The City of Munich has being busy trying to promote urban cycling and the city as a Bicycle Capital. The city currently has about 20% of its population on bicycles but they want more.
One of their major projects over the summer has been Radlstar - or Bicycle Star. Inspired by a similar project in Toulouse called À vélo citoyens!, they sent a photographer out onto the streets to take photos of all kinds of cyclists from the city against a white backdrop. The photos went onto a website and visitors could vote for the true Radlstar. It's pop, a bit kitsch, but it's great for selling cycling positively. There were scores of photos so I just grabbed the ones that jumped out at me, appealing to my Cycle Chic aesthetics, and here they are:
Once they got down to 20 finalists, they did some video portraits of them. Here's Amelia.
And here's Sophie.
And here's the winner. Andy, aged 15. No doubt cascading to victory on the teenage girl vote. :-)
These photos are gold. Nice breadth of riders.
ReplyDeleteAwesome pictures! ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and very nice idea. I fell in love : )
ReplyDeleteSo there exist cities "busy trying to promote urban cycling"?!? Oh, how I envy you! I live in Gdynia, Poland, and every time I plan my cycling route I have to think hard how to include the three existing 20-centimetre long cyclepaths :)."The city currently has about 20% of its population on bicycles but they want more." Gosh, in Gdynia skeletons of the few brave cyclists who tried to use public roads lie at the sides of the streets to scare away any daredivils on bicycles...
ReplyDeleteHURRAY fo the City of Munich!!!
I love the traditional green frock and apron; as well as the "Welcome to Jamai. . .er, Munich, Mon.Haben Sie einen schönen Tag."
ReplyDeletekfg, that is Dirndl, but I don't see any Lederhosen, the traditional male garb in Bavaria and parts of Austria.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos - love the lilac adult tricycle. I know a florist of Chinese origin who rides one for utilitarian purposes here - she is about the only fit, middle-aged person I've seen on a tricycle. Other than that aged or disabled people, or teenaged boys and young men delivering groceries and beer.
Sophie is beautiful...
ReplyDelete"I don't see any Lederhosen, the traditional male garb in Bavaria and parts of Austria."
ReplyDeleteYeah, I acquired a pair there. It let people know I was an American tourist and should thus be treated like a moron.
I told my roadie friends that they were "traditional bib shorts."
The woman on the trike...amazing.
ReplyDeleteThat purple e-trike is da bomb!
ReplyDeleteWOW! Sophie... More Sophie. She's sweet. ;-) Catch my breath.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the good ol' cutty sark and pajama. It is indeed excellent and comfortable cycling wear, as are many of the clothes of South Asia and Polynesia.
ReplyDeleteLook at any picture of Vietnam and you'll certainly find the local variant; the Ao Dai, being worn by cyclists.
There are many websites catering to customers seeking this type of clothing; as they are probably the most worn, world wide.
It is worth noting however, that there are many forms of South Asian clothing that require only visiting websites informing you how to wear them, not purchase them, as they are "constructed" from plain cloth with little or no sewing.