By Jolein Schorel
World’s largest international citizen-led cycling relay will again travel many thousands of kilometres across multiple countries and continents to the UN Climate Conference; this time to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, taking place November 2026.
“Ride Slower, Change Faster”
the motto of the COP Bike Ride – captures the spirit of the initiative: a deliberate, human-paced journey that carries a radical ambition.
The relay works like an Olympic torch: a banner symbolizing 10 concrete cycling policy proposals is passed from cyclist to cyclist, city to city, all the way to the COP31 negotiating tables. Everybody is invited to join; it is a collective effort to get the message to Antalya!
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A political message on two wheels
Transport accounts for approximately 21% of global carbon emissions. Yet cycling is hardly taken on as part of the solution. The COP Bike Ride exists to change that, demonstrating, kilometre by kilometre, that cycling is not a marginal solution but a scalable, affordable and immediate lever for climate action.
At each stop, local authorities are invited to formalize three concrete cycling policy commitments to be delivered by 2030. At COP30, 57 letters of commitment representing over 60 administrations were collected and presented to delegations, ministers and international institutions.
A relay born from the climate urgency
What started in 2024 as a 6,500 km ride from Paris to Baku with around 200 participants has grown into a global movement. In 2025, over 1,000 cyclists from 20 countries and four continents covered 20,000 km by bicycle – plus an Atlantic crossing by sailing boat – setting three world records along the way. This year, the COP31 Bike Ride aims to bring together even more participants.
Open to all
The COP31 Bike Ride is open to everyone. Whether you ride for half a stage, a full day, or the entire journey, your presence helps amplify the message: cycling is part of the solution, and climate-friendly cities start with better cycling policy.
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