Bocholt collects over 675,000 kilometres by bike

Bocholt residents have once again pedalled hard in this year's city cycling campaign. After the end of the three-week campaign period on 21 May, almost 675,000 kilometres have already been cycled. However, the final result is still pending: Participants have until 28 May to register their rides.

The evaluation has not yet been completed, but the city of Bocholt is already drawing a first positive conclusion from this year's city cycling campaign. Almost 675,000 kilometres have been collected so far. Experience shows that many more kilometres will be added in the coming days, as supplements are possible until 28 May.

In a nationwide comparison of medium-sized municipalities with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, Bocholt is currently in first place. The city of Tübingen is currently in second place with around 537,000 kilometres - although the campaign is still ongoing there.

The number of participants is particularly pleasing for the organisers. A total of 388 teams with 4,013 active cyclists took part. This represents an increase of more than 30 per cent compared to the previous year. "I didn't expect such a significant increase in active cyclists - that's fantastic. We are more than satisfied with this", says Sascha Terörde from the City of Bocholt's Climate Protection Department. "The goal of getting citizens even more enthusiastic about cycling has been achieved."

The changeable weather in the second and third week of the campaign probably prevented a possible kilometre record. While an average of between 20,000 and 30,000 kilometres were collected per day on sunny days, the figure dropped noticeably to around 10,000 kilometres on rainy days.

For Karsten Tersteegen, brand representative of the Bocholt Economic Development Agency, the campaign once again confirms the special significance of the bicycle in the city: "Bocholt is a cycling Mecca. This was once again impressively demonstrated. The city can confidently present this profile to the outside world."

The organisers would like to point out that automatic tracking via the Stadtradeln app did not always work reliably during the first week of the campaign at the beginning of May. Participants should therefore check this period and add any missing kilometres manually. If you need help with this, please email klimaschutz(at)bocholt(dot)de or call 02871 953-3002. Handwritten kilometre lists are also accepted by the Climate Protection Office at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße 52-58.

Award for the winning cities in autumn

At the end of the nationwide campaign, the most bicycle-friendly municipalities in Germany will be honoured in the autumn. Last year, Bocholt took first place among the medium-sized cities. Whether the title can be defended will be decided after the final evaluation in the coming weeks.

Further information is available at www.bocholt.de/stadtradeln and at www.stadtradeln.de .