The 2016 UCI Cycling for All calendar kicks off this Friday with “Tehran, city of bikes”.
The event in the Iranian capital is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants and is part of a much wider push to increase cycling for all in Iran. Over the last five years the Cycling Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran has overseen a number of initiatives to coax its population onto bikes. The Federation’s Manager of International Relations Navid Kasirian explains:
“Iran is looking at cycling from a new viewpoint.”
At the recent UCI Sharing Platform held in Tokyo, the Iranian Federation shared its cycling for all activities with National Federations from all over Asia.
While Iran boasts talented pros who have topped the UCI Asia Tour rankings in recent years - Ghader Mizbani, Hossein Askari, and Mehdi Sohrabi to name a few -, the Federation is placing increasing emphasis on cycling for the general population.
“With crowded cities, commuters travelling long distances to get to work, and everyone seeking convenience, people were forgetting about bicycles,” said Mr Kasirian. “We decided to create a Cycling for All committee, encourage Government investment in the sport, organise festivals in different cities and create special bike routes in giant cities.”
He stressed the importance of having the cooperation of local authorities: for example the Tehran Municipality has put a great deal of effort into cycling for all, including organising and sponsoring “Tehran, city of bikes.”
The Federation’s President Khosro Ghamari, formerly Head of Sports and Youth Affairs in the western province of Markazi, is a major advocate of Sport for All and a driving force behind Iran’s shift to Cycling for All. In just a few years, the progress has been considerable, not least with the establishment of some 400 annual cycling festivals throughout the country.
Tehran, a city of some 9 million inhabitants, now boasts a total of 280km of bike routes, with another 80km currently under construction. Similar bike route projects are under way in other major cities such as Mashhad and Esfahan. Governmental Offices must dedicate 1% of their funds to sport, and the National Cycling Federation encourages them to use part of this money to buy bikes for their employees. Likewise, the Federation encourages the country’s 31 provincial cycling associations to purchase bikes. Mr Ghamri declares:
“We would like every single Iranian to have a bicycle.”
Those who are not in a possession of a bike can make use of Bike Houses located in major cities, which give citizens a chance to borrow a bike for a limited period of time. These rental stations are manned by staff capable of giving technical services and advice to individuals, groups or families wishing to go for a ride.
“Attitudes are definitely changing and the number of people using bikes has clearly increased,” confirms Mr Ghamari. But he is not yet satisfied and is working on more propositions which he intends submitting to parliament: the President of the Cycling Federation of Iran would like to see every new car sold delivered with a bicycle in the boot. He is also working on a proposition to close a different part of Tehran to motorized traffic each weekend in order to allow the population to ride in safety.
The city’s residents will get a taste of cycling on car-free roads during Friday’s “Tehran, city of bikes”. Being held over a loop of just 8km, the event is accessible to people of all ages and abilities: participants will complete the loop as many times as they wish during the 90 minutes of road closure, before joining together at the end for a celebration. There will be no winner, but spot prizes will be drawn with the lucky recipients being presented with bikes. Mr Ghamari explains:
“We want people to have fun on their bikes, whether they are kids, old, men or women.”
“Tehran, city of bikes” is the only Asian event on the UCI Cycling for All calendar. While proud of this achievement, Mr Ghamari and his Federation would like to increase the number of cycling for all events in the country and see other Asian nations follow suit.
His ultimate dream is to see a ‘Cycling for All Day’ held simultaneously across all Asian countries and registered on the UCI calendar… “so we can all ride together for one day.”