World Bike Day: why it’s celebrated today and what are the health benefits

It is known that doing moderate intensity physical activities, such as playing sports, walking and cycling, has great health benefits and being active all day, regardless of age, helps to maintain and achieve recommended activity levels.

In recognition of the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, used for two centuries, is a sustainable means of transport, simple, accessible, reliable, clean and ecological which contributes to environmental management and benefits health, the United Nations General Assembly (UN) has decided to declare the June 3, World Cycling Day.

One of the main promoters of this initiative was the American-Polish sociologist Leszek SibilskI, who led a campaign to make visible the need for the UN to declare World Bike Day.

Born in 1958 in Jarocin, Poland, Sibyl he trained in track cycling between 1971 and 1983. He was national junior champion in sprint as well as in distances of 500 and 1000 meters and He was a member of a national team in his country. In 1976 he was voted Cyclist of the Year by the Polish Olympic Committee and, although he did not pursue his professional career, was active in the promotion of sport. It was particularly devoted to improving the situation of athletes with disabilities in developing countries and to the participation of minorities in sport. He participated in the torch relay of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

In 2015, with the publication of an article entitled Cycling is everyone’s business, Sibilski has launched a popular campaign to establish a cycling day. It received the formal support of the Representation of Turkmenistan to the United Nations. On April 12, 2018, the resolution establishing June 3 as World Cycling Day was supported by 193 countries, including 56 co-sponsors.

The resolution seeks to highlight and encourage the use of cycling as a means to promote sustainable development, strengthen the education of children and young people, including physical education, promote health, prevent disease, promote tolerance, understanding and respect and facilitate social inclusion and a culture of peace.

The UN document states, among other things, Member States are encouraged to pay particular attention to cycling in cross-sectoral development strategies and to include it in international, regional, national and subnational development policies and programs., if applicable; adopt best practices and ways to promote cycling among all members of society, including initiatives to organize bike rides at national and local levels as a means of enhancing physical and mental health and well-being and to develop a culture of cycling in society; Yes improve road safety and integrate it into the planning and design of sustainable mobility and transport infrastructure, including through the adoption of policies and measures to actively protect and promote pedestrian safety and bicycle mobility, with a view to achieving broader health outcomes, in particular the prevention of injuries and noncommunicable diseases.

Without going any further, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), providing a safe infrastructure for physical activities, such as changing or cycling, is the way to achieve greater equity in health. For the poorest urban areas, which cannot afford to buy their own vehicle, the bicycle can become their means of transport. At the same time, may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, diabetes and even death.

Does physical exercise with the use of the bicycle helps protect joints and burn calories, fights back pain, strengthens the immune system and lowers cortisol levels, a stress hormone.

Meeting the needs of urban cyclists and pedestrians therefore remains crucial to solving the mobility problems of cities, to mitigate the increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to population growth and to improve the quality of air traffic and road safety. .

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