Bicycle
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
Albert Einstein, Scientist
Especially between the years of 1950-1958, bicycles were used as a common vehicle of transportation in Cyprus. The absence of infrastructure and the prevalence of motor vehicles have reduced bicycle use and turned cycling into a dangerous way of transport due to reckless drivers and inadequate road conditions. Bicycles, which are colloquially known as “velesbit” or “belesbit”, were developed in France 200 years ago and continue to be used as a popular medium of transport in various places around the world. Bicycles are much more practical to travel short distances within cities and also provide an advantage for parking which is an issue in our country.
Although many initiatives have been taken, bicycle roads have been constructed by municipalities and activities and campaigns have been organized to promote the use of bicycles, in order to create a bicycle friendly Cyprus, it is important to gain the support of local authorities and raise awareness on the use of bicycles and bicycle paths.
The advantages of “velesbit”:
- It is nature-friendly
- It is one of the best solutions to traffic issues and does not result in parking problems
- It is enjoyable
- It increases self confidence
- It is a great way to reduce stress
- It promotes health and fitness.
Applications which allow bicycle users to add and share their routes are also used in Cyprus. Applications which help you find and share routes are as follows:
BikeMap:
By signing up for this platform, you may view, download and add routes.
Wikiloc:
This website is used to share and discover outdoor activity (hiking, cycling and other activities) routes.
For Bicycle Routes:
https://tr.wikiloc.com/rotalari/bisiklet
For Mountain Bike Routes:
https://tr.wikiloc.com/rotalari/dag-bisikleti/cyprus
Northern Part of Cyprus Bicycle Routes Facebook Page:
This facebook page created by Dr. Kandemir Berova promotes cycling culture and provides support to people who would like to see the island from a different perspective.
https://www.facebook.com/ncycycling/
Cycling organisations have been initiated in Nicosia for a Cyprus without borders and barriers. In order to cycle as a family, experience a bike tour without barriers or rent a bicycle, you may contact and become a part of the organisation by clicking the following links:
Cyclists Across Barriers
https://www.facebook.com/pg/cabscyprus/about/?ref=page_internal
BiCy – Bicycle Taxi