The Olympics four years ago in London were a huge success. And cycling was an important means of transportation in the city during the games. Now Rio de Janeiro is following in London’s footsteps. With a few months to go until the start of the Summer Games, cycling in Rio de Janeiro is improving every day. Let the Games begin!
What's it like to cycle in a tropical city by the sea like Rio, I hear you ask. Find out for yourself by joining on of their daily tours. Of course, it’s warm. Not too hot though, during springtime. Nothing like the summer when temperatures rise to 40 degrees easily – as pointed out in the famous song ‘Rio 40 graus’ by Fernanda Abreu. At this time of year you're kept cool by a pleasant sea breeze. The famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema are still empty, but it almost seems as if they are waiting with open arms, beckoning the people to fill them.
The Rio by Bike guide is full of energy, talking to his group of travellers of all different nationalities. We start in Copacabana. This famous and busy neighbourhood nowadays offers us bike lane after bike lane.
Brazilians have always liked biking, but more as a sport. Sometimes they would go on a short ride just for fun, around the lake Rodrigo Freitas for example. But to use a bike as transportation, to go to work was - and still is - something highly unusual. The bike culture in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro is relatively young, so people still have to get used to the idea. You can ring a bell, but often pedestrians won’t even recognize the sound since it’s not in their system yet.
The cycle paths continue until Botafogo, where we stop at the so-called 'celebrity cemetery'. From there we cycle through a beautiful park, along the beach of Flamengo, to reach the historical city centre - an area of around 15 kilometres. We ride in the red bike lanes made by the government, many made especially in preparation for the impending Olympics.
Exploring a new city by bike, with the wind in your ears, is an amazing experience. And especially useful at the beginning of your trip, to get your bearings for the rest of your stay. The incredible views, the anecdotes from the guide, and the unexpected bike infrastructure in Rio, make cycling all in all a fantastically fun activity. “It is a great way to get to know the city in a short time. Biking is not to slow and not to fast. You can experience everything”, smiles the guide. “In a van or bus you miss the personal touch, get stuck in traffic jams and when you walk you see lots of details, but you can only cover a limited area. On the bike you get the best of both.”
More and more the government in Rio realizes that cycling can help the city in two ways. Firstly, to improve transportation, since an increase in cyclists means fewer cars on the road. And secondly tourism. Rio de Janeiro is trying to promote itself as the bike city of South America. And with almost 450 kilometres of cycle paths, it has the biggest bike infrastructure of all the cities in South America.
Many of my fellow participants on the tour are surprised how cycle friendly this city already is. 95 per cent of the tour takes place along cycle lanes, and through so many different neighbourhoods. Rio is much more than Copacabana and Ipanema, and the bike tour shows you that.
So when visiting Rio de Janeiro, do not only think of sun, beaches, football and samba, but also remember cycling. Exploring lesser known, but interesting neighbourhoods by bicycle. Exploring Rio de Janeiro by bike will definitely give you a unique experience when discovering this fascinating city.
This was a guest post brought to you by Jan Willem Zeldenrust, co-owner of Rio by Bike Tours
Contact: contact@riobybike.com
Telephone: +55 21 968718933