Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding bicycles or other human-powered vehicles with wheels, for transportation, recreation, exercise, sport and other purposes.
People who engage in cycling are called cyclists, bikers, or bicyclists. They may wear everyday clothing suited to their destination or specialized cycling attire, sometimes carrying an additional set of clothes.
Cycling includes not only traditional two-wheeled bicycles but also unicycles, tricycles, quadricycles, and other human-powered vehicles (HPVs). Some bicycles are equipped with electric motors (e-bikes) or other forms of motor assistance.
Cycling can be done individually or with others. Passengers may ride in front, sit on a luggage carrier, or use specially designed seats for children or pets. Some bicycles, such as tandem bicycles or multi-rider bike, allow multiple riders to pedal together.
Cycling takes place on roads, bike lanes, and off-road, trails. Riders may share roads with motor vehicles, use designated cycling infrastructure, or ride on separated cycle tracks where available.
Aspects of cycling
Cycling can be described as any or all of the following:
Exercise Recreation Sport Commuting Transportation
Cycling equipment
The first piece of equipment is a bicycle (see Outline of bicycles).
Some jurisdictions require these by law:
Bicycle helmet Bicycle lighting Bicycle lock Bicycle bell Bicycle horn
Used, but not always necessary: Bicycle tools Cycling clothing Cycling gloves Cycling jersey Cycling shoe Cycling shorts Cycling computer Speed sensor Power meter Cadence sensor Heart rate monitor Time trial cycling equipment
Cycling law and safety
Bicycle helmet laws by country Bicycle law in California Bicycle Safety Camp Bicycle safety wing Bicycle theft CAN-BIKE Danish bicycle VIN-system Dooring (also known as door zone, door prize) Electric bicycle laws Hand signals "Rules of the Trail" Safety in numbers
Health impact Detumescence and genital numbness Health benefits of cycling Ulnar tunnel syndrome
Types of cycling
Bicycle commuting Mountain biking Downhill mountain biking Mountain bike racing Road cycling Vehicular cycling Freestyle BMX BMX racing Bicycle touring Indoor cycling Underwater cycling Enduro (mountain biking) Mountain bike trials Dirt jumping Artistic cycling Freestyle fixed gear Utility cycling Track cycling
Cycling sport
Cycle sport List of men's road bicycle races List of women's road bicycle races Cycling team Cycling records Cycling sprinter
Bicycle racing List of cycling races in Spain List of cycling teams in Spain
Doping in cycling List of doping cases in cycling Lance Armstrong doping case History of Lance Armstrong doping allegations – historic background Floyd Landis doping case Operación Puerto doping case Operation Aderlass Doping at the Tour de France Festina affair, a doping scandal at the 1998 Tour Doping at the 1998 Tour de France – other doping cases in that Tour Doping at the 1999 Tour de France Doping at the 2007 Tour de France
Track cycling
Track cycling List of cycling tracks and velodromes List of Asian records in track cycling List of European records in track cycling List of Oceanian records in track cycling List of Olympic Games records in track cycling List of Panamerican records in track cycling List of Universiade records in track cycling List of World Championships records in track cycling List of world records in track cycling
Summer Olympics List of Olympic medalists in cycling (men) Cycling at the Summer Olympics List of Olympic medalists in cycling (women) List of Olympic records in cycling List of Olympic venues in cycling
Cycling infrastructure Cycling infrastructure (See cycling infrastructure)
Bicycle-friendly Bicycle parking Bicycle transportation planning and engineering Bikeway controversies Cycling demonstration towns Cycle track Dirt jump Greenway Rails with trails Pump track Safety of cycling infrastructure Segregated cycle facilities Shared lane marking Sustrans TTF (Technical Trail Feature) United States Numbered Bicycle Routes Velodrome
Bike paths and trails
Bicycle boulevard Bike lane Bike path Bike route Bike singletrack Rail trail
Bike paths and trails by country: Australia Bicycle paths in Melbourne Bike paths in Sydney Canada Beltline Trail (Toronto, Ontario) Capital Pathway (Ottawa, Ontario) Cataraqui Trail (Ontario) Cycloparc PPJ (Pontiac, Quebec) Iron Horse Trail, Ontario (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario) Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord (Laurentians, Quebec) Riverfront Bike Trail, Windsor, Ontario Riverfront Trail, Greater Moncton (New Brunswick) Route Verte (Quebec) Tomifobia Nature Trail (Eastern Townships, Quebec) West Toronto Railpath (Toronto, Ontario) Denmark Bike routes in Denmark Europe: EuroVelo – European cycle route network United States († - indicates primarily for hiking): American Discovery Trail† Colorado Trail† (Colorado) Farlow Gap (North Carolina) Neuse River Trail (North Carolina) Massanutten Trail† (Virginia) Virginia Creeper Trail (Virginia)
Bicycle sharing systems Bicycle sharing system
B-cycle (34 United States cities) Santander Cycles (London, United Kingdom) Bicing (Barcelona, Spain) Bike rental Bike sharing BIXI Montréal (Montréal, Canada) Call a Bike (about 36 German cities) Community bicycle program Hubway (Boston, United States) Stockholm City Bikes (Stockholm, Sweden) Vélib' (Paris, France) Vélo'v (Lyon, France)
Cycling by region
Cycling in Azerbaijan Cycling in Australia Cycling in New South Wales Cycling in Sydney Cycling in Victoria Cycling in Melbourne Cycling in Western Australia Cycling in Perth Cycling in Canada Cycling in Toronto Cycling in Denmark Cycling in Copenhagen Cycling in France Cycling in Paris Cycling in Germany Cycling in Berlin Cycling in Munich Cycling in Hong Kong Cycling in India Cycling in Japan Cycling in Malaysia Cycling in Kuala Lumpur Cycling in Malta Cycling in Romania Cycling in Bucharest Cycling in the Netherlands Cycling in Amsterdam Cycling in New Zealand Cycling in Auckland Cycling in North Korea Cycling in the Philippines Cycling in Spain Cycling in United Kingdom Cycling in Cardiff Cycling in Leeds Cycling in London Cycling in Manchester Cycling in United States Cycling in California Cycling in Los Angeles Cycling in San Francisco Cycling in San Jose, California Cycling in Georgia Cycling in Atlanta Cycling in Illinois Cycling in Chicago Cycling in Massachusetts Cycling in Boston Cycling in Michigan Cycling in Detroit Cycling in Minnesota Cycling in Atlanta Cycling in New York Cycling in New York City Cycling in Oregon Cycling in Portland, Oregon
Cycling in the media International Cycling Film Festival List of films about bicycles and cycling
Cycling movements Bike bus (Bike train) - Escorted group of cyclists in an urban environment for transportation safely, and often as student transport. Critical Mass – cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world.
Cycling clubs and organisations
Cycling clubs
Bicycle infantry Bicycle Network British Cycling Cycling club Cycling Embassy of Denmark Cycling Time Trials Cyclists' Touring Club Danish Cycling Federation Danish Cyclists Federation Équipe Cycliste Cascades International Human Powered Vehicle Association International Mountain Bicycling Association London Cycling Campaign National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Toronto Bicycling Network
Cycling organisations Critical Mass – cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. San Jose Bike Party Warm Showers – a hospitality exchange service and organization for cycle travelers.
History of cycling History of cycling
History of road cycling
2004 in men's road cycling 2004 in women's road cycling 2005 in men's road cycling 2005 in women's road cycling 2006 in women's road cycling 2007 in men's road cycling 2007 in women's road cycling 2008 in men's road cycling 2007 in women's road cycling 2009 in men's road cycling 2009 in women's road cycling 2010 in men's road cycling 2010 in women's road cycling 2011 in men's road cycling 2011 in women's road cycling 2012 in men's road cycling 2012 in women's road cycling 2013 in men's road cycling 2013 in women's road cycling 2014 in men's road cycling 2014 in women's road cycling 2015 in men's road cycling 2015 in women's road cycling 2016 in men's road cycling 2016 in women's road cycling 2017 in men's road cycling 2017 in women's road cycling 2018 in men's road cycling 2018 in women's road cycling 2019 in men's road cycling 2019 in women's road cycling 2020 in men's road cycling 2020 in women's road cycling 2021 in men's road cycling 2021 in women's road cycling 2022 in men's road cycling 2022 in women's road cycling
History of cycling at the Summer Olympics
Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 kilometres Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 10 kilometres Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 12 hour race Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's road race Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's time trial Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 25 kilometres Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 1/2 mile Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 1/3 mile Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 1/4 mile Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 1 mile Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 25 miles Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 2 miles Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics – 5 miles Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 kilometres Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 kilometres Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 660 yards Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit Cycling at the 1912 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's individual time trial Cycling at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's team time trial Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 kilometres Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's individual time trial Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit Cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's team time trial Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 kilometres Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's individual time trial Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit Cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's team time trial Cycling at the 1928 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 1000 m time trial Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's team road race Cycling at the 1936 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 1948 Summer Olympics