goals, and the shared opportunities in front of us, here's the plan we're setting out. This isn't just ordinary annual planning: starting in 2027, KLND will be different. We've recognized and said out loud that organizing events isn't our core activity, and we want to go back to our founding values.

Our plan is for community itself to move forward and take on a central role within KLND. We'll work out a framework that lets us function well as a community, and we'll define the direction we, as a community, can best represent. As part of this:

• We'll bring regular themes to the community, around which we can learn and take action together.

• We'll organize regular rides and opportunities to meet up.
• We'll hold regular camps, in a much simpler, easier-to-organize format.
• We'll review the membership benefits: we'll further develop what works (Discord, route library), and phase out or rework what's weak (partner discounts).
• We'll start building our professional role in Hungarian outdoor recreation, and show what problems we, as a community, can solve.
• We'll treat nature conservation, outdoor know-how, education, an active lifestyle, and community values and human connections as core priorities.
  
• We'll build the structure for how the membership can get involved in reaching the goals above. Building on the strong willingness we've seen, we're setting out on the path where the membership itself becomes the leading organizing force, the greatest asset.

This way we'll sustain and strengthen our own activity, while also working to secure market opportunities for the association through our unique strength: the community.

To make this happen, we'll have to make some sacrifices: we're reshaping our activity and event portfolio somewhat. We'll put a bigger focus on community events and tours, while racing will take a smaller share of the spotlight.