It all started with a hashtag and a tweet.
The article begins with this phrase “The man who invented 30 Days of Biking” that interviews Patrick Stephenson, involuntary creator in 2010 of a cycling movement that is now on a planetary scale: #30DaysOfBiking (#30DaysOnBike in Spain). A social event that will bring hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to ride their bicycles each of the 30 days of next April and share it through social networks. A unique opportunity to give greater visibility to the bicycle in our cities and to see that more and more of us are committed to a new way of understanding life and urban living at the stroke of a pedal.
But how did it all start? What are the motivations and keys to the success of this initiative?
To understand it a little better we will do so through the story explained by its own creator. Since he was a child, Patrick already liked bicycles (and who doesn't? The Three Wise Men, summer vacations in the town, the feeling of independence and freedom...). However, his daily obligations and sedentary urban lifestyle left no room for the bike. But everything changed after meeting Zach, a passionate and experienced urban cyclist who was united by his love for video games, who encouraged him to discover a new way of moving and feeling the city by pedaling. With Zach's specialized advice and after managing to bike to work every day, Patrick began to feel better, gain self-confidence and want to improve his eating and physical activity habits.
He wanted to share this new feeling of euphoria due to the change in his life with everyone, so in April 2010 he created the hashtag #30DaysOfBiking and encouraged other people to join his idea. The effect was immediate: dozens of people began to share their experiences and upload photos on a bike, going from tens to thousands and from thousands to hundreds of thousands of people edition after edition. And cycling is, in most cases, a solitary activity, but when you know that there is an initiative of this type with a large community behind it that supports it and shares its experiences, it becomes something great. According to his own words Patrick Stephenson: "It is something innate in human nature to want to be part of something greater.”, and social networks are a tool that unequivocally contributes to facilitating this.
And who participates in #30DíasEnBici?
Well, for example, people who already regularly use bicycles and who, thanks to this initiative, find extra motivation to pedal more and share their enthusiasm with the rest of the world. But many other people also participate who, after having their bicycles parked for a long time (depending on the Bicycle Barometer 2017, three out of every 4 Spaniards have a bike at home) discover like Patrick that they can do it too, to be pleasantly surprised by how fast and comfortable it is to ride a bike and to rediscover their city from another, more pleasant and healthy point of view. And according to a study carried out by the United Kingdom Department of Transport, the 60% of the population is interested in cycling but they have some type of concern in this regard that prevents them from doing so (feeling of insecurity, fear of theft, associated prejudices...).
And it is in this aspect where the need to celebrate this type of initiatives on a recurring basis lies. As we pointed out in a article previous, it has demonstrated which A person does not start to ride a bike because he likes bikes, but rather he will start to like bikes because he rides a bike.. If you also take this step accompanied by other people from your class, your job, your neighborhood or your city, in a fun and exciting initiative, we will contribute even more to breaking down all the barriers that still mean that 6 out of 10 people do not go in bike.
From Bikefriendly, as it could not be otherwise, we euphorically support the #30DaysEnBici initiative and we will actively participate during the month of April pedaling and sharing our passion for cycling through social networks. And money doesn't buy happiness, but it buys you a bicycle which is almost the same 😉
Author: Carlos Martín
