April is a perfect month to start cycling. Good weather encourages you to take advantage of a vehicle that is not just a sport: it is also and above all a means of transport. For many the best there is when it comes to getting around the city, especially for those who want to do their part in the fight against pollution and climate change.
With this reality in mind, the 30 Day Bike Challenge encourages everyone to ride a bike for a month. A global initiative that was born in Gijón and that this 2023 celebrates its tenth edition, with activities in more than 100 cities in Spain and Latin America. Its mechanics are simple: you have to use the bike every day of April, even if it is not much, and share it on social networks with the hashtags #30DíasEnBici or #30DEB. The goal? Create a habit. Because if the bike has anything, it’s its ability to hook anyone who tries it.
Each person at his own pace
“You can start by walking around the block, and as the month progresses, add new challenges, like biking to work, shopping or having a drink,” says Carlos Rodríguez, promoter of 30 Días en Bici in Spain. “We are all happy when we face challenges that have a difficulty level that matches our abilities.
30 Días en Bici wants to raise awareness about the fight against pollution, but also about other problems such as the depletion of resources, climate change, inequalities and urban exclusion. For this year, they have set themselves a simple but exciting objective: “We want to celebrate these 10 years of success by nurturing a wave of social change and the participation of citizens in the construction of a more sustainable, healthy and accessible city”, underlines Juan Emilio Vazquez, coordinator of the local groups of 30 days by bike.
According to Carlos Rodríguez, “30 Días en Bici is not just about bikes, but about people. And more specifically, people who don’t use the bike regularly. This contact with all kinds of people also puts us in contact with daily problems and realities people. We have always thought that cycling was a tool for change, for social transformation,” he explains.
To register for the challenge, you just have to want to. But also, a commitment that is acquired symbolically. From February 15 to April 30, all those who want to join sign the call Commitment 30 Days Cycling. A document that can be completed on the web and that obliges you, with yourself, to achieve the objective of pedaling every day of the month.
March 31 will be the starting signal for the 30 Days Cycling. A big party that will take place in each of the participating cities and in which the so-called “Local Hero”: those people who are actively working for sustainable mobility in each of these places. From there will begin a personal commitment, but also a collective one. Like all those who aim to make the planet a better place.