A text by Nuno Catarino.
"It would be great if there was no activism, it would be a sign that the city had perfect conditions, and that motorists knew how to live in healthy coexistence with the bicycle, and then we wouldn't need to make any more demands for changes. But until we get there, we still have a long way to go."
I started using bicycle as a means of transportation in the city of Lisbon in 2012, when a co-worker offered me an old bicycle. That was his main means of transportation and he insisted that I try it too. The one he gave me, a kind of mountain bike with a red frame, was lying around the house for a while, until I finally decided to clean it and fix it up.
Before venturing into the middle of the city traffic, something that still seemed risky to me, I started by reviewing the highway code, I looked for recommendations about pedaling in the city, I studied routes. After trying it, I quickly realized that it was not very complicated, I remembered that pedaling was an activity that I had always enjoyed and that I should never have abandoned.
"Lisbon has a huge advantage: around here there are far fewer rainy days."
As I hit the streets, I also started to deconstruct the myths about bicycles in Lisbon. The city of the "Seven Hills" is not as impossible to cross as some people still make it out to be; not all of our daily routes go over hills, we don't always have to climb hills; it is possible to cross the capital always flat, from Parque das Nações to Algés (and, if we want to, to Carcavelos), always by the river. On routes where you have to cross several climbs, the gears can be helpful; and in cases of impossible climbs, there is no shame in taking the bike by the hand and picking up the pedal when the going gets less steep. As a last resort, electric bicycles can be an alternative.
Lisbon (and most of the country) has a huge advantage when compared to other European cities, which have a greater use of the bicycle: here there are far fewer rainy days (and rarely snow), it is a city almost always bathed in sunshine.
Like many people, the bicycle was part of my childhood and adolescence. In the village where I was born and lived until I started college, in Fonte Boa, municipality of Esposende, the bicycle was always there: between the village, the Cávado river and the Ofir beach, it was always there.
First was the BMX. There were two at home, received for Christmas: mine was red and yellow, and my brother's, two years younger, was blue and white. The passion for this first real bike was not limited to pedaling, to the simple movement. We were fascinated by jumps with ramps, with the thrill of the climb, that small moment when the bike is suspended in the air, then the descent and the return to normality - and in between there were also many falls and their marks.
In our early teens, we moved on to all-terrain bikes (ATBs), which were fashionable in the 1980s. Once again, there were two of us, my purple one and my brother's green one. If with the BMX bikes we only rode around the house on small rides (and ramps), with the MTBs we started to ride longer rides, especially to the river, almost 2 kms away from home, which was a serious distance for those who only rode in our huge patio.
"The bicycle was a family tradition."
Near the river, we would make an obligatory stop at the ADRC Fonte Boa soccer field, the Cedro Field, where the gate was always open, and we would take advantage of the playing field to simulate dribbling, shoot at the goal, and repeat immortal plays - like that free kick at the 1994 World Cup, where Maradona made a surprisingly short pass to Caniggia, who, from outside the area, made a magnificent arch shot. Not having a particular talent for soccer, he often stood in goal, imitating his idol Sebastiano Rossi, goalkeeper of AC Milan, the best team in the world at that time, alongside FC Barcelona. Despite everything, in my opinion, they were still below Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and right after that World Cup the huge Claudio Caniggia went to play at Estádio da Luz.
After soccer, we would cycle to Barca do Lago, a fluvial beach on the Cávado river, where we would swim, risk crossing the river and, above all, practice flashy dives.
The bicycle was a family tradition. Also Grandpa Gabriel, who always lived in the house with us, always pedaled, every day. It was his means of transportation. On Sunday mornings I would go to Ofir beach, 4 km away - a distance that seemed far away when I was a teenager and, on a road with more traffic, we didn't risk doing. But the rides to the river were daily and made those vacation months eternal summers. When I was 18 I got my license, moved to a city with a good transportation network and started using the subway and buses. The bicycle was not used by almost anyone, it was not considered an alternative means of transportation. I didn't go back to cycling.
Almost twenty years later, as I got back on my bike, I realized that there is, on the part of a majority of motorists, an animosity, or even a certain hatred, for bicycles. And I realized that the problem of the Portuguese with the bicycle is historical and cultural. On the one hand, there is still a certain prevailing idea that this is a poor person's thing and that a family needs to have cars, several, the more the better. Having cars, new cars, expensive brand cars, is a sign of economic prosperity - and we all see it with our families and with our friends.
"The automobile has become the only possibility of commuting for many, especially outside the big cities."
There is also a car-dependency that was the direct result of wrong public policies. Since the 1980s, and especially during the cavaquism early-90sThere has been investment in roads and highways (some essential, yes), while at the same time there has been brutal disinvestment in the railroad. Thus, today many localities are completely isolated, only accessible by car - which limits the life of all those who can't, won't and/or don't like to drive.
The car has become the only means of transportation for many people, for work and leisure, especially outside the big cities, and especially in the countryside, where the public transportation network service is minimal (when it exists). But even in the cities, for many, it is absolutely unthinkable to go shopping without taking the car, it is unthinkable to take children to school without using a car, it is unthinkable to go on vacation without a car, it is unthinkable to go to the coffee shop 500 meters away without taking the car.
It is not an exaggeration, it is a culture that exists and is well ingrained in the nature of being Portuguese (and not only, but here the focus is on local experience). This car culture makes many people not consider alternative forms of transportation, like the bicycle. I got my license at 18, like almost everyone else of my generation, because we were taught that it was unthinkable to live without a car (and living in Esposende is difficult without a car). I have never owned a car, but for a few years I drove a car that belonged to my parents. There are times when the car is an easier and faster solution, but most of the time, especially in cities, you can get to the same places with alternatives. There are situations where the car can be important, like an urgent trip to the hospital, but with the current offer of cabs and TVDE (Uber, Bolt and the like), which solve these occasional situations, it is possible to live without using a private car.
Cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam should be examples that push public policies towards soft mobility - which finally seems to be starting to happen in Lisbon in a more serious way. Despite the fact that in the urban centers of Lisbon and Porto there is no lack of reasonably efficient public transportation (metro, buses, trains, boats), in Portugal there is still the idea that public transportation is a poor man's thing, almost always preferring the use of the private car.
"In Portugal you still get the idea that public transportation is a poor man's thing."
The massification of TVDE services, with more competitive prices than cabs, has begun to change (for some) the idea of mandatory private vehicle ownership, showing that the most important thing is to get from point A to point B, regardless of the means. In addition, these alternatives eliminate a very frequent problem in these big cities: parking.
Also, in many cases it pays not to be an owner, comparing the cost of the occasional trips with the inherent costs that owning a vehicle entails: fuel, insurance, Single Road Tax, parking, tolls, revisions and repairs, etc. O site autocustos.com allows you to calculate the expenses inherent to car ownership and presents a conclusion: the average total spending in Portugal is 3 941 € per year, representing an average burden equivalent to 1.4 months of salary.
The main reason I started cycling in the city was to be able to get around easily. Having the environmental advantage helped, and it would also be hard to deny the fact that at the time it started to become fashionable. Fashion affects us all and in all sectors and it is hard to ignore or be immune.
When I discovered the cycling universe, I fell in love with classic road bikes. And I realized that MTBs are a plague: besides being ugly, they are almost always used in the wrong context. For the city, it makes sense to use hybrid bikes, folding bikes, or road bikes (for rolling on tarmac). Strangely enough, MTBs are still among the most used bicycles by the Portuguese.
I also discovered the world fixed gear. Although I have not considered using the fixed wheel in everyday life, I was fascinated by its aesthetic universe. The bicycles singlespeed e fixie are similar: they have no gears, use a single speed, and are lighter, because they have fewer components. They differ because the singlespeed have the rear wheel free, and use normal brakes, while the fixed gear The rear wheel is connected to the pedal, so you never stop pedaling, only to brake or stop. The Movie Premium Rush (2012), starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, will also have contributed to the popularity of the phenomenon. The community fixie in Lisbon was quite visible, supported by the existence of the RodaGira store (responsible for most of the most beautiful bikes in town) and it was common to cross paths with many bikes fixie on the road.
"One of the best discoveries was going to the beach by bike, as I used to do in my childhood."
It was at RodaGira that, in 2012, I made my bike for real from a classic road bike type frame (Brick Lane Bikes) and with hand-picked components: cream frame, brown saddle and handlebars, brown tires. Classic and sober. I got a beautiful bike singlespeedWith just one speed, no gears, no useless accessories, less than 10 kg. It is true that having gears could help on some climbs but, in fact, on 90% courses they are unnecessary.
The fact that it is a particularly nice bike might arouse greed and lead to theft. However, over all these years I have always left the bike parked on the public road, wherever I go, always with a Kryptonyte U-Lock, and so far it has never been taken.
In addition to the routes commute (home-work trips) and the usual routes within the city (going to dinner, going to the movies, meeting friends, going to the Luz stadium, etc.), I also started making longer trips. One of the best discoveries was going to the beach by bicycle, as I used to do in my childhood and adolescence. Besides the possibility of going to the beaches along the Cascais line (it is possible to cycle to Oeiras), I found out that, by combining the bicycle with the Belém-Trafaria boat, it was easy to reach the beaches of Costa da Caparica. This became a regular outing, which I shared with several friends, and where I made others.
Another favorite route is to take the boat at Cais do Sodré and go to Cacilhas, ride through Almada to Monte da Caparica, and then ride down to Trafaria, following it to the beach - a physically more demanding route, but rewarding, especially for the fast curvy descent from Murfacém (do it carefully, friends).
I also tried riding along the north coast, taking the bike on the Renex bus and riding from Porto to Esposende, stopping at the side of the road to eat a francesinha, and going from Esposende to Viana do Castelo, to return after a well-deserved lunch at the O Camelo restaurant. An area where you can have good rides is Lezíria do Tejo, where you can pedal long stretches on secondary roads with no traffic, with the terrain almost always flat.
To a motorist, a cyclist is almost always seen as a hindrance. The average motorist has the idea that the road was made for motorized vehicles, and for them to be able to speed at will, and does not fit the possibility that the road has to be shared between everyone. The 2014 revision of the Highway Code recognized the importance of soft mobility and introduced new rules for bicycles. The obligation to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 meters when overtaking is still seen as something strange for the driver. For the cyclist, it's very important: it avoids traffic jams and possible accidents. To feel a vehicle passing you at 50 km/hour (or more), to feel a huge volume of metal at high speed just a few centimeters from your skin, scares anyone.
"Feeling a huge volume of metal at high speed just inches from our skin scares anyone."
If the cyclist takes their position in the center of the lane (the correct way to position themselves), whoever is going to overtake them will necessarily have to change lanes, as if overtaking another car. Sometimes, if there is a continuous dash and overtaking is prohibited, this will involve waiting until the opportunity to overtake arises. If it were a tractor, idling, the motorist would have to wait and would overtake when they had room. With a bicycle you should do the same, respecting the cyclist (without grumbling).
But this road rage it is not only for car drivers, but also for cyclists towards car drivers: it is difficult to make a bike trip in the middle of traffic without insulting - at least mentally - half a dozen car driversThis is because of their irresponsible attitudes, illegal conduct (raids, passing red lights), or general lack of civility or common sense.
As soon as we start cycling in the middle of traffic we feel the need to contribute to activism. Of course, there are other very important causes where we should get involved. At this moment, we are witnessing the return (no longer sneaky) of fascism, with visibility through the deep sewers that are the comment boxes of social networks, which amplify conversations that were previously reserved for the café. We cannot remain indifferent, it is important to fight the backlash, it is essential that we participate in all actions and demonstrations that promote equal rights, non-discrimination, and anti-racism, we must always be prepared to fight homophobia and inequality. It is important to be aware of and support causes, even those that do not touch us directly. It is important to participate in anti-racism demonstrations and the LGBTI+ Pride March, just as it is important to contribute to change in our daily lives, in conversations with close people, family and friends, deconstructing prejudices, contributing other perspectives.
"But this road rage is not exclusive to motorists, it also works on the part of cyclists towards motorists."
But participating in one cause does not imply devaluing another. Looking at mobility, we realize that the scales are very unbalanced and public policies have to be imposed to balance the plates. Besides being cyclists, we gain awareness as a pedestrian, we realize that space for movement is limited, that abusive parking is tolerated, that strollers, children and the elderly cannot pass comfortably on many sidewalks, that car weight is deadly when traveling at high speeds, that speeding is socially tolerated, that the car has (and these words are well measured) a real killer potential. And when you start trying to enforce the law in order to reduce fatalities and fatalities, usually the voice of the people talks about "fine hunting".
It is usual for a pedestrian, when in the crosswalk, to be looked at patronizingly. As if we were interrupting the life of the owner and lord of the city, hindering the life of those in charge. Most car drivers stop and signal for us to hurry to cross, with that look on their face and signaling with their hand, "come on, hurry up", looking at us with the superciliousness of someone who is doing us a big favor. Well, you're not doing any favor, you're just doing your duty, asshole. That gesture puts pressure on the pedestrian, it's patronizing and stupid. When a motorist sees someone approaching a crosswalk all he has to do is stop, wait for the pedestrian to cross safely, and then go on his way. No patronizing and stupid gestures. If you are in a hurry, you would have left home earlier.
The running over of Ana, a 16-year-old girl, by a car driver who did not respect a red traffic light, led to a vigil/manifestation in Campo Grande, Lisbon, on July 16. Ana was riding her bicycle through the crosswalk, with a green traffic light, when a car driver ran a red light and killed her. With hundreds of cyclists gathering at the scene of the crime, the event had a national dimension and was echoed in several Portuguese cities. Hundreds of people demanded traffic calming, speed reduction, 30 km/hour limits in the city, and an end to freeway roads in the city center (several lanes, which favor acceleration).
In the absence of voluntary change, it becomes necessary to apply measures that force behavioral change: traffic lights with cameras, speed cameras, speed humps, etc. A city must exist for people, not for cars. Priority must be given to vulnerable users, starting with pedestrians (especially children and the elderly), attention must be given to sustainable means of transportation.
In these times of social networks, my first encounter with activism was through the groups online on FacebookThe most important and active groups were "Massa Crítica", "Ciclismo Urbano em Portugal" and "A bicicleta como meio de transporte". One of the first moments of activism in "real life" was the participation in Massa Crítica. Having started cycling in 2012, I witnessed the golden years of Massa Crítica, a monthly gathering/walk for cyclists that takes place every last Friday of the month in cities around the world. In Lisbon, the meeting point is at Marquês de Pombal, in the late afternoon (6:30pm) and, since it's not an organized movement, the route is decided at the time, in a dialogue with the participants.
The goal is to give visibility to bicycle users, to reclaim public space in a peaceful and conflict-free manner. Cyclists from all universes, city-inappropriate mountain bikes and road bikes usually come together vintage restored, urban bikes and electric bikes, hipsters from fixed-gear and Decathlon's low-end bikes, men and women, old people and children, different social strata, all together reclaiming the city, because the city belongs to everyone, not just to the popos.
Between 2012 and 2014 were the editions of "Massa" that gathered the most people, regularly joining two and three hundred people every month. Although, at the time, few urban cyclists cycled in Lisbon, those who did were strongly committed to the cause and participated in almost all the initiatives, rides and demonstrations. At that time all the faces of soft mobility were usual presence, people connected to bike stores, activists from different backgrounds, you could feel a strong community spirit.
"It would be great if there was no activism, it would be a sign that the city had perfect conditions."
With the new bike lanes and GIRA bikes, the number of cyclists has skyrocketed, but activism has not increased proportionately. The implementation of the GIRA bike-sharing network in September 2017, in parallel with the emergence of the new bike lanes, especially the one in Avenida da República, confirmed that if the conditions are right, people will join. The new bike paths pop-upThe bicycle paths cannot exist only as leisure circuits, they have to exist to enable routes that people usually take, that's why it is essential to have exclusive lanes on the major roads that cross the city.
Already with conquered ground, this new generation of cyclists did not feel the same need for affirmation as the "pioneers". I have already read the expression "Republic Avenue cyclist" being used, in a debate onlineAs a pejorative reference, from those who are not real cyclists, who only joined after the conditions were created, from those who are not so involved in the cause.
In recent years - and particularly this year with the pandemic - we have seen a huge growth in home food delivery apps (like Uber Eats, Glovo, etc.). These deliveries are mostly done with motorcycles or bicycles. Among these, some use the GIRA network bikes, which provokes the ire of some network users who see the number of available bikes reduced further.
Although GIRA has recently amended its terms and conditions to clearly state the prohibition of working couriers for food deliveryI don't think this ban makes sense. We, the cyclist community, want to see more bicycles around, whether for work or leisure, whether for commute or food delivery. It's not enough that these workers are highly exploited, they are still the target of the fury of the "rich kids" of the Avenida da República (not all of them are, we know, there is prejudice here too).
This increase in cyclists is obviously very positive, and it would be great if all those who ride now would keep the activist vein of the previous generation, but it is natural that they do not feel the same need to participate. It would be great if there were no activism, it would be a sign that the city had perfect conditions, and that motorists knew how to live in healthy coexistence with the bicycle, and then we wouldn't need to make any more demands for changes. But until we get there, we still have a long way to go.
Activism led me to become a member/associate of the most active associations in defense of the bicycle as a means of transportation in Portugal: MUBi (Association for Urban Mobility on Bicycles) and FPCUB (Portuguese Federation of Cycletourism and Bicycle Users). Besides promoting and defending the use of bicycles with friends and family, the need to defend the cause also led me to participate in debates, in groups online or outside of them, in comments on bicycle news.
The discussion online It often begins with a well-intentioned attempt to change the other person's opinion, based on argumentation, but without the flexibility of the interlocutors, and as these are conversations between strangers who have no empathy for each other, they quickly slide into gratuitous offense. A classic of discussions is the "they don't pay road tax, they don't have license plates, they don't pay insurance, they don't wear helmets" conversation. Briefly, to quickly turn off the hologram of the elephant in the room: road tax exists to compensate environmental damage caused by fuel, so it makes no sense, next; the license plate has been gone for dozens of years and is not mandatory anywhere, next; insurance is not mandatory in any country in the world (and some cyclists do it, as I do, because I use the bike regularly, but not by obligation), next; the helmet is only mandatory in three or four countries in the world, and Portugal is not one of them.
Here, on helmets, the conversation could go on, even among cyclists, between advocates of their mandatory use and advocates of choice. In the context of sports practice (mountain biking, road cycling, etc.), their use should be mandatory. In an urban context, however, several studies show that making it compulsory leads to a drastic decrease in bicycle use. No one is against its use, only against making it mandatory. Canadian-Danish urban mobility expert Mikael Colville-Andersen has been doing advocacy work for non-mandatory cycling, presenting studies, facts, and evidence that mandatory cycling leads to less bicycle use, and fewer bicycles on the road increase the risk of accidents for cyclists.
"In the current context, there are some situations where it is safer for the cyclist to pass the red and anticipate the start."
The accusations made against cyclists are often that they are undisciplined, that they don't follow traffic rules, that they often run red lights, etc. Since the beginning of my life as a bicycle user in an urban context, I have followed all the rules and stopped at every red. But this is a personal perspective that not everyone follows, and I respect the various views. I have decided to opt for full compliance with the rules. That way, no one will be able to point fingers at me, accuse me of being a defaulter, or try to dismantle any debate for some such flaw.
I also do it to set an example, to show that cyclists are compliant. I don't mind waiting a few seconds at a traffic light where I could pass without any risk, just to show myself as a compliant cyclist. This may be exaggerated moralism and even exhibitionism, but I prefer to remain that way. However, not everyone can afford to be moralistic. We must keep in mind that traffic rules and roads were originally designed exclusively for cars (and other motor vehicles).
In the current context, there are some situations where it is safer for the cyclist to pass the red light and anticipate the start, making sure that he or she has conditions to cross safely, as well as other situations where breaking the rules is safer. In some European cities there are traffic lights exclusively for bicycles, others have intersections where bicycles are not required to stop, in order to facilitate circulation, etc. There are also situations in which the red light only serves as a crosswalk and if there are no pedestrians on the horizon, the crossing is not dangerous for anyone. We have to safeguard maximum respect and attention for pedestrians, the most fragile link - fragile but not weak, because walking around the city doesn't make anyone weak, on the contrary (the same can't be said of those who don't consider going anywhere but on their shaking tail...).
"It is important that city be redesigned, adapting to everyone, considering that the car no longer has a monopoly."
Among those who break rules outright, there are several perspectives: the assumed civil disobedience, hoping that their behaviors will make the laws conform to what happens in the real world; the consideration of the difference in impact, and different responsibility, of those driving a vehicle that weighs tons and the bicycle, whose destructive potential is not in the least comparable; and those who do it because they simply want to, and because it is public knowledge that law enforcement rarely enforce these infractions by cyclists.
It is important that the city be redesigned to suit everyone, considering that the car no longer has a monopoly. In the defense of bicycle use, it is inevitable to face this conflict cars versus bicycles, but the truth is that the remodeling of the city has to take space away from cars, turning more roads into bicycle lanes and creating more pedestrian spaces.
The application of public resources to the creation of bike lanes may raise questions for those who doubt the efficiency of soft mobility modes. And, of course, the new bike paths will have few users at first. The story goes that during the works for the Amália Rodrigues Garden, at the top of the Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, the architect Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles presented the project: "Here will be the lake. Do you see it? All this water, with a series of ducks..." And they commented, "Ah, ducks. What a great idea. They're going to put ducks here." The architect replies: "No. We're not going to put ducks anywhere. We will create the conditions - a pond - and the ducks will come naturally. Look, most likely some will come from the Gulbenkian pond.".
Did the ducks really show up? I honestly don't know, I know that the pond currently has ducks. That's the idea, you create the conditions and things happen. With the creation of bike lanes, cyclists appear, and this has been confirmed in Lisbon in a massive way, with the new bike lanes and the consequent exponential increase of cyclists.
The sports aspect has always been, and continues to be, closely associated with the bicycle. The word "cyclist" is used broadly, considering both road cycling athletes (and others, but the word is mostly associated with them) and users of bicycles as a means of transportation.
The televised broadcasting of speedway races - especially the Volta a Portugal, but also major international races such as the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the Giro d'Italia - has contributed to the popularity of the sport, although the level of Portuguese athletes is not very high, with a few exceptions.
In 2013, cyclist Rui Costa (then in the Movistar team) won two stages of the Tour and remembered the legendary Joaquim Agostinho, achieving a feat for Portuguese cycling, which had not recorded stage victories in the French race since Acácio da Silva, in the '80s. That 2013 season ended with a surprising victory by Rui Costa in the world championship, an unprecedented feat for a national cyclist. Already in 2020, João Almeida led the Giro d'Italia during 15, of the 21 stages, finishing in an excellent 4th place overall, while another Portuguese, Rúben Guerreiro, won the blue jersey, for mountain leader.
The Volta a Portugal, focused on national teams, does not have the prestige and dimension of international events, but it is a landmark of national cycling. This option of making the Tour a space for Portuguese cyclists is assumed by the organization. There was the possibility of opening the race to international teams, which could use the race as a warm up for other major events, but the participation of these renowned international teams and cyclists would block the professionalization of Portuguese cyclists, preventing them from having access to the only race with media coverage.
"Naturally, the new bike paths at first will have few users."
An original cycling event is the Subida À Glória, a historic race that had its first edition in 1910, was held until 1926, and has gained new life again in this new century. It is an event that consists of climbing the Calçada da Glória, a steep climb in Lisbon, with an average elevation of 17º, and the winner will be the cyclist who rides the short course (235 meters) in the fastest time, in a time trial. After a break of decades, in 2013 this race took place again, combining professional and amateur cycling. Professional and curious athletes participated, with road bikes, mountain bikes, folding bikes and even fixed-gearbringing together Lisbon's cycling community.
The connection of cycling to the competitive side may depend on each person's personality, but when we are on a bike there are situations when competitiveness calls. When we are pedaling along quietly and we are overtaken by a cyclist who pedals as if he were in the Tour de France, we feel the need to accelerate to overtake him, to restore normality to the world. When we are pedaling peacefully and we are overtaken by a MAMIL (Middle-Aged-Man-In-LycraThere is a sudden urge to pedal harder as soon as the traffic light turns green, overtaking it on a climb with a bike without gears, thus restoring normality to life (this has actually happened).
In the 2014 Tour of Portugal the "Lisbon Circuit" was promoted, a small stage open to amateurs and curious people, on a 26 km route that followed part of the route of the last stage of the Tour, on the consecration day. The route started at Marquês de Pombal, went up to Avenida da República, went to Campo Pequeno, came back to Marquês, went down to Rossio and went back up to Marquês - repeating itself in four laps.
Without ever having participated (or trained) in road cycling, I picked up my bike singlespeed (no changes) and I signed up - driven by curiosity and competitiveness. It was four laps at an average of 25 km/hour and I finished in a honorable 59th place, among 107 entries, with 92 cyclists finishing the race. Just the fact that I finished was already a victory. And it was beautiful to be pedaling and to hear the applause and encouragement from the public, including some who realized I was using a bicycle singlespeed. For a few moments I felt like a real cyclist, it was a wonderful experience.
One of the people who has contributed to the popularity of the bicycle in the city has been Artur Lourençophotographer and bicycle enthusiast, who has promoted the bicycle through his projects. In your site Lisbon CyclingHe has been photographing the Lisbon that pedals, the events, the cyclists with more style, the community spirit.
In October 2018, Artur organized the first edition of a classic bike ride, aptly named "The Classic". This was a bicycle tour vintagewhere only antique bicycles or replicas can participate. The rules are quite clear: "1. bikes manufactured up to 1987 will be allowed. They may be road bikes, city bikes, or "pastry" bikes, singlespeed or randonneur. More modern replicas of old bikes are accepted; 2. Road bike gears must be on the frame; 3. The use of "plug-in" pedals is not allowed; 4. The use of a helmet is advised but not mandatory, being the responsibility of the participant's choice; 5. The style of the participants must fit a pre-1987 era." The success of that first edition, in which I participated, led Artur to repeat it again.
One of the signs of the affirmation of the bicycle in Lisbon was the edition of the book The Glorious Bicycleby Laura Alves and Pedro Carvalho. The book presents the bicycle and its use as a means of transportation in an urban context in a simple and clear way.
If women are less represented in almost all areas of society, the same happens with bicycles. Laura is a cyclist and activist involved in different projects, including the exhibition "Maria Bicicleta", a project in partnership with the photographer (also a cyclist) Vitorino Coragem, which highlighted women who used the bicycle as a means of transport in Lisbon in 2013.
Another important moment was the edition of the Bicycle Diariesby David Byrne. Seeing one of the world's most important and renowned musicians, leader of the legendary Talking Heads and master of a respectable solo career, advocating the bicycle as a means of transportation, recounting his stories of cycling around the world, was an important milestone for widespread acceptance. These are only limited references, but the cycling library is large and will continue to grow: another important vehicle for getting the word out to more people about the viability of this mode of transportation.
"I want to be able to ride with Sebastian in a quiet way, without pressure from car traffic, just enjoying the city that we have a right to."
In the summer of 2019 the magazine Bikevibe published an issue about the city of Lisbon. A Bikevibe City Journal is a premium magazine dedicated to bicycle culture, published from Norway. On the recommendation of my friend Jethro Soutar (fellow footballer and Sheffield United supporter) I ended up collaborating with this edition: I gave some suggestions of relevant people and stores and I was also interviewed, as a bike user and participant of Massa Crítica Lisboa. That article, simply titled "Massa Crítica", is the one that opens the Lisbon edition of the magazine, where there are also articles about Artur Lourenço, Nuno Sota's RodaGira, Laura Alves, Joana and Gonçalo's Bashô Cycling Club, Velo Corvo, A Clássica and many other people, stores, brands and events.
Also the then Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, was interviewed, reaffirming his commitment to soft mobility. The fact that cycling is part of the city of Lisbon, and that this fact is highlighted in a beautiful international magazine (which can be ordered online on the bikevibe.no website), is a source of pride for those who have been pedaling in the city for a long time and who, a few years ago, would not have imagined it possible.
More recently, the publisher Orfeu Negro published in Portugal the national edition of I, Alfonsina (by Joan Negroscolor), about Alfonsina Strada, Italian pioneer cyclist, the first woman to take part in the Giro d'Italia - one of the favorite books of Sebastião, a very intelligent, restless and curious little Lisboner, one and a half years old, who happens to be my son.
In addition to Alfonsina, Sebastião likes bicycles and shows great willingness to pedal. When considering transporting a small child, the fear of riding in traffic always arises, even if one has many years of experience in riding safely and confidently. In the meantime, we already have a car seat (which you put in the back), but we have not yet experienced serious pedaling in the city. We've already tried riding in a reserved circuit and Sebastião has already shown that he really likes it, so we'll have to start pedaling seriously very soon. He himself already has his own bike, or run rideA bicycle without pedals that already allows you to train your balance. Obviously, he can be whatever he wants in life - as long as he is a Benfiquist, anti-fascist, activist, feminist, and cyclist.
It is true that it is difficult to get everywhere just on foot or by bicycle, but if you complement it with public transportation (it is important to demand more and better transportation) you can get almost anywhere. It is imperative to change the hierarchy, to pull the pedestrian and the bicycle to the top, pushing the car to the bottom of the list. I want to be able to bike with Sebastião in a calm way, without pressure from car traffic, just enjoying the city to which we are entitled.
In today's Lisbon, a decade after I started pedaling, the change is visible, infrastructures are beginning to appear, and public policies are starting to pay attention to soft mobility. There is still much to do: the car-centric mentality still reigns, conflict is still latent, evolution is slow. But there is hope.
This text was originally published in 2021 in Mammoth, a quarterly magazine of creative and autobiographical essays in long format, which had three issues and over the past year has published personal stories with a collective echo. It has been republished here with some slight changes.
