Meißen steps on the pedal: First city cycling competition started!

Meißen steps on the pedal: First city cycling competition started!

In September we will be pedaling vigorously for the first time in Meißen! From September 1st to 21st, 2023, the city will take part in the nationwide city cycling campaign. You can register now and the best thing about it: Registration for the teams is completely free. Some teams have already registered and are showing great enthusiasm. These include, among others, the Open Team - Meißen with two cyclists, Team Zaschendorf with one participant, as well as the Franziskaneum Meißen and the city administration with 15 and four cyclists. Particularly worth mentioning are the Werkschule team, which mobilized 17 cyclists, and the Mei Rad bicycle shop with four cyclists, as they underline the large number of committed cyclists.

City cycling not only aims to promote cycling, but also to actively contribute to climate protection. The kilometers driven can either be entered manually in the online logbook or tracked using the practical city cycling app. This keeps the competition exciting and transparent! At the end there will be a ranking of the best cities and teams. And to the delight of all cycling enthusiasts, the time for participation falls exactly on the wine festival weekend, which is intended to encourage participation in the festive parade.

What is city cycling?

The City Cycling campaign has existed since 2008 and has developed over the years into a major international cycling competition. The goal is clear: citizens and local politicians should be motivated to use bicycles in everyday life and to experience the benefits of cycling. The aim is to cycle as many kilometers as possible over the 21 days of the competition - whether for business or pleasure. At the end of the campaign period, the most active communities, teams and participants will be awarded.

This year, around 300,000 people from almost 900 municipalities have already joined in and cycled a total of over 60 million kilometers. These impressive figures show how important the commitment to climate-friendly mobility is. As special support, the Climate Alliance provides IT infrastructure, the city cycling app and PR materials to make participation easier.

A look at the benefits of cycling

Cycling offers a variety of benefits: fresh air, exercise and the flexibility that the bicycle offers compared to other forms of transport. Because they emphasize the need for sufficient cycling infrastructure, local politicians invite people to test the cycle paths themselves and get in touch with citizens. Citizens also find support through the RADar! platform, where they can report information about infrastructure problems, such as potholes.

City cycling is not just a competition, but also an instrument for citizen participation and local planning. With a consistent focus on climate protection, awareness of sustainable mobility is raised and at the same time direct contact between citizens and local parliaments is promoted.

This initiative is also a step in the right direction for an environmentally friendly future. We look forward to supporting the teams from Meißen in their rapid journey towards more sustainable mobility and are excited about the results of the competition!

For more information about city cycling and the possibility to register, see Sächsische.de, find out more about the campaign Climate Alliance.org and explore the details Umweltbundesamt.de.