We have those routes too, and the cycling days and stuff... but there's one initiative that I find really cool: it's a kind of couchsurfing for cyclists. There's a site where you can create your own route and on that route you can contact people (cyclists too), and they give you a room and breakfast. Often for free or for a small amount. And if you are really lucky they give you dinner and a food pack too.

Some of my friends have tried it, and they really love it!

We also have 'gourmet tours'... :d those are cycling events where you follow a route and every 10 kms or so you can eat or drink something local. That is very very popular. You wonder why