Achievements of the BICIMUGI project in 2021

BICIMUGI’s objective is to promote cycling mobility in rural areas, makingEuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques to Navarra safer and more attractive. This route will form a backbone from which the partners plan to develop a network of loops to link towns and villages together. The project was launched in January 2020 and experienced some delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many actions started to get momentum in 2021, especially in the Autumn!

You can find out more about this project on the dedicated website, www.bicimugi.eu, and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Axis “Encouraging cycling mobility in rural areas” – BICIMUGI present at international conferences and fairs to raise awareness on the importance of cycling mobility

First of all, the BICIMUGI project was present at CICLOBCN21, the EuroVelo and Cycling Tourism Conference 2021 which took place on 6 October in Barcelona. In the session “Promoting cycle tourism in natural areas”, Micaela García-Etxeberria from NASUVINSA gave a presentation on sustainable territorial development, also talking about the promotion of cycling to a target audience of women, schoolchildren, elderly and disabled people. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/ciclobcn.

In Navarra, the project was presented to the participants in the fair “Navarrefa: opportunities for cross-border cooperation” that was held on 28-29 October in the Navarra Conference Centre and Auditorium in Baluarte in Pamplona. The aim of the Navarrefa fair was to showcase the 70 Interreg POCTEFA projects that have been developed in the Autonomous Community between 2014 and 2020. In this framework, NASUVINSA presented to the participants the project’s actions either ongoing or already carried out during the project. About 200 people attended the exhibition. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/navarrefa.

The aim of these awareness-raising activities is to promote cycling as soft mobility. Priority is given to the organisation of practical workshops on cycling and bicycle mechanics, dedicated to the specific target groups identified by the project. Their scope is either the Navarra municipalities that are crossed by the EuroVelo 3 - Pilgrims Route for local activities, or Europe as a whole for international conferences.

Axis “Building a cycling backbone between Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Navarra, based on EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route, with a network of structuring cycling loops” – Ongoing infrastructure and structuring works

The Community of the Region of Pamplona started to work on the adaptation of their section of the route in the region of Pamplona. The aim of this work is to ensure a sustainable connectivity between localities in order to maintain the links between rural and urban areas, in ways that are respectful to the environment. Care is also taken to revalue natural spaces make them accessible to the citizens. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/mancomunidad.

The Basque Country Tourist Board is completing an identification of the main cycling routes from and around EuroVelo 3. This will lead to the design of a "Basque Country by bike" cycling map including all the routes, whether they target road cycling, family cycling or cyclocross. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/otpv.

Axis “Experimenting around pedagogy and change of practices, including diverse publics such as people with reduced mobility and youth” – awareness programs, specific sports events, etc

NASUVINSA is developing an extensive awareness program for different audiences around EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route, from September 2021 to May 2022. This awareness program is addressing more specifically students, women, elderly people and people with disabilities. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/sensibilizacion.

On the sports’ side, the BICIMUGI project is promoting cycling for people with reduced mobility. This year, Transpyr 2021, one of the most famous mountain bike races which links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean in seven days, brought together a group of ten athletes with disabilities. The group completed the first two stages of the race, from St-Jean-de-Luz to Oloron Ste-Marie. A commitment has already been made with Transpyr, the athletes and all the partners to re-launch the operation in 2022.

This action was supported by the Pyrénées Atlantiques department, the tourism agency (ADT64) and the Departmental Committee for Adapted Sports. The aim was to demonstrate that, with certain facilities, cycling routes, including mountain bike ones, and the events that take place on them are accessible to all. See also www.bicimugi.eu/pages/transpyr.

The BICIMUGI project is co-funded by the Interreg POCTEFA Programme and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).