The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the challenge it launched in collaboration with Strava, entitled "Your Ride Counts", was a huge success from the moment it was launched on 3 June, World Bicycle Day.
By the end of World Bicycle Day, some 8 million kilometres had already been cycled. As of today, more than 300,000 people have joined the challenge.
The challenge ends on 30 June and aims to encourage cyclists around the world to join the UCI in celebrating cycling as a sport and as a means of transport by using their bikes at least twice a week and opting for a bike instead of a motor vehicle for short journeys during the challenge period.
Those wishing to take part in the UCI “Your Ride Counts” challenge can still do so by visiting the Strava website or its mobile app, then clicking on "Join Challenge".
By taking part, cycling fans help improve the infrastructure dedicated to active mobility in their cities and regions. This collaboration between the UCI and Strava is part of the Strava Metro project. Strava has the largest volume of data on human-powered transport on the planet, and its Strava Metro project makes it easier for transport planners to identify specific needs for bike lanes and safe areas for active transport, while exploring local trends in activity. With this in mind, Strava offers public authorities and other actors engaged in active mobility free access to anonymised data on the journeys made by its users.
On World Bicycle Day, the UCI also organised a series of cycling for all events at its headquarters, the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland: a 40km group ride, a brunch organised at the UCI WCC’s Le Vélodrome restaurant, free introductions to track cycling and BMX Racing, and a conference on the theme of "How to improve performance on your bike". UCI WCC athletes as well as UCI and UCI WCC staff participated in the activities alongside the public. The numerous participants appreciated this initiative which will be developed in future years.
About the UCI
Founded in 1900 in Paris (France), the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms, for all people: as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the ten cycling disciplines: road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling, cycling esports and gravel. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games programme (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), two in the Paralympic Games (road and track) and four in the Youth Olympic Games (road, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle). For more information: www.uci.org.
About Strava
Strava is the leading subscription platform at the centre of connected fitness, with more than 100 million community members in over 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life. Join the community, find motivation and discover new experiences with a Strava subscription.
About Strava Metro
The Strava Metro dataset is one of the largest collections of human-powered transport information. Strava Metro provides cities with free access to aggregate, de-identified mobility insights to enable smarter urban planning and infrastructure decisions. Active transportation is the key to making our cities healthier, happier places that are more productive and sustainable. Metro works with urban planners, city governments and safe-infrastructure advocates to understand mobility patterns, identify opportunities for investment and evaluate the impact of infrastructure changes – all completely free of charge. More than 1,500 communities making commuting better with Strava Metro.