Cycling with Confidence

Why World Bike Day 2026 Is Your Sign to Finally Get on a Bike 

Every year on 3 June, the world marks the United Nations’ World Bicycle Day, a moment to celebrate two wheels, clean air, and the simple, radical act of getting somewhere under your own power. But for millions of people, the biggest barrier to cycling isn’t a lack of infrastructure or an inaccessible bike shop. It’s something quieter: a lack of confidence.

This year, we are making confidence our theme. Not as a prerequisite, but as a destination. Because when it comes to cycling, the confidence comes with the riding. Confidence is also climate action. A cyclist emits just 21g of CO₂ per kilometre – around 13 times less than a car (European Cyclists’ Federation).

The state of cycling: What the numbers tell us

Cycling is having a moment. Global cycling traffic is now more than 20% above pre-pandemic levels (Eco-Counter Global Cycling Index, 2026). Cities like Bogotá, with over 590km of permanent cycle lanes, and Addis Ababa, which has built more than 60km of protected cycle tracks since 2022, have made cycling a priority.

And yet, a stubborn gap persists between wanting to cycle and actually doing it: a confidence gap and a skill gap.

The confidence gap is especially pronounced among women, older adults, and people in cities where infrastructure is incomplete. Globally, there are 3–4 times more men cycling on roads than women (European Cyclists’ Federation, 2024). In Nairobi, women account for just 3.1% of all cyclists, while men make up 96% – a pattern repeated in cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America (FIA Foundation / Flone Initiative, 2023). Even among people who already own a bike, the barriers are real: 91% of women report facing barriers to cycling, with over a quarter citing lack of experience as the core confidence block. The evidence also shows infrastructure is the real lever: in Rio de Janeiro, women made up just 2–11% of cyclists on standard roads but 26% on roads with protected cycle infrastructure. The confidence gap is not about ability. It’s about environment.

The skill gap is just as real. Learning to balance, steer, and navigate traffic are entirely learnable skills, but they require the right environment, the right support, and often, the right person to say: you can do this. Programmes like Bikeability in the UK and Cycle Techiyalesh in Addis Ababa – which offers free structured cycling training for women – show that when the right support exists, the skill gap closes.

Real people, real stories: Confidence in action

Confidence looks different for everyone. For some, it means commuting solo through rush-hour traffic. For others, it’s joining a group ride for the first time, or getting back on a bike after a gap of years. We spoke to trainers and riders around the world about what confidence means to them and how they found it or nurture it.

Cycling confidence goes beyond individual skills; it’s about whether people feel welcome, safe, and comfortable in public space.

Romee Nicolai, Bicycle Mayor of Amsterdam, BYCS Amsterdam

Building cycling confidence also begins with safe infrastructure, supportive communities, and the belief that every person deserves the freedom to ride.

Ragina Gitau, Junior Advisor Transport and Climate Change, GIZ

Cycling confidence means knowing that you have the right to exist on the street […] and that the city should protect you. It should not depend only on individual courage.

Jeffrey Leandro Diaz, Bicycle Mayor of Lima; Co-founder and leader of Red por la Convivencia Vial; Urban mobility and road safety activist.

Surround yourself with people who encourage you. Go for it, the confidence will come with practice.

Baye Cheikh Sow, Co-founder Sama Vélo

Tips and Tricks: How to get started

Whether you have never sat on a bike, haven’t ridden in years, or are helping someone else find their wheels, here is practical guidance for every stage of the journey.

For complete beginners

• It is never too late to learn. Adult learners succeed every single day, the idea that cycling is only for children is a myth worth discarding immediately.
• Balance first, pedals second. Lower your seat so both feet rest flat on the ground, remove the pedals if possible, and spend time scooting and gliding before you ever try to turn the cranks. Finding your balance without the complexity of pedalling changes everything.
• Start small and quiet. An empty car park, a park path, a residential street on a Sunday morning, these are your training grounds. You do not need to conquer a city in week one.
• Take a course or bring a buddy. A structured beginner course removes the guesswork. A trusted friend removes the self-consciousness. Either works; both together is ideal.
• Get the bike fit right. A bike that is the wrong size or badly adjusted is genuinely harder to ride. Your feet should touch the ground comfortably when starting out. Ask your local bike shop for a basic check, most will do it for free.

For nervous riders

• Identify the root of your anxiety. Is it fast traffic? Roundabouts? Getting lost? Punctures? The answer shapes the solution. Naming the fear specifically makes it smaller and more manageable.
• Plan your route in advance. Map it, look at it on Street View, and if possible, ride it once on a quiet day before you need to. Familiarity is a form of confidence.
• Ride in a group. Whether it is a Critical Mass ride, a local cycling club, or a bike bus, other riders around you change your experience of the road entirely. Research backs this up: women are 73% more likely to feel comfortable on a bike when riding with other women (Strava, 2023).
• Relax your body. Tension in your shoulders and hands affects your steering and tires you out faster. Before you set off, take a breath, drop your shoulders, and loosen your grip. You will ride better for it.
• Be visible. Bright clothing, front and rear lights, and a confident road position make you genuinely safer and feeling safer makes you feel more confident. It’s a virtuous cycle.

For everyone

• Know the rules of the road. Understanding local traffic laws – where cyclists have right-of-way, how to signal, and where cycle lanes apply – builds both confidence and genuine safety.
• Start small and build up. A five-minute ride repeated 20 times is more valuable than one terrifying 90-minute ordeal. Progress accumulates.
• Celebrate the milestones. First solo ride. First ride in the rain. First time you navigated a difficult junction without panicking. These matter. Mark them.
• Use World Bike Day as your starting point. 3 June is a moment when cyclists everywhere are visible, celebratory, and welcoming. There is no better day to begin.

This World Bicycle Day: Take your first (or next) ride

Confidence is not a prerequisite for cycling. It is what cycling gives you kilometre by kilometre, ride by ride, until one day you realise you have stopped thinking about whether you can and started thinking about where you want to go next. This World Bicycle Day, we invite you to take that first step (or next step) and to share it with us. What does cycling confidence mean to you? When did you find it, or when are you looking for it? Tell us your story.

Download the Social Media Card and tell your story >> 2026 World Bike Day – Social Media Template

Resources

Learning to Ride

• Learning To Ride Report — Explore Worldwide
• Bikeability (UK), a structured beginner and improver courses for all ages
• Cycle Techiyalesh — Egre Menged Impact, Addis Ababa, a free structured cycling training for women

Community & Group Riding

• Bike Bus World
• Critical Mass — find a ride in your city
• Bicycle Mayor Network | BYCS
• Sama Vélo, Dakar
• the Bike Kitchen UvA, Amsterdam
• Egre Menged Impact
• Addis Bike — Bike Sharing
• A Neighborhood-focused Cycling Programme in Zaandam-Oost | BYCS

Lived experience