Among C40, all but 8 of them are in developing countries, “the quality of life for hundreds of millions will be partly determined by the ease with which they can travel and commute through densely-populated, sprawling conurbations”[2]. Mayors, urban planners and politicians around the world are desperately looking for solutions that can relieve cars pressure on the roads. However, especially in the developing countries, many times the problem for ‘cyclist’ is “the idea of who ‘cyclists’ are. Until the idea of a cyclist as the sports person or as a poor man is removed from the equation, very few authorities are going to support cycle oriented development”[3]. In developing countries bicycle is already a widespread mode of transport, especially amongst the poor, but there is not or insufficient infrastructural support. Moreover, it is clearly emerging a divide between the ramshackle bicycles of poor and the shiny BMXs, road bikes and E-bikes of middle and high classes. The result is that cycling infrastructures are often designed for fun and sport activities, instead of being functional transport arteries. The lack of infrastructures is also a deterrent for many people to use bicycles every day who feel highly unsafe.

The city of Rio de Janeiro, even though is not recognized as a megacity when compared to São Paulo, has almost 13 million inhabitants and it can claim to have one of the largest cycle networks in the country with 418 km of cycle lanes[4]. Although the city needs to face serious congestion problems (especially during rush hours) and high pollution levels, there is a raising attention about cycling. In this regard, Rio can count on a solid and combative community of NGOs and civil society that are promoting cycling as an alternative mode of transport, a proactive municipality and an expanding cycling culture. The symbol of the ‘fight’ towards a more sustainable transport model is the decision to organize car-free Sundays in certain areas of the city. The municipality also supported the initiative “Rio Capital Bike Program”, a program to mitigate gas emissions and promoting alternative mode of transports.

The close link to cycling is also evidence by the fact that every day in Copacabana alone (South-Zone of Rio) 11.000 deliveries are made by bike. Changes are also occurring in terms of safety initiatives; Transporte Ativo (one of the most influential bike organizations in Rio) strongly promoted along with the municipality the extension of 30 km/h zones in order to guarantee cyclists’ safety. Even if critical situations still remain, as for example insufficient cycle paths, dangerous intersections, car-oriented road signalling and armed attacks against cyclists, there is an optimistic outlook for the future. The number of cyclists is constantly increasing[5] and the enthusiasm for cycling (also amongst tourists) stands out from the success of the bike sharing system (5.6 million trips as of 2016), the very first in the whole southern hemisphere.