Where there is a wheel, there is a way

It is essential that bicycling advocacy is proactively visible in making a societal input in efforts to incorporate active mobility as a legitimate means of public mobility and transportation, either through Critical Mass rides or communal rides, both of which work perfectly if applied adequately. Even rural communities can successfully employ some elements of the rides after customized adjustments.    

These factors are crucial to the active mobility advocacy repertoire, especially in tactical urbanism. What is tactical urbanism (a.k.a. do-it-yourself, DIY)? Tactical urbanism is a fast, low-cost, social, action-oriented approach to making meaningful civic changes to neighborhoods, towns, and cities. It uses short-term pop-up projects to showcase an urban change, often led by citizens’ initiatives and protest groups.  

Mike Lydon, who coined the term several years ago, described it as: “short-term action for long-term gain,” which summarizes the approach accurately. In many cases, cyclists participate in charity rides to raise funds for societal needs, which often include office or corporate teams maximizing their effect. After adaptation, elements of tactical urbanism can be a great tool in enhancing suburbanization and ruralization, especially in destigmatizing the role of bicycles in rural communities in developing countries where bicycles are often not synonymous with wellbeing and personal wealth among young generations. 

On a Saturday night, 25 July 1896, over 100,000 San Franciscans watched 5,000 bicyclists with their decorated bikes protest to demand asphalt and improve roads (“better roads”) on the city's Market Street and beyond. This resulted in a successful outcome two years later as Market Street, the city's spine, was paved.  

It took 101 years for San Francisco to witness cyclists utilize Market Street on another 25 July in 1997, this time for a Critical Mass Ride to celebrate bicycles. Critical Mass has been an excellent platform for social expression. The concept was conceived and coined in September 1990 in San Francisco.  

Critical Mass is not a protest but a demonstration. A protest demands change but a demonstration mainly focuses on raising awareness and celebrating. The first documented rides, precursors to Critical Mass, were bicycle tours with an ecological agenda in Stockholm, Sweden, in the early 1970s. However, the first Critical Mass ride occurred in San Francisco on Friday, 25 September 1992, at 6 pm. Since then, over 400 cities worldwide have experienced the Critical Mass rides.  

With a different historical purpose, military parades between World War I and World War II included bicycle troops as essential participants in cycling events. The first documented display of soldiers parading on bikes occurred in 1914. Sweden was among the forerunners of bicycle technology for military use, and the 27th Gotland Infantry Regiment replaced its cavalry with bicycle-mounted troops in 1901.  

Besides these grandiose events, community bicycle rides have been crucial in educating and influencing attitudes about active mobility in specific neighborhoods. Similar forms of active advocacy are events like car-free days. Recently, bike-to-work days have been gaining popularity around the world. Nowadays, the Bike Bus is also a flourishing novelty. The Bike Bus is a group of children who ride their bicycles to school following a route with stops and timetables. It makes them happier, more awake, and ready to learn when they get to school. It originated in Brecht, Belgium, in 1998 and was organized by a school and a group of parents. 

Professor Leszek Sibilski delivers a speech at the 2024 Cycling Shimanami in Japan on 26 October, 2024.

On 12 April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a long overdue Resolution declaring 3 June as World Bicycle Day. It was a significant benchmark for all who treasure and celebrate bicycles. Interestingly, the 2016 seminar of the Scientists for Cycling, organized on the sidelines of the Velo-City Global Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, overwhelmingly recognized that car-free days carry negative connotations; therefore, World Bicycle Day would fit better into global messaging in promoting bicycles.   

With the development of mass running events, cycling followed the global trend of creating mass bicycle events that further inspire an active life for all. “There’s no better way to unify cyclists from around the globe than through mass cycling events,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York.  “With thousands of cyclists from 65 countries participating in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, this thrilling ride symbolizes inclusion, unity, and friendship. And like New York City itself, it’s a microcosm of the world and a multi-cultural celebration of diversity.” 

Japan’s majestic “Cycling Shimanami,” which is a bicycle event that takes place on the Shimanami Kido, allows enthusiasts to fully immerse themselves in the charms of the region, including the unique feeling of cycling along the main expressway, all while taking in the magnificent scenery of the Seto Island Sea. Participants also experience delicious local food and the warm hospitality of the local people who reside along the route. “Cycling Shimanami” has been held every two years since 2014 and is attended by many people from both Japan and overseas.  

Recently, we learned about the cancellation of the 2025 RideLondon, a mass ride in London. "We feel the time is right to take a pause this year and bring all stakeholders together to work on a new concept for the world’s greatest festival of cycling," Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, said in a press release. "We have now staged ten hugely successful editions of the event which has inspired more than 300,000 people to get back on a bike or cycle more and also raised more than £85 million for charity. 

We have now staged ten hugely successful editions of the event which has inspired more than 300,000 people to get back on a bike or cycle more and also raised more than £85 million for charity. 

- Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events

 "No event in 2025 means that we can focus on a full strategic review of RideLondon, which was first held as a London 2012 Olympic legacy event back in 2013 and design a new concept that will engage more riders of all ages and abilities and inspire hundreds of thousands more people to cycle more often." This disappointing news for many bicycle advocates may be an indication that the world of "cycling for all' is morphing from monumental mass cycling events into smaller (pocket size) communal rides. Time will tell, but both types serve to promote active mobility in different settings.  

"The DC Bike Ride aims to showcase and promote the accessibility and joy of biking for everyone," says Chris Browne, Managing Director of the DC Bike Ride. "Our mission is to make bike riding more inspiring, safe, accessible, and fun for people of all ages and with various abilities. With the support of our corporate partners and leadership of the local government, we've been able to promote the health and environmental benefits of cycling and bike safety and make cycling events like ours more affordable, particularly to marginalized communities. We are dedicated to making this event a showcase of inclusivity, health, and community spirit. We look forward to welcoming our community back to have fun and make an impact this year." In the end, the 2024 DC Bike Ride was an enthusiastic outpouring of devotees of the wheel based on the author and his colleagues' observations.   

This article's title and last sentence come from media coverage of the 25 July 1896 protest in San Francisco, and they still fit perfectly. Infrastructure is a never-ending problem for bicycle advocates, and its systematic growth on all six inhabited continents, including countries with poorer roads and limited cycling history.