There are some very inspiring stories of how B-Track-B campaigns have been reaching out to their communities and especially to their schools to spread the message of cycling.

Denmark

Fredericia, in Denmark, is a great example of a city that has really stepped up to the challenge. There have been many successful events such as a bike relay race for companies, around the world in 80 days relay race for schools and free giveaways of bicycle helmets.

A recent event in Fredericia, CykleScore, focused on getting school pupils involved in the project. While cycling through the city, public school pupils collected points from 23 physical checkpoints and a handful of virtual checkpoints. Those with the most point won prizes for their class. The participants collected an impressive number of points with 15 on average. To finish up the successful event, the City Council organized a prize-giving ceremony for all the winning classes.

Portugal

B-Track-B in Portugal has also been working hard to promote cycling to school students. A new initiative focused on raising awareness was launched last month to great success. It aims to get students thinking about how they can use cycling as both a means of recreation and transport. 

Areal, B-Track-B’s partner organisation in Portugal, managed to engage four public schools; three from Quarteira and one from Almancil, which led to a total of 600 students actively participating. The approach of the campaign differed from school to school but they all shared the common goal of encouraging school children to cycle more regularly. In Almancil, Areal worked in conjunction with the physical education teacher to teach students cycling and road safety. This proved very effective in boosting their confidence. The campaign is far from over with Areal planning many more activities to get public schools involved in cycling.

By raising awareness at the school level, B-Track-B is encouraging cycle friendly attitudes from an early age. Ultimately, the ability of B-Track-B to keep motivating people is sustainable in the long-run because it is based on the winning combination of technology, health and competition.

If you are inspired by projects like these to set up something of your own, please get in contact with Henk Hendriks (Project Manager for B-Track-B, h.hendriks@ecf.com) and get started!