Winter Urban Cycling Mood

Winter cycling moods with a spot of neige. The grey winter days cause things and people to lose their edges and become diffuse.

Involuntary Artsy Fartsy

Lens cover didn't retract on the little handy camera. Which was a cool thing.

Copenhagen Highlights

The sharp winter sun was racing towards the horizon, lighting up the citizens moving about the city.

Downtown From Behind

Downtown From Behind is a documentary/multimedia project from New York. Summed up nicely on their website:
Every street below 14th film and photographed from behind, of you riding your bike.

Here's a funky little film about the making of. What a cool project!

It reminds us of the original concept here at Cycle Chic, way back in the day. We were inspired to take shots on our regular journeys through the city, shooting what was in front of us - which was invariably other cyclists.

Besides the aesthetic value of the shots from behind, we were inspired by two specific artistic angles:

One is 'Rückenfigur' - German for 'back figure'. It's a concept often related to romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and aims to make visible what the person featured is looking at. We were further inspired by the Flickr group of the same name.

The other one originates with the Chinese poet Zhu Ziqing and his poem 'Seeing Father From The Back' from 1925. There is a term in Chinese called 'Backsight', meaning basically the same thing as 'rückenfigur'. 背影 - in Chinese.
There is also a cool Flickr group for this.

Bicycle Posters

Here at Cycle Chic we just got wind of a cool series of bicycle posters over at Poster Cabaret, out of Austin, Texas. A wonderful selection of bicycle themes to grace the walls of where you live.


Here's our personal favourite. Birdcycle. Nice.

Cycle Chic Art

A warm thank you to Genna Campton from Australia for her fine illustration inspired by Cycle Chic. Check out Genna's blog and her explanation for creating the illustration right here.

Dreamers on Bicycles

Max Pinckers is a Belgian photographer with a splendid series of portraits of cycling commuters called 'Transitions'. Thanks to our mates at CycleChic.be for the tip.

‘With the series Transitions, I explore this idea by making an attempt to ‘catch’ people as they are dissociated from the encompassing world, deeply entranced in their own thoughts and absorbed in whatever is going through their mind.

The people in these images are cycling on a long and straight daily commuter route. When we cycle we’re disconnected from the world around us, we dream and ponder whilst mechanically riding along a familiar, somewhat mundane path.

Submerged into an ‘absorptive mode,’ people’s expressions depict themselves in an honest way – unposed, unconcerned and unaware of either the photographer or the camera. The relation between the photographer and the subject has therefore been obscured, something which provokes us to ask ourselves if these really are portraits.’

Brilliant series. Beautiful.


Thanks to Stefan for the link.

That's Me in the Spot.... Light

Cyclists in Copenhagen in motion past stationary automobiles.

Gotta love it.

Fragment of Clarity

Urban Cycling is transport. It's a quick and enjoyable way to get around your town. It's a transport form that requires a bicycle and the clothes in your closet.

But it can also be a wistful, fleeting glimpse of poetry. A fragment of clarity quicker than your breath catching in your throat. A longing for focus, detail and extending a magical moment. And then... zip... it's gone.

Friday Nightaciousness

I quite fancy the mood here. Friday night red lightaciousness.

Cycle Chic Stamp

There's little doubt that we take the Cycling Girl seriously as a Danish icon. Here's a Danish stamp from 1975 celebrating the launch of the United Nations' Decade for Women. 1975 was also the International Woman's Year. See... it's not just us.

Thanks to Lefa, who blogged about the stamp here, with more info about the Decade for Women.


And here's my favourite statue in Copenhagen. The Cycling Girl high about the city.

Happy Birthday! Two Years With Cycle Chic

It's our birthday! Call someone and let them know!

Two years ago today, the Cycle Chic blog saw the light of day for the first time. The rest is history.

Wifealiciousness and I celebrate two special days in our relationship. The day we first kissed on a bench at 06:00 after a night out and the day we got married. It's kind of like that here on Cycle Chic.

As avid readers of this blog know, on November 14th, 2006, I took the photograph that started it all. On June 11th, 2007 I figured I'd start a blog, just to have my series of photographs gathered in one place.

Little did any of us know back then how the story would unfold. It certainly caught me by surprise, this sudden international interest in photographs of something that is completely normal for us in Copenhagen - well-dressed Copenhageners on bicycles.

In a way it's as though I started a vacuum cleaner blog because in Copenhagen our relationship to our bicycles is the same as our relationship to our vacuum cleaners. We all have them, we all use them, but we certainly don't think about them in the course of a day. Except when the bag needs to be changed/the tyre is flat. So for the sake of good order, here's my vacuum cleaner:


Before the international press got a hold the story, the first magazine to publish Cycle Chic photos was the always cool KBH Magasin. This was even before the blog started.

Back in the beginning of 2007 this spread was featured in a series about The Details of Copenhagen. You can see the evolution of the press coverage on the Press About The Blog page.

So what is 'Cycle Chic' apart from a useful phrase I coined to try and describe the fashionable art of riding bicycles in Copenhagen? Well, we've tried to sum it up in the Cycle Chic Manifesto, but sitting here two years on I suppose that Cycle Chic is a fantastic way to describe how bicycling used to be, how it is in many places and how it can be again elsewhere. The individual defines their own 'chic' and what is 'chic' in Copenhagen may not be 'chic' in Cork but the very simple act of riding around in your regular clothes on normal bicycles is something all of us know, all of us have tried [if only in childhood] and something that we can identify with. Cycle Chic is a mirror into which we can peer in order to see ourselves and our urban landscape in a new way. It's bicycle advocacy, sure. It's streetstyle, yeah. It's fashion on a bicycle, as opposed to bicycle fashion.

But Cycle Chic is urban planning and a way to redefine our cities and transform them in more liveable spaces.

It's about the bicycle in many ways but really, it's not only about the bicycle. The bicycle and infrastructure are merely tools for change in cities and towns.

Rereading this morning the page with testimonials from readers from the past two years is humbling and touching. Without you readers, this blog would be nothing. So thanks so much for visiting our little corner of the internet. It is also humbling to watch the list of blogs and articles inspired by Cycle Chic grow almost daily. It's on the right column, farther down, Copycats & Collaborators. Thanks to everyone involved.


You just KNEW that we couldn't have a birthday blogpost without my colleagues being involved. Lars, a film composer in real life, has been an epic contributor to Cycle Chic. He has really raised the photographic bar. He sent in a guest photo back in the day and was soon a regular contributor. Ironically, we found out that we both work in the film industry and that we have many things in common. So above is a birthday photo from Lars.


Marie [Velomama] blogs now and then, so here's a photo from her camera. I met Marie after she completed her thesis about "Everyday Modest Democracy - The Bicycle as a Symbol of Danishness". She had included Cycle Chic in the chapter about the iconic Cycling Girl in Danish history and how the tradition lives on here on the blog. We've been friends since. She now works for the City of Copenhagen's Bicycle Office, making our city even better for bicycles. Here's a birthday greeting from Marie:

Although my postings are sporadical, my heart has always been with this blog. I've been co-blogging here since early 2008. Once and again this blog has made me marvel at how the somewhat banal reality of Copenhagen's cycling culture - which we all take so much for granted here - can be an eyeopener for people elsewhere.

I find such poetry and reassurance in the fact that a popular, everyday phenomenon such as Copenhageners cycling around in their everyday clothes can actually inspire others and show the way forward towards more relaxed, livable and living cities all over the world.

Those of you who get a kick out of this blog: Find your own voice! Spread the message! Bicycles are for everyone! Big cheers, Velomama


And then there's Wifealiciousness. Susanne doesn't blog much here - she's too busy with her own style blog in Danish - but being my muse [and wife] she is a major part of this blog and I couldn't do any of this without her. She still gets interviewed about style and the blog, however.

In celebration of our birthday, a talented friend of mine, Rasmus Balstrøm, is penning some Cycle Chic illustrations. He's done these two and there are more on the way, which we'll be turning into posters. These two are available as postcards and the first one is also available as a mini print over at our online boutique.


The boy's got talent and has really captured the essence of cycling in Copenhagen. We're looking forward to his next batch of artwork.

Enough, already. It's our birthday! We shouldn't be sitting here blogging. It's time to celebrate. Thanks again to all our readers. We're looking forward to the next two years.

Copenhagen loves you.

YES! It's a celebration!

Timeless Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Classic Copenhagen Cycle Chic. This is a Danish politician Aksel Larsen [1897-1972] on his bicycle in 1938. A classy Copenhagen woman is behind him. If you don't focus on the car in the background, this photo could have been taken yesterday.
Photo copyright - The Danish Workers' Museum in Copenhagen.

And thanks to John for this classic tourism poster from, coincedentally, 1938. Hans Bendix did a number of these tourism poster featuring the bicycle both pre and post-war.

Here are some other classics we've posted about before. Hans Bendix did the one on the right.

A Girl and a Bicycle By The Lakes

She appeared quite unexpectedly, pushing her bike along, heels crunching on gravel. Eyes squinting as she enjoyed the warmth the sun provided. A whole world of emotion inside her head and all around her like an aura.

[I took this photo almost two years ago. I had completely forgotten about it and then I dreamt about it last night. So I thought I'd post it.]

Art and Things

We've been looking forward to the next piece from our favourite artist, Janet Karam. This time she interpreted our most iconic photo:

Thanks again, Janet!


Overtaking off the light.

Coasting towards the light.

Copenhagen summer cycle wear.

Artsy Fartsy Saturday

Been busy today. Guests have just gone home. Figured it was time for some artsy-fartsty cycleliciousness from the Copenhagen Cycle Chic/Copenhagenize archives.

Guest Photos and Guest Art

Another Sunday round of Guest Photos and even more guest art. Enjoy.

Baton Rouge, Lousiana, USA - Christopher looking dapper on his fine ride.

Laura in Chicago was inspired by one of our photos and produced the splendid artwork above - based on the photo below. Thanks for showing us, Laura! It's lovely.



California, USA - from Alan.

Munich/München.

Art Borne From Art

This time is was Aaron's turn to have one of his fine photographs immortalised for all all by the talented and prolific hand of Janet Karam.
Check out her website Funky Town Art. And be sure to check the latest on Aaron's cool blog about his life in Copenhagen - Something Rotten.

Fantastic, as always.

This and That from Here and There

Another brilliant painting by Janet Karam, inspired by one of my photos. Art imitates art once again. This one was inspired by this photo:

Janet's Blog.
Janet's website - Funkytown Art.

Taking a literary angle, Inge in Antwerpen has a Dutch literature blog called Plankje Ongeregeld and she interviewed me for a new feature on her blog - Bloggers Read and Tell. Now I'm looking forward to photos/reportage about her and her new black Oma bike. :-)

Michael in Brooklyn has a cool blog started up. Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle. Michael and his roommates have been discussing getting cool 'normal' bikes and they are all casting themselves into the fray. Michael had a poll on his blog about what bike his should buy. Either an Azor Opa [some Dutch contraption] or a Velorbis Churchill [bespoke Danish elegance and exquisite design]. Needless to say, the Velorbis won the Euro-challenge.

Michael will be posting about his new bike and his travels in NYC as they happen. He is also compiling a list of dealers/distributors for various European-style bikes in the States, which should come in handy for those of you who are in the market for one.


We have a backlog of guest photos itching to get online so we'll start with another photo from Patrick in Portland. Pure Copenhagen.