Mai à vélo: Get involved in France’s month-long celebration of cycling
Free, family-friendly cycling events are organised throughout May, as well as a national challenge to see which area can cycle the furthest
A second annual celebration of cycling is taking place in France this month
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People in France are being encouraged to get on their bikes this month as part of the second edition of Mai à vélo, a national event aimed at developing cycling around the country.
It runs throughout May with several cycling-related events organised in many towns and cities.
There are bike rides, road safety workshops, repair workshops, film screenings and general meetups. Many of the events are free, family friendly and accessible to all levels.
You can see what events are planned in your area on the event’s website here.
Alongside these events, there is a national-level cycling challenge.
Cyclists will compete to see which area of France can chalk up the most kilometres. It is run through the phone application Geovelo.
Last year, for the inaugural Mai à vélo, Grand Poitiers finished first in the area category, with 150,000 to 300,000 inhabitants taking part and a combined 22,708km cycled.
To get involved, find the nearest challenge checkpoint to you on the interactive map here, and then contact the organisation cited. For example, people wanting to join in Nice can email nice.a.velo@gmail.com for more information.
The yearly event has been brought together by France’s Ministry of Ecological Transition and Ministry of Sports along with various cycling organisations.
The Ministry of Ecological Transition said that the event is “one month to discover cycling in all its forms, the rest of the year to adopt it and use it”.
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