World Bicycle Day: History, Significance, Theme, Quotes and Celebrations

Kris [email protected] June 02, 2021 | 01:42

Happy World Bicycle Day! As said by President John F. Kennedy, “No comparison of the simple pleasure of a bike ride”. So, let's find out about this day with KnowInsiders and celebrate this day in your interesting way!

World Bicycle Day: History, Significance, Theme, Quotes and Celebrations

When is the World Bicycle Day?

World Bicycle Day is gonna be celebrated this June 3rd.

You know, the bicycle is a sustainable, affordable and eco-friendly means of transport that keeps you fit! Honoring bicycling as a way to bring a sustainable form of traveling that can also ensure your physical well-being, World Bicycle Day is celebrated on June 3 every year.

World Bicycle Day is the United Nation attempt to recognize the vital importance of the bicycle across the globe. The bike has helped many families across the world to get access to cheap and reliable transportation. It’s no wonder so many partake in the celebration and want to get the word out to others about this exciting and eventful day.

Let’s know more about why we celebrate World Bicycle Day, how it celebrated and how bicycling can make you physically fit and get the fresh air you need!

World Bicycle Day: History

The Polish Social Scientist, Professor Leszek Sibilski is the founder of World Bicycle Day. Teaching in the USA, Sibilski led a campaign with his sociology classes to spread awareness about the UN resolution for world bicycle day. His campaign got colossal cooperation from Turkmenistan and 56 other countries. The logo of the day was originally designed by the UN, which is of blue and white colour.

It was designed by Isaac Feld and the animation part was done by Professor John E. Swanson, which depicts various bicyclists riding from all over the globe. The hashtag that is used just below the logo is #June3WorldBicycleDay. The main message shown is that the bicycle is for all irrespective of all the differentiation made by mankind. It serves all of humanity. The bicycle day was first declared on 3 June, 2018.

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World Bicycle Day: Significance

The United Nations launched World Bicycle Day for several reasons. The first was to recognize the sheer transformative impact of the bicycle on society. Pedal cycles give even the poorest people in the world access to transport services. Bikes allow them to visit friends, collect water, and buy groceries, as cited by LeverageEdu.

The bicycle is a long-serving mode of transportation, which has helped practically every human community worldwide. All cultures and people alike can partake in the celebration and show their love for cycling.

The third purpose is to highlight the fact that many cities ignore the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. Policymakers have a bias towards the motor vehicle, serving its needs instead of using environmentally sound alternatives. World Bicycle Day, therefore, is a chance to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling and promote measures to ensure better sharing of the roads.

It’s a chance for people to demand improvements to road safety and cycling mobility through a change in policies and measurable activity that protects and promotes the safety of riders and pedestrians.

The fourth purpose is to help save lives and reduce poverty. Investing in pedestrian and cycle routes in cities can help cut the rate of deaths while also taking traffic off the roads and investing in safer modes of intra-city travel. Promoting cycling can also help to reduce poverty.

By giving the poorest members of the community access to transportation, they can more easily commute to places of work. It helps them to achieve greater health equity by reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and even death.

World Bicycle Day: Theme and Celebration

The theme of World Bicycle Day may be claimed as, “Uniqueness, versatility, the longevity of the bicycle and simple, sustainable, affordable, reliable, means of transportation”. This extracted theme of world bicycle day reveals the observance aim of such a special day.

People used to celebrate the world bicycle day by organizing bicycle race, and trips, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are no big public rallies like in the last two years when people gathered for rallies. People often ride their bicycles around the city and organize other events on their bicycles. Due to increased social distance, people can ride on their bicycles rather than their cars, International Event Day.

Photo: CalendarLabs

Consider donating CooP-Africa (Cycling out of Poverty) to celebrate World Bicycle Day to provide bicycles to students, health volunteers, and farmers. By bicycles, they can combine homework and school to get to school on time, even over long distances, so students don’t get tired of class from long walks and you can pay more attention in class.

Bicycles allow medical volunteers in Africa to visit many homes a day. This allows them to make their health services more efficient and effective, and they can better monitor their patients. In an emergency, they can be faster. Pregnant mothers, for example, benefit from this improved health care system because they are closely monitored before and after delivery and more deliveries are supervised by trained health workers. Bicycles give farmers access to the market. This is essential to provide access to high-quality agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and water. It also allows you to sell your crops in more markets.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to gather together and celebrate, although this day has been celebrated with full coordination in 2018 and 2019. Generally, people would just roam around the town with their cycles and may organise certain events relating to bicycles. Since social distancing is maintained nowadays, people may just bicycle on their own and enjoy!

World Bicycle Day: Quotes

“Riding bicycles will not only benefit the individual but the world at large.” - Emeritus Professor of Environmental Policy, Berlin,

“No comparison of the simple pleasure of a bike ride.”- John F. Kennedy

“When you are riding hard on a mountain bike, sometimes you fall; otherwise you’re not riding hard.” - Former US president George Bush

“People love cycling but hate cyclists.”- Peter Zanzottera,

“The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.” - Iris Murdoch, ‘The Red and the Green’

"A bicycle is an industrial revolution in an individual’s life.”- F. K. Day, founder and president, World Bicycle Relief, 2012

World Bicycle Day Logo

Isaac Feld with the assistance of Professor John E. Swanson designed the logo for World Bicycle Day. This logo symbolizes various types of bicyclists around the globe. The basic message is to show that the bicycle belongs to and serves all of humanity.

World Bicycle Day Logo

Why Celebrate World Bicycle Day?

Bicycle is a simple, affordable, reliable, and environment-friendly means of transportation.
A bicycle can serve as a tool for development and a source of access to education, health care, and sport.
The usage of a bicycle gives the user an immediate awareness of the local environment.
Bicycle is a symbol of sustainable transportation and fuel saving.
The Netherlands have a unique culture for bicycle. 17 million Dutch people own over 23 million bicycles. The Dutch royals have a long cycling tradition.

Importance and Effects of World Bicycle Day

Encourages the Member States to devote particular attention to policies and programmers to include the bicycle in national and sub-national development.
Encourages the Member States to improve road safety and integrate it into sustainable cycling mobility to protect pedestrian safety.
Encourages stakeholders to emphasize the use of the bicycle as a means of strengthening education, including physical education, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding and facilitating social inclusion.
Encourages the Member States to adopt best practices and means to develop and promote the culture of cycling in society.

World Bicycle Day Hashtags

#Worldbicycleday

#Happybicycleday

#Bike4school

#Bike4work

#Bike4health

#Bike4fitness

Physical Benefits of Bicycle

Lower risk of heart disease

UK research published last year that cycling or walking to work can lower the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) or stroke. The large-scale study shows who use cycling to travel, has an 11% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a 30% lower risk of fatal CVD. Regular cycling in spare time has a 43% lower risk of fatal CVD. Even those who are not regular commuters but took the bike occasionally get an 8% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes

Research of the University of Southern Denmark reveals that cycling can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that those who cycled regularly were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, even those who took up regular cycling at a later age still benefited themselves from a 20% lower risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes than non-cyclists.

Extra weight loss

UK researchers who compared the daily modes of transport of nearly 150,000 participants found that cycling was one of the most effective forms of exercise for keeping trim and losing weight. Those who cycled to work had lower BMIs and body fat than those who walked.

It’s safe for sexual health

The research by the University of California, found that male cyclists’ sexual and urinary health was no worse than swimmers’ or runners’, although adjusting the handlebar height to be higher or even with the saddle reduced the chance of genital numbness and saddle sores. Researchers from UC San Francisco also found that high-intensity cyclists may benefit from improved sexual function.