The representatives of two Danube Transnational Programme projects – SABRINA and Danube Cycle Plans – in collaboration with the EuroVelo coordinators have prepared a joint event ‘Cycling to Velo-city 2022 along the EuroVelo 9 route - promoting safe cycling in the Danube area’ under the slogan “Cooperation - for more people cycling”. We started our journey earlier today in Vienna and are planning to arrive in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, on Sunday, 12 June 2022. The biggest cycling summit, the Velo-city conference, where both projects will be present as well, will begin on 14 June 2022. 

The cyclists will follow the EuroVelo 9 route, which we have inspected for safety in the framework of the SABRINA project, connecting cities along the way and promoting the need for safer and more enjoyable cycling routes. Each partner of this joint event is meeting their objectives through the ride from a different perspective but with a common goal. 

SABRINA project focuses on road infrastructure safety for cyclists as one of the most vulnerable road users. Its main goal is to help decision-makers plan, design, and implement safe and sustainable solutions for improved cycling infrastructure in the Danube region. One of the main project activities was the safety cycling infrastructure inspections measuring how safe the respective routes are for cyclists and what could be done to prevent deadly accidents and serious injuries amongst cyclists. Biking on the inspected routes from Vienna to Ljubljana will show user experience hand in hand with the results of the surveys. More at the project's webpage, Twitter or Facebook account. 

Danube Cycle Plans project aims to take the Pan European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion, the first supranational document on cycling policy transcending the EU from paper and put it into practice.  By symbolically bringing the Vienna declaration, approved in May 2021, from Vienna, where it was accepted, to Ljubljana, where the largest world conference on cycling, Velo-city 2022, will take place, they want to promote the most ambitious plan of the agreement, doubling cycling levels by 2030. The project’s main goal is to have more people cycling in the Danube region. To encourage more people to hop on their bikes, the project has recognized three tools: the well-developed Danube Cycling Strategy, better cycling infrastructure, and increasing the awareness of relevant stakeholders about the needs of cyclists with their improved capacity to promote cycling. More at the project's webpage. 

EuroVelo COORDINATORS have an aim to raise awareness of the need for improved infrastructure and supporting services, enhanced marketing and long-term management agreement for the entire route. EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycle routes connecting and uniting the whole European continent. The routes can be used by cycle tourists as well as by local people making daily journeys. EuroVelo currently comprises 17 routes totaling over 90,000km of cycling itineraries. The ride from Vienna to Velo-city 2022 in Ljubljana will follow the EuroVelo 9 route. Starting in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea it stretches for 2050 km through 6 countries (Poland, Czechia, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Croatia), reaching its final destination in Pula on the Adriatic coast. This route is sometimes called the Amber Route as historically the precious stone amber, found in the Baltic region, was taken by routes such as this to the Mediterranean Sea!

We know together we can achieve more. Our goal for this event is promoting steps needed for safe and enjoyable cycling for commuters, recreational cyclists and tourists alike.

Organizing this multinational event wouldn’t be possible without incredible cooperation with local partners in Austria and Slovenia: Radlobby, Radkompetenz and klimaaktiv from Austria; Slovenian Cycling Network, Municipality of Maribor and Regional development agency Podravje from Slovenia.