Cycle for Better Health
Cycle for Better Health is a global programme, led by BYCS and Cities for Better Health , that focuses on helping children ages 6-12 in vulnerable communities be more active and healthier through cycling.
Our Programme Guide & Toolkit, launched in October 2025, turns insights from our pilot implementations into action-ready resources for cities, schools and youth-serving organisations.
Challenge and Opportunity
Global Health Challenge – Global obesity has more than doubled since 1990, rising from ~7% to ~16% among adults (WHO). and an estimated 160 million 5–19-year-olds living with obesity in 2022 (WHO). A major driver is insufficient physical activity – nearly 31% of adults and 80% of adolescents (11–17) do not meet WHO recommendations (WHO), and inactivity has worsened globally, from 23.4% in 2000 to 31.3% in 2022 (PubMed).
Health Benefits of Cycling – Cycling as everyday mobility delivers near-term physical and mental benefits for children, improving cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and bone health, and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety (WHO). Cycling to and from school provides approximately 48% of the WHO-recommended 60 minutes/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and leads to an 8% higher aerobic (endurance) fitness when compared to children who don’t cycle to school (PubMed).
The Importance of Starting Early – Habits, both healthy and unhealthy, established in childhood continue into adulthood – children with obesity are five times more likely to be obese in adulthood (PubMed). As a result, prioritising child physical activity promotion is essential to reduce the global burden of preventable disease (Wirnitzer et al., 2024). Early exposure to both structured and unstructured activity lays the foundation for short and long-term health.
Bridging a Sectoral Gap – By uniting the expertise of Cities for Better Health, a leader in global health promotion, and BYCS, a non-profit innovator in urban mobility, this partnership bridges the health and mobility sectors. Together, we aim to showcase cycling as a powerful tool for improving physical activity and well-being, and to highlight its often-overlooked health benefits within urban mobility.
We learned to ride a bike, we learned to share, not fight. I learned about traffic signs. Riding a bike helps me calm down. I like riding, I relax, and I play with other kids.
Jeison, Bogota [translated from Spanish]
The program helped my daughter feel more confident on her bike. As a parent, it was wonderful to see her grow in independence and realize that even a bike ride can teach freedom and courage.
Marianna (mother of Sara), Bari [translated from Italian]
Everyone — kids and adults — really enjoyed the bicycle workshop, because first we learned how to ride a bike, and then how to fix the wheels and the inner tube. You fix it by using water, and it was so much fun because even the kids who didn’t know how to ride a bike learned everything. Thank you for everything!
Melissa, Bari [translated from Italian]
I’m very proud that we’re participating in this space because it allows my daughter to be active and have fun, and it helps her personal development. We had her bike at home but she didn’t use it because she felt unsafe, now she feels much more confident cycling to school.
Rosa (mother of Gisel), Bogota [translated from Spanish]
Riding a bike can be an economical means of transport and it’s cool because it’s also a sport, you can move from one place to another and it’s healthy for the body. I had a bike, but I didn’t know how to use it, and I fell once, but I learned later. Never give up on learning to ride a bike, because I don’t have a bike, and I can still use a friend’s bike or borrow one from a bike school.
Valeria, Bogota [translated from Spanish]
I think it’s important to learn to ride a bike because when I’m older I can cycle to work. Moving my legs and knowing how to use my hands helps me to be active. After I finish bike school, I want to be able to ride my bike to the mall. When I’m in college, I want to ride my bike and go to many different places.
Diana, Bogota [translated from Spanish]
Approach and Link to Theory of Change
Overall objective: Demonstrate how cycling, when coupled with the right conditions, can improve the health and well-being of children in select cities and communities.
Target audiences: primary school-aged children (approximately 6-12 years old) and their caregivers residing in lower-income, vulnerable areas.
Geography: This project is initially being implemented in 3 cities in the 15-month piloting period. In each city, we work with a partner organisation who has strong ties to the community and who acutely understand the local barriers to cycling. With this work, we seek to build upon existing programmes in order to maximise the impact for the target groups and the broader public.
Approach: In order to increase the use of cycling amongst children in each city, the programme addresses key barriers that prevent people from accessing the benefits of this mode of transportation. This approach – known as the ‘human infrastructure of cycling’ – focuses on the building blocks of awareness, education, access, and stimulation.
This project builds on the learnings and knowledge products from previous projects, especially the guide and toolkit developed as part of the ‘Increasing Access to Cycling Mobilities of Care’ project.
Programme Guide & Toolkit
The Cycle for Better Health programme guide & toolkit is designed to help cities, organisations looking to implement and scale the Cycle for Better Health programme.
Inside the guide you’ll find:
1. Evidence-based insights linking children’s cycling to health outcomes
2. Case studies from our pilot cities showing real-world implementation
3. Step-by-step guidance to implement the Cycle for Better Health programme – from design through delivery to evaluation
Separately, practical tools and templates to implement the Cycle for Better Health programme are available in the toolkit.
Timeline
Phase one
Designing the programme and selecting initial pilots cities and implementation partners
Phase two
Piloting the programme in 3 cities (Bogota, Bari, Bratislava), collecting results and updating the programme. Launching a programme guide and toolkit.
Phase three
Second round of implementing the programme in 3 pilot cities, applying the learnings from the first round of testing and focusing on anchoring the programme in the cities, and adding a 4th city.
Pilot Cities and Implementation Partners
Bogota
Mamacitas en Bici
Bratislava
Cyklokoalícia
Bari
Terreno Cycling Therapy
Impact to Date & What’s Next
Over 750 children from Bari, Bratislava, and Bogota participated in the initial pilot programme with positive results. In Bogota, for example, over 200 children were each physically active for 600 minutes, helping over 90% of them to significantly improve their skills and confidence, and over 70% of participants gained access to a bicycle. Our next phase will expand into additional cities, deepen monitoring of longer-term behaviour changes, and strengthen the link between health and mobility systems.
Get involved
- Whether you’re a city authority, school network, NGO or funder, you can join this movement.
- Use our Programme Guide & Toolkit to launch your own children’s cycling initiative
- Partner with BYCS and Cities for Better Health to scale and adapt the work locally
- Fund or support interventions that make cycling a natural part of children’s lives.
Project Manager – Nienke Sluimer