Everyone, get on your bicycles and ride!

It is no surprise to anyone in France, Austria, or Poland to see as many bicycles as cars on the roads. One can also see there bike lanes and bike parking lots along the sidewalks in every town. In order to have the same in Ukraine at some point in the future and make cycling fashionable and popular, the All-Ukrainian Population Physical Health Center called “Sport for Everybody” has held an annual nationwide cycle relay race for five years now. This year it will take place on September 2–12. The main thing is not the number of participants or the distance covered, but the fact that the event is an appeal to lead a healthy lifestyle.

“The final race is timed to take place on The Day of Physical Culture and Sports, which will be marked on September 12 for the first time in Ukraine on the initiative of the Ministry for Family, Youth, and Sports. Therefore, our task is to draw people’s attention to their health condition and help them adopt an active lifestyle — at least ride a bicycle … to work and for recreation, etc.,” said Maksym Kushniruk, deputy head of the Marketing Department at “Sport for Everybody.”

“This year the event looks to attract as many people as last year: 300 people will officially participate. However, the total number may be considerably higher, because we have not taken in account those people who will join voluntarily. The participants are going to cover about 100 kilometers a day, and the relays in each direction of the marathon (west, east, and south) will extend to a total of 800 kilometers.”

Since it is not the first time that a bicycle race is held in Ukraine, already there are positive results, the organizers assert. For example, in the last five years the number of young people engaged in cycling has considerably increased. According to Kushniruk, another positive indicator is that schoolchildren join their marathon: a 12-year-old participant was the youngest one last year. And since the cycle relay race coincides with the beginning of the school year, this stimulates schools to hold their own cycle races.

“Ukraine badly needs these kinds of events. First, cycling is extremely healthy. You don’t even need to go to a gym in order to keep in good health. You only need to get on your bicycle and ride. Cycling helps develop all muscles of your body — your back, legs, arms, and abdomen. Cycling is also useful for breathing. Second, if people change their way of transportation by switching to bikes, this will ease the traffic in the streets.

“Ukraine is far behind other European countries like Denmark, Holland, and Sweden, where bikes are the second most widely used means of transportation. We have to wait for another 10 to 15 years,” said Volodymyr Suprun, senior coach at Ukraine’s Cycling Federation.

“In order to make cycling popular, we need propaganda campaigns and financial support from the state. Take our federation alone: this year we have received only two million hryvnias from the budget. This sum will only be enough for our sportsmen to take part in international competitions because, for example, a ticket to the World Championship in Australia costs $1,200, let alone the expenses for uniforms, new bikes, and training. Therefore, the lack of money does not allow us to popularize the sport, although our regional offices do their utmost to engage children and young people in hobby and sports groups.”

Experts say that the benefits of cycling include money saved on gas (for those who own a car), independence of public transport, and the good shape you will whip yourself into. Your can start even today.