Friends

I just happen to love this photo. That's Philip on the left, holding hands with Joni from Amsterdam Cycle Chic and that's Aron from Hungarian Cycle Chic up front.

Ah, Budapest.

Hungarian Role Models

We get to meet so many inspiring women and men when Cycle Chic heads out into the world. Not least in Budapest, on the occasion of the Cycle Chic Conference last week.

Above is a wonderful and amazing lady. None other than Júlia Király - the Deputy-Governor of the Hungarian Central Bank. She rolled past the Bicycle Breakfast and we had a good chat about cycling in Budapest and Cycle Chic. What a role model Júlia is.


Meanwhile, elsewhere in Budapest, we bumped into Rebeka Szabó outside a restaurant. Rebeka is an MP in the Hungarian Parliament for the Green Party. She was out for dinner with her partner - both on bicycles, of course.

My kind of MP. Cycle Chic in a nutshell. Regular citizen on a regular bike, contributing to the development of a liveable city.

Cycle Chic Bloggers Conference - Budapest

This just in from Cycle Chic Conference 2012: Budapest is Cycle Chic'tastic.  Ok, this isn't exactly "just in" as we've gotten to know Budapest for a while now from blogger Aron Halasz' Hungarian Cycle Chic, but last weekend we got to experience this bicycle lovely city firsthand.

The Budapest conference kicked off Friday morning with a breakfast for people cycling on their way to work, which also launched Budapest's bike to work week.

- 7 breakfast stands located in Budapest
- 14 total in Hungary
- 50 kilos of carrot bread at every station
- an equal amount of coffee
- no hungry cyclists in Hungary



Accompanying the breakfast was a photo shoot.  With the breakfast right next to the Opera House, it was not a bad backdrop for a photo shoot.  Not bad at all.


Many thank yous to János László and the Hungarian Cyclists' Club for arranging the bike breakfast...

And of course to Áron from Budapest Cycle Chic for arranging, well, everything... 

Last year's conference was in Barcelona where we hosted the first ever Cycle Chic Breakfast. Meeting all kinds of inspiring people, experiencing all sorts of inspiring cities, and witnessing the bicycle movement happen in cities around the world. Budapest was no exception - it was filled with warm, wonderful, and inspiring moments.  That we're going to be blogging the rest of this week :-)

Budapest Here We Come

Budapest, you beautiful thing. We're coming to see you today. Get your game face on. The Cycle Chic Bloggers Conference is about to start. Hosted by our good friends at Hungary Cycle Chic.

From Critical Mass to Cycle Chic in Budapest

Sometimes sudden news brings completely mixed feelings. This year's Cycle Chic Blogger's Conference will be held in Budapest in September. Heaps of events like a Cycle Chic breakfast for the Citizen Cyclists of the city, a fashion show, the conference and... the legendary critical mass ride held twice a year in the city. Nobody does a mass ride like the Hungarians. They can average 20,000 people on bicycles and have even hit the lofty heights of 50,000 and 80,000.

It was going to be one of the highlights of the weekend.

The organisers, however, have just decided to cancel the ride. Many people are disappointed but in their statement they say that Budapest has now reached a point of being a bicycle city with many daily cyclists. They cancelled it because they want the focus to now be on the amazing work done by the Hungarian Cyclists’ Club - Magyar Kerékpárosklub. The NGO needs more support in order to continue it's work and the critical mass organisers wished to place focus on the NGO by cancelling. What an accolade for the Hungarian Cyclists' Club, who are legendary for their positive promotion of cycling.

Budapest is one of the poster children cities for what they have achieved in just five or six years. They are legends.

The critical mass in Budapest, like in many European cities, is far removed from the North American versions. It is a celebration of urban cycling and a powerful tool towards pushing for a more liveable city with more bicycles, rather than a sub-culture peacocking through the streets, irritating the other citizens and doing little to win hearts and minds. Indeed, the critical mass ride in Prague changed it's name in order to disassociate itself with the negative North American brand.

In Budapest, politicians join in, people from all walks of life ride. It became an accepted and even anticipated event in the life of the city.

Back to the conflicting emotions. The ride will be sorely missed and we hope that it returns again. However, in their official statement, they explained their cancellation by saying;

"Even more powerful new engines have emerged: The Cycle Chic Movement, which is successful in increasing ridership and breaking down stereotypes with greater visual impact in the city."

One of the most humbling things to read in almost six years of Cycle Chic. Stunningly so. The most successful "critical mass" bike rides in the world handing over the reins to Cycle Chic.

It must be said that Hungarian Cycle Chic is a flagship among the members of our Cycle Chic Republic. Operating out of the Hungarian Cyclists' Club, they have been instrumental in mainstreaming urban cycling in Budapest.

I have been at meetings with them discussing our sociological, anthropological and marketing approaches. Despite the massive responsibility handed over by critical mass, if there is anyone in Hungary who can do the job, it's the Cycle Chic team in Budapest, as well as the Hungarian Cyclists' Club.

If your city had just half of the vision that the advocates have in Budapest, you'd be ten times farther along the road to mainstreaming urban cycling. That's how brilliant they are.

Here's hoping that the mass ride will return. And that we can live up to their expectations whether they do or not.


Budapest Critical Mass Sept 2009 from Copenhagenize on Vimeo.
Here's a film I shot during the critical mass bike ride in 2009.


I love Budapest. I bike Budapest. from Cyclechic hu on Vimeo.
Here's a film made by Hungarian Cycle Chic.

More from Budapest:
Bike Love Street Signage
Hungarian Bike to Work ads

I Love Budapest I Bike Budapest

A film of cinematic brilliance from our lovely friends at Hungarian Cycle Chic. Nuff said.

Cycle Chic Hungary 2010

What a fantastic film from our friends at Hungarian Cycle Chic, wrapping a year of cycle chic in Budapest.

There are a handful of cities out there that serve as an inspiration to the world in the way they have gone from no bicycles to an armada of bicycles and Budapest is one of them. (Paris, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Seville are among the others). A mere five years ago the city was as car clogged as anywhere else and the percentage of people cycling hovered below 1%. Now they're at 5% and rising. It has been a combination of implementing the all-important separated bicycle infrastructure and passionate advocacy based on promoting cycling positively.

Bicycle planning consultants will usually say that getting from 0% to 5% bicycle traffic is the hardest step of all for a city. After that it's a bike ride in the park. Getting from 5% to, say, 15% is much easier. Cars still dominate in Budapest and the traffic makes a North American city look calm and civilised but change is in the air. The revolution is underway.

Budapest has adopted an approach that is close to our hearts and that is something we write about over at Copenhagenize.com - promoting cycling positively and aiming the promotion at Citizen Cyclists - potential bicycle users, as opposed to the existing sub-cultures. Cycle Chic Hungary works closely with the Hungarian Cyclists Club to develop campaigns that sell cycling to the mainstream. Just look at the kind of films they produce - they're brilliant.

The film, above, is a testament to the hard work the bicycle advocates are doing in Budapest. Citizen Cyclists - and a whole lot of Cycle Chic - are redefining the urban space.

Budapest is also famous for its Critical Mass, or rather Civilised Mass. There are two of them a year and the one I rode in featured 20,000 people on bicycles. It was a slow day. The record, I believe, is 80,000.

Cycle Chic Fashion Show - Hungarian Style

Our lovely and hard-working friends at Cycle Chic Hungary just sent us this film, hot off the catwalk. They understand the concept. Bicycles and Fashion, not bicycle fashion.

There are great and inspirational films encouraging people to cycle to work over at Copenhagenize.

Budapest Winter Cycle Chic

It warms our hearts to see this little film from our lovely friends at Cycle Chic Hungary showing people cycling in the winter. Budapest rules.

To see how brilliant the Hungarians are at marketing urban cycling for Citizen Cyclists, have a look at these wicked cool films over at Copenhagenize.com

Critical Fashion Mass

Budapest does it again. Critical Fashion Mass, baby.

Critical Mass Cycle Chic 02

Some more shots of people on bicycles from the recent Critical Mass in Budapest.



Using her bike light to keep her hair up. Nice touch.

Critical Mass Cycle Chic 01

This is my favourite couple from the recent Critical Mass ride in Budapest, where over 20,000 people on bicycles took part.

It was a lovely ride around the city. No aggression, everyone stopping for red lights, a real festival atmosphere. A fantastic experience.

Gentlemen Cyclists in Budapest

Okay, ladies, I don't know how Hungarian men rate in the global sexy lists, but I was pleasantly surprised to see decent amounts of dapper chappies in suits or nice clothes on the streets of the Hungarian capital. Above is a man riding home on the bike lanes with his suit jacket hanging off his backpack.

This chap was taking part, rather absentmindedly it seems, in a Kidical Mass - a bike ride for kids and families before the main Critical Mass bike celebration ride.

This is was my voice in Hungarian. He was the interpreter at the conference making me sound good in a foreign language. Hopefully.

This gentlemen is legendary. Laszlo is the president of the Hungarian Cyclists' Federation and my god is he ever inspiring to talk to. So passionate about mainstreaming cycling in Hungary and promoting cycling positively.

Here's a gentleman in his 'kippah' rolling confidently through the streets.

Here's a Dane on the right, my colleague Troels, who was also speaking at the conference. One of Denmark's most experienced traffic planners for bicycles, together with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter.


And here's yours truly in a demonstratively slow exhibition of Style Over Speed doing a lap at the Millenaris Velodrome. Slow Bicycle Movement indeed.

Budapest Cycle Chic

Here's some photos of Budapest Cycle Chic.

There is little effort in finding Cycle Chic in the city. They're taking to the bicycle in great numbers and in style.

Budapest Cycle Chic

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of attending a Cycle Chic fashion show with my friends from Hungary Cycle Chic. I was in Budapest attending a conference where I lectured about Marketing Bicycle Culture and then there was a massive critical mass bike ride and I wrapped up my trip to the Hungarian capital with this fashion show and party.

What a cracking time. The people at Hungarian Cycle Chic are a dedicated team doing everything they can to promote cycling positively and this fashion show is really only the tip of the iceberg. On Monday I attended a meeting they had about their project and it was brilliant to see how they approached it with not only passion and drive but the all-important sociology of how to encourage people to cycle more and how to mainstream urban cycling.


It was a packed house for the fashion show. Here's the stylist for the event on the left - amazing job she did - and here's a fashion writer for a online mag called Pink.hu.

And here's some schmuck from Copenhagen with Henritte from Hungarian Cycle Chic.

I was busy chatting and drinking red wine and filming as well as trying to shoot stills, so my photos weren't the main focus. But I like this one.

See the whole set of photos from the event in a slideshow right here.

And be sure to check out Hungarian Cycle Chic's website. They've uploaded photos from the event which are brilliant.

Cycle Chic Global Update

Here's some guest photos from the Cycle Chic Universe. Firstly, a birthday greeting from our friends at Hungarian Cycle Chic in Budapest. Thanks so much! CPH loves BP, too!



Another Cycle Chic website has appeared, this one in Bucharest, Romania. Thanks to Sorina, a journalist in Bucharest, for sending us these photos from the new blog that she started with some friends. It's called Portocala Mecanica - which means 'Clockwork Orange' in Romanian.

"Although this is not a very bike friendly city, I must say cycling is a very important part of my every day life, and it certainly makes it better.
I am writing to you because Copenhagencyclechic is one of the reasons I changed by approach on cycling, and, more than that, it is one of the reasons me and two of my friends decided to start our own cycle blog about cyclists in Bucharest and Romania. Although we are just starting up, we are really enthusiatic (obsessed, others say) about it :)"
Wonderful, Sorina! Thanks so much for letting us know. We look forward to more Cycle Chic from Romania!


Cycle Chic Bucharest.



Cycle Chic for Gents in Bucharest.

MORE AND MORE AND MORE
The Cycle Chic empire continues to grow, with others hopping on the Copenhagen bandwagon. Our radar has picked up some other newbies Stateside called Phoenix Cycle Chic and Los Angeles Cycle Chic. Check them out!

Cycling to the Vineyard in Portugal

A lovely guest photo from Portugal today. Milton sent in a photo he titled, "Mum and son at the vineyard", from a trip out the vines to check the ripeness of their grapes.

Milton writes:
"Although biking is mainly an urban phenomenon, it can exist and flourish in small villages, too. The bike is our means of transportation on our local trips, which includes trips to my hobby, the vineyard, near Aveiro, Portugal."

It's harvest time for Milton and his family. Follow his wine journey on his blog. Gets me all sentimental for the autumns I've spent picking grapes in France...

Here's wishing you a fruitful harvest, Milton.


And here's a photo from Budapest, sent it by a reader. It's from a ride on Earth Day 2008. Ahh. What a sight.