City Cycling 2023: Winners receive prizes

For Nicole Vallee and Jürgen Kemper, Stadtradeln was doubly worthwhile this year: the two are the winners of the first two prizes in the competition organised by the city of Bocholt for this year's Stadtradeln campaign.

City Cycling Awards Ceremony — Together, Anja Drachter from First Reisebüro Drachter (left), Sebastian Förster (westmünsterland SOLAR), Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff (3rd from left) and environmental officer Angela Theurich (4th from left) presented the two first prizes to Jürgen Kemper (2nd from left) and Louis Vallee (2nd from right), who accepted the prize on behalf of his mother.

On behalf of Nicole Vallee, her son Louis received the voucher for a balcony power plant from Westmünsterland SOLAR. Jürgen Kemper received a 1000 euro voucher from the First Reisebüro Drachter in Bocholt. All cyclists who cycled more than 150 kilometres during the campaign period took part in the competition for the first prizes.

Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff congratulated the winners. "Of course, we hope that many people from Bocholt, just like you, have just given up their everyday journeys by car in addition to the extensive cycling tours for the campaign", said Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff.

He presented the prizes together with organiser Angela Theurich as well as Gerogor A. Pirazzoli from Westmünsterland SOLAR and Anja Drachter, managing director of the travel agency of the same name.

Three vouchers for the Biomarkt Bocholt worth 100 euros each went to Petra van Bruck, Ali Mahmoodi and Veronika Zieminski.

This is active climate protection that is fun.

Environmental Officer Angela Theurich

Records for Bocholt

In total, the people of Bocholt cycled almost 640,000 kilometres - a peak value that is significantly higher than the result of the previous record year 2022. At that time, it was 472,000 kilometres, which corresponds to an increase of 35 percent. This means that Bocholt is currently in second place nationwide in the category up to 100,000 inhabitants, topped only by Rheine (Steinfurt district). In third place is Bamberg, where kilometres can still be added. (Status: 4 July)

The number of participants in 2023 is also at a record level: more than 2600 people from Bocholt joined the chain: that is almost 500 more than in the previous record year of participants in 2017. At that time, the district administration had closed the B67 between Bocholt and Borken to cars and opened it for bicycles, which additionally motivated thousands of cyclists throughout the district to take part.

The most successful team in the 2023 city cycling event was the Liebfrauen Bocholt group with 170 participants and almost 53,000 kilometres. As a small token of appreciation, all participants in this group received a key ring.

"I would like to thank all the people of Bocholt who participated so enthusiastically and counted the kilometres. This is active climate protection that is fun," says environmental officer Angela Theurich. The award for the best Bocholt schools in this year's city cycling competition will take place in mid-September.

All results at www.stadtradeln.de/bocholt