Statements from the 2025 winners

A few years ago, nobody would have thought that a top ranking in the CITY CYCLING competition would one day become a Tuttlingen tradition. We are all the more delighted to have ranked first in our population group for what is now the sixth time.

This success makes us proud – and brings responsibility with it: on the one hand, we will of course endeavour to defend our title again next year. We will undoubtedly find enough fellow cyclists to help with this, as CITY CYCLING has since been firmly established in Tuttlingen.

On the other hand, it encourages us to continue working towards the goal of making Tuttlingen a cycling-friendly city, even in the face of criticism, and establishing bicycles as an everyday mode of transport. We will also improve the cycling infrastructure here in Tuttlingen further this year – for example, as part of the refurbishment of our railway station, where we will make it even easier to switch from bike to train.

Campaigns like CITY CYCLING support such projects, helping to raise public awareness and increase acceptance of alternatives to cars, which are not yet as widespread in rural areas as they are in big cities.

Photo: Town of Tuttlingen

Gunzenhausen has always been a cycling advocate and is actively involved in CITY CYCLING to help advance climate protection. The town has been taking part in the campaign for 14 years now. Our aim was – and remains – to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve our citizens’ health and help to protect the environment by increasing the use of bicycles. To achieve this, we call on all residents every year to actively participate in the competition, whether by commuting to work, cycling to the shops or biking in their leisure time.

CITY CYCLING offers a platform for integrating cycling into everyday life and highlighting the benefits of sustainable mobility. For us, cycling is not only environmentally friendly, but can also improve people’s health and foster the sense of community. Every contribution helps to secure our living environment for future generations.

This year, our town topped the ranking for the “Most active local parliament” category among the municipalities with up to 49,999 inhabitants. This fantastic achievement reflects the town council’s tremendous efforts to promote cycling in Gunzenhausen. The members of our local parliament set a good example by taking to their bikes – and encourage citizens to do the same.

Photo:  Town of Gunzenhausen/Teresa Biswanger

To mark the tenth year of the District of Bamburg’s participation in CITY CYCLING, a variety of tours were organised that provided participating cyclists with additional incentives. From 23 June until 13 July, a total of 6,527 people demonstrated their great enthusiasm for cycling and together covered an impressive 1,270,544 kilometres – a new record and increase of 106,749 kilometres compared to 2024. My special thanks go to the children and young people from the 28 schools and 56 daycare centres who showed outstanding commitment. The cyclists came from all parts of the district, in keeping with what has since become a wonderful tradition. A big thank you to the 252 teams, all 36 participating municipalities, our generous supporters and the 33 members of Bamberg district council, who took part in CITY CYCLING. It is thanks to all of them that the District of Bamberg has placed first in the “Most active local parliament” category for the third time in a row. Every year, CITY CYCLING provides impressive proof that the people of our district also work together when it comes to climate protection. 

Photo: LRA Bamberg

The award for Berlin as the most active city with over 500,000 inhabitants is a great acknowledgement. This honour shows that a growing number of Berliners are using a bike as a natural part of their everyday lives – to commute to work, travel to school or cycle in their leisure time. This is a clear sign of a climate-friendly, healthy, liveable city.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in CITY CYCLING – whether individually or as part of a team, local authority or company. Your commitment clearly shows how great the willingness to actively help shape our city is.

This award is also an incentive to expand the cycling infrastructure in Berlin further and to make cycling even safer and more attractive. For all those who get on their bikes every day and show that Berlin is on the move.

Foto: Marc Vorwerk

We were once again enthusiastic participants in CITY CYCLING this year. It’s fantastic that we ranked so highly. I’m particularly pleased that 185 more people took part this year than in 2024 – including members of our town council. The total distance covered by bike also increased by 59,000 kilometres. This success shows just what is possible when we work together as a community in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. 

Our top placement is the result of a successful communal project and is both an honour and an incentive for us all to continue taking part in CITY CYCLING in the future.

My sincere thanks to all those who got on their bike and contributed to our great result. The fact that so many people participated shows that cycling is the number one means of transport for many. We’ll be back again next year! 

Photo: 

The Hannover Region has once again proven that it is a cycling region. Runner-up prizes in not one but two categories show that cycling is not just a trend here, but part of everyday life. I’d like to thank all those in the municipalities who participated as well as the members of the regional assembly.

Photo: Region Hannover

My congratulations and a huge thanks to the 2,661 cyclists who helped Leer rank third in this year’s CITY CYCLING competition among the most active municipalities with between 10,000 and 49,999 inhabitants! With 519,380 kilometres covered by bike and 85 tonnes of CO₂ avoided, our result was once again impressive. We also placed first again among the municipalities in our population group in Lower Saxony!

I’m proud of our achievements, as they show that our citizens not only care about their town, but also about the environment in general. And they are also a clear indication that the various measures implemented as part of our FaCit cycling initiative, which includes the bicycle parking garage currently being built and the systematic expansion of our cycling infrastructure, are heading in the right direction.

We look forward to CITY CYCLING in 2026 and wish all cyclists safe and accident-free travels at all times!

Poto:Town of Leer

I’m delighted that the district of Borken has succeeded in defending its title this year among the municipalities with between 100,000 and 499,999 inhabitants! With this sensational achievement, Westmünsterland once again showed impressively that it is rightly considered one of the most cycling-friendly regions in Germany – and we can be very proud of that!

The cycle path network in our district today covers around 1,250 kilometres. This is because cycling is a tradition here – not only for leisure, but also for many other purposes where the switch from car to bike is becoming more and more natural, for example to travel to work. We all contribute to environmental protection in this way and do something for our own health, too. 

The district of Borken has participated in the CITY CYCLING campaign with many of the towns and municipalities in the district since 2017. We’ve managed to increase the total kilometres cycled every single year. In 2025, the municipal staff really picked up the pace: highly motivated cyclists covered countless kilometres by bike in all 17 of the towns and municipalities in our district. It was not least thanks to this fantastic cooperation that we were once again able to beat our own record from last year. In 2025, a total of 18,657 people cycled an incredible 3,613,378 kilometres in 927 teams. 

My heartfelt thanks to all of the cyclists from the district of Borken who got involved. My sincere thanks also to the CITY CYCLING team for implementing the national campaign, which was once again excellent. I’m already very much looking forward to CITY CYCLING in 2026 when we’re determined to defend our title again!

Photo: District of Borken

I’m delighted that Borken achieved an outstanding second place in the CITY CYCLING competition for the first time this year! After three years of placing third, we once again improved together – we can all be really proud of ourselves. This success shows impressively just how much cycling is a part of our town.

2,525 participants came together in 100 teams and together cycled an astounding 520,858 kilometres. This is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but also a clear sign for climate protection and community spirit in our town.

CITY CYCLING brings people together: children and adults, families, neighbourhoods, clubs, friends, colleagues, day-care centres and schools – they all cycle together. It shows that exercise can be fun and that sustainable mobility has long been part of our everyday lives.

I’m particularly pleased that the schools in Borken also took part in the Schulradeln cycling campaign for schools in North Rhine-Westphalia. Getting young people interested in environmentally friendly mobility is an important step towards a sustainable future.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who got involved! With your commitment, you showed that Borken is bike-friendly, sporty and a strong community.

I’m already looking forward to next year – because one thing is certain: “Fietse first!” will most certainly once again be our motto.

Photo: Town of Borken

I’m absolutely delighted that we were able to place first among the newcomers in the ranking of the most active municipalities with between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants in our first year of participating as a district!

The response of our district’s citizens to CITY CYCLING was fantastic and we were able to spread genuine enthusiasm for cycling. A total of 1,881 people cycled an impressive 435,776 kilometres – a result we can by all means be proud of. As District Administrator, I’m personally very impressed and it fills me with pride that we can set a powerful example for our environment and climate protection.

We owe this success to teamwork! A big thank you to the towns and municipalities in our district, which promoted CITY CYCLING widely and organised the campaign locally. This allowed us to offer a calendar brimming with events and cycle rides as part of our local campaign.

Our district is a popular leisure destination and we invite locals and guests to explore the extensive network of well-maintained cycle paths. Whether by e-bike or pedal bike, in Altmühlfranken everyone will always find a cycle ride or route to suit.

We’re already looking forward to taking part in CITY CYCLING again next year with even more participants. The joy of cycling, the associated promotion of a climate-friendly district and doing something good for oneself are the biggest gains and incentive enough to take part again.

Photo: Fotostudio Formann

The district of Diepholz sent a clear message with CITY CYCLING in 2025: with 899,379 kilometres cycled and around 147,512 kilograms of CO₂ saved, the district took first place among the newcomers to the campaign. Together, we showed that sustainable mobility is not only possible, but also fun. Climate protection begins in our everyday lives – on two wheels and with every turn of the pedals.

Our results are impressive: together, participants in the district covered a distance equivalent to more than 22 circumnavigations of the earth or the distance to the moon and back. This result shows just how much can be achieved with commitment, perseverance and team spirit.

Whether on the way to work, going shopping or on an afterwork ride, a great many people set a good example and took a clear stand in favour of more sustainable mobility. My heartfelt thanks to all the citizens, schools, clubs and companies who supported CITY CYCLING in the district of Diepholz. Your commitment shows that every kilometre counts – for our environment, our health and the future of our region.

Foto: 

Cycling is booming in Bamberg. This year’s CITY CYCLING campaign once again made this clear: more people took part in our beautiful UNESCO World Heritage city than ever before. The 150 teams and 3,368 cyclists also set a new record: we managed to break the 600,000-kilometre mark for the first time! Together, the participants cycled a grand total of exactly 681,184 kilometres. That’s an impressive increase compared to last year’s total of 597,360 kilometres. I am all the more delighted that the enthusiasm in Bamberg for cycling has been rewarded with a top national ranking: after two third places in previous years, we’ve now secured an excellent second place among all municipalities in Germany with between 50,000 and 99,000 inhabitants. What a fantastic achievement! 

To ensure the enthusiasm for cycling remains high, we continuously work to expand the cycling infrastructure. Among others, we’ve continued our “green arrow” initiative: since 2024, a total of 125 green arrows have been installed at traffic lights. We’re also making junctions and sections of road safer for cyclists. 

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this outstanding CITY CYCLING result. You all help to make Bamberg is a great city for cycling!

Photo: City of Bamberg, Sonja Seufferth

The coastal city of Bremerhaven took part in CITY CYCLING for the ninth time this year – and we are delighted that the campaign once again proved so popular. The steadily growing number of participants and ever-increasing kilometres cycled are a great success and encourage us to remain fully committed to taking part in CITY CYCLING in the future.

We are particularly pleased that we managed to reach new target groups this year with a variety of cycling initiatives and inspiring them to also get involved in the campaign. Bremerhaven is vibrant and diverse – and we want everyone in our city to be able to experience cycling. It not only offers a healthy, environmentally friendly form of mobility, but also the opportunity to explore our town from a whole new perspective.

Inspired by the CITY CYCLING campaign, we have expanded our commitment even further: in addition to offering cycle rides, we also run sessions for people to learn how to ride a bike, organise tours for beginners and provide opportunities to try out various different types of bikes. We also run safety courses to raise awareness among cyclists and boost their confidence.

None of this would have been possible without the close cooperation between the town’s clubs and initiatives. A special thanks to them – and first and foremost to ADFC Bremerhaven, which contributed to the campaign’s success with great dedication and passion.

We are immensely proud and pleased that Bremerhaven is being honoured with the special “Golden Spoke” award this year. This acknowledgement is for all those who work with enthusiasm and drive to promote cycling in our city.

Our heartfelt thanks also go to the many citizens who cycled, motivated and supported us. You all help to make Bremerhaven an even more cycling-friendly city, one step at a time.

Photo: Magistratspressestelle Rebecca Rademacher

I am absolutely delighted that the municipality of Obersulm is being honoured with the inaugural “Golden Spoke” in this year’s CITY CYCLING competition. This special award is a fantastic testimony to the commitment of our younger generation and the creativity they have shown in championing climate action, sustainable mobility and bicycles as an everyday mode of transport.

More than 400 pupils from three of our secondary schools organised an impressive cycling tour through our community – the Grand Tour de Obersulm – entirely on their own initiative. We found the final image of a giant bicycle that the young people created and used a drone to photograph particularly impressive. This image is not only a campaign highlight, but also symbolises the sense of community, team spirit and responsibility that our young people are taking for their environment.

My thanks go to everyone involved – the schools, the teachers and above all the pupils – for their outstanding dedication. I would also like to thank the staff from our local authority, who supported this initiative.

The Grand Tour de Obersulm showed that cycling is about far more than just mobility: it is also an expression of solidarity, the joy of physical activity and commitment to our future. The Golden Spoke is therefore not just an award for a successful campaign, but recognition of the mindset of our pupils, who are actively committed to creating a liveable, sustainable community.

Photo: Ideengut Berroth

Bocholt has done it again – thanks to an impressive team performance: first place in the CITY CYCLING competition among the municipalities with up to 100,000 inhabitants once again shows that Bocholt is truly a cycling city. This result is not only a success for our city, but above all for all those who cycle every day – whether to commute to work, travel to school or cycle in their leisure time. 

I am particularly proud of the great commitment of the many groups, clubs, school classes and companies that took part this year. You all showed how working together for a good cause can look! 

For Bocholt, CITY CYCLING has long been more than just a competition. It is a symbol of how vibrant the cycling culture is in our city. Here, cycling is not just seen as a way to get around, but as part of our identity and our daily lives – and our urban mobility concept. 

As the local authority, we also took part with enthusiasm and see the competition as important impetus to continue investing in safe and appealing cycling infrastructure. We want cycling to be even more convenient and second nature in Bocholt – for all generations. 

This success shows: together, we are truly making a difference – in every sense of the word.

Photo: City of Bocholt

The municipality of Altheim bei Ehingen (Donau) is proud to have achieved another outstanding result in the CITY CYCLING competition in 2025. As a nature-loving municipality with around 600 inhabitants located at the foot of the Swabian Alb, we are delighted that our little municipality has achieved an outstanding third place in the category of “Most active local parliament” among the municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants.

This success is fantastic proof of the continuous motivation and community spirit here. In Altheim, the competition has evolved into a real test of strength, albeit a friendly one, in which cyclists both young and old collect kilometres for the climate. From short trips to the bakery to longer tours, the entire community gets involved in CITY CYCLING.

The campaign is an important source of inspiration for us. Our continued success reinforces our clear political goal of consistently expanding the local cycling infrastructure and creating safe links to neighbouring communities. Investing in cycling is a key contribution to sustainable mobility and to improving the quality of life in Altheim.

Altheim is well equipped for cyclists: we have an e-bike charging station, bicycle parking and places to stop for refreshments. Our location is the ideal starting point for tours into the Swabian Alb and to regional highlights such as the Hohle Fels cave, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We would like to thank all the cyclists who worked so hard to make this latest success possible. Altheim proves that a small community can achieve great things for climate protection. We’ll definitely be taking part again next year!

Photo: Municipality of Altheim

Dear Participants in CITY CYCLING,

This year, the municipality of Eschelbronn once again participated in CITY CYCLING with great enthusiasm. We were able to set a new record together and to cycle our way to the top of the ranking of active parliamentarians for what is now the fifth time in a row. 

272 cyclists cycled a total of ,77,362 kilometres. Beside these figures, the team spirit and sense of community we experienced were particularly impressive.

Something tangible is happening here in our small Kraichgau community. Topics such as cycling, climate protection, community and competition have brought together people, who rarely have anything to do with each other otherwise. In times of an increasingly individual society, this is a very pleasing turn of events.

Our local parliamentarians were particularly active again, too: they cycled an average of 396 kilometres each – leading us to place first in the national ranking of the “Most active local parliaments”. 

I am especially pleased with this result and congratulate our local council wholeheartedly on this achievement. 

I wish us all many more enjoyable, accident-free kilometres on our bikes and look forward to next year’s CITY CYCLING.

Photo: Niklas Link

I’m very proud that the city of Osnabrück has ranked third in the “Most active local parliament” category among the municipalities with between 100,000 and 499,999 inhabitants. In our 13 years of participating in CITY CYCLING, the number of cyclists has increased steadily to now total 3,963 in 2025. One particular success I’d like to highlight: 26 members of the local parliament – so more than half of them – took part and diligently collected kilometres.

For us, CITY CYCLING 2025 was not just a fun sporting competition, though, but also a matter of the heart: here in Osnabrück, this year’s campaign was dedicated to a charity. With the kilometres we cycled, we supported the project “Mit Herz & Pedale – die Stadtteil-Rikscha” organised by HelpAge Deutschland e. V. Through CITY CYCLING, we raised a total of €55,000 to acquire a neighbourhood rickshaw. 

Our local politicians demonstrated impressively that they are leading by example – and that sustainable mobility is a reality in Osnabrück. This commitment not only sends an important message for climate protection, but also raises awareness for a fair and inclusive society

A big thank you to all those who got involved and supported us. We want to use this momentum to continue working together for climate protection, cycling and participation. To achieve sustainable mobility and solidarity in Osnabrück!

Photo:City of Osnabrück/Janin Arntzen

CITY CYCLING is crucial to increasing cycling in the district of Landsberg am Lech. We’ve already successfully taken part in the CITY CYCLING sustainable mobility campaign twelve times and our many years of participation have had a positive impact on continuous expansion of the cycle paths in our district: a total of 22 measures were implemented within just three years to improve the local cycling network.

Thanks very much for the Golden Pin award! It is wonderful confirmation of our combined efforts and motivates us to continue working to expand the cycling network in our district while also demonstrating our support for sustainable mobility!

Photo: LRA Landsberg/J. Leitenstorfer

CITY CYCLING 2025 has now officially ended and the final results are in: the town of Sulzburg, together with Laufen and St. Ilgen, has won the Best Newcomer award for the most kilometres cycled among the municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants.

Congratulations to all of the cyclists who contributed to this fantastic achievement!

Photo: Town of Sulzburg

I’m proud that the municipality of Hagen im Bremischen has successfully participated in the Climate Alliance’s CITY CYCLING campaign for what is now the third time and that our efforts are also once again being recognised. After winning the Best Newcomer award in 2022, placing second in 2023 and ranking top in 2024, we were once again able to defend our title in 2025 in the category of “Most active local parliament” among the municipalities with between 10,000 and 49,999 inhabitants. These results are an impressive demonstration of how important sustainable mobility is in our community.

I’m particularly pleased about our local parliamentarians’ commitment: Out of the total of 29, 28 responded to our call to get involved and cycled a commendable average of 166.59 kilometres each. This sends a clear message for hands-on climate protection and setting an example through our own actions.

The entire community showed what it is capable of though: together, the 425 participants in 48 teams covered 93,894 kilometres, avoiding around 15 tonnes of CO₂. This is an outstanding achievement that we can all be proud of.

I’d like to thank everyone who took part – whether by cycling in their everyday lives, biking to work or cycling in their free time. Their commitment shows that climate protection is not only discussed here, but actively practised.

Foto: Simon Schnaeckel

It’s incredible – “I’m immensely proud that after placing first in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, we have now once again topped the ranking in 2025. This was only possible because so many people in Altshausen get involved with such passion and team spirit – from families through clubs and schools to companies.

With around 4,000 inhabitants, 1,033 cyclists and 57 teams, an impressive 271,624 kilometres were cycled this year – what an incredible achievement for Altshausen! 

Every kilometre cycled not only made a valuable contribution to climate protection, but also further enhanced the fitness of our community and boosted cohesion. The cyclists from Altshausen avoided over 40 tonnes of CO₂ and set a visible example for sustainable mobility.

CITY CYCLING has long been a matter close to our hearts. This success shows what we can achieve together when we get moving – for our environment, our health and our community. I’d like to thank all those who get involved year after year with such commitment and enthusiasm. This victory belongs to all of Altshausen!”

A special thanks to CITY CYCLING coordinator Michael Epp, whose motivation and enthusiasm inspires others to take part every year. His commitment and passion are central to Altshausen’s success in the CITY CYCLING campaign. I gladly support this enthusiasm as mayor of the municipality of Altshausen.

With six consecutive titles, Altshausen has long been the most successful municipality in Germany among the municipalities with up to 10,000 inhabitants and is full of motivation for the next round.

Because one thing is for sure: when it’s time to get pedalling again in 2026, Altshausen will most definitely be there again, full of energy and ready to cycle!

Photo: Michael Epp

Leipzig has been participating in CITY CYCLING since 2009, hence I’m all the more pleased that we were more successful this year than ever before. Between 29 August and 18 September, more than 20,000 residents of Leipzig cycled over 3.7 million kilometres – that’s even more than in the previous years! This puts Leipzig in fifth place in the national ranking, behind Berlin, the Hanover region, Hamburg and Munich.

Leipzig is a cycling city through and through – and a climate-conscious one at that. Which is why the campaign is more than just a competition for us. The enthusiasm for the annual CITY CYCLING campaign shows us what is already happening in Leipzig on a daily basis: cycling has become part of the everyday culture and is no longer just a mode of transport. This cycling culture shapes our identity and brings Leipzig’s urban society together, which is another reason why it is important for us to continuously promote cycling.

As a city, we must also set a good example ourselves every day, which is why it is all the more pleasing that Leipzig placed first this year in the category of “Most active local parliament” among the municipalities with 500,000 or more inhabitants. This is a great result that reflects the high level of motivation and commitment of our local political representatives. The everyday experiences this brings, coupled with the heightened understanding and awareness of different user perspectives, enable more balanced decision-making in our city council – a real benefit for the whole city, with an impact that goes far beyond cycling.

My heartfelt thanks to all those who took to their bike this year, whether for short trips or longer rides, helping us to pedal our way to climate neutrality in Leipzig by 2040.

Photo: Uwe Frauendorf, Leipzig