Record in city cycling: Over 3,000 cyclists save 91 tons of CO2!

Record in city cycling: Over 3,000 cyclists save 91 tons of CO2!

Who would have thought that Ammerland would be so busy? On July 16, 2025, the region can look back on an impressive record of this year's city cycling. Over 3,000 cyclists put their pedals to work and covered a total of 554,323 kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to circumnavigating the globe. According to the latest information from NWZonline Around 91 tonnes of carbon dioxide were avoided - welcome news for the environment and the climate.

The number of participants exceeded expectations: 157 teams from all six municipalities in the Ammerland district accepted the challenge. Particularly noteworthy is the municipality of Rastede, which has established itself as the most bicycle-friendly municipality with an impressive 167,211 kilometers. Westerstede secured second place with 102,946 kilometers cycled, while Bad Zwischenahn (79,850 km), Edewecht (72,178 km) and Apen (70,328 km) took the other places. Wiefelstede ultimately ended up at the bottom of the rankings with 48,850 kilometers cycled.

Motivation and future visions

District Administrator Karin Harms was euphoric about the record participation and encouraged everyone to use the bike more in everyday life. This message is reflected in the increasing number of participants - compared to 2023, the number of participants grew from 2,619 to 2,781. A positive development that not only benefits individuals, but also the environment. This shows that more and more people are willing to switch to bicycles and thus actively contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.

The experts of Federal Environment Agency According to this, up to 30% of car journeys in metropolitan areas could be replaced by cycling. This is an exciting perspective that shows how important the expansion and promotion of cycling infrastructure is. To ensure sustainable mobility, it is essential to develop a continuous cycle network with safe and comfortable cycle paths.

Successes in detail

If you look at the performance of the teams, the OBV Scheps team from Edewecht stands out, which covered the most kilometers with 19,605 kilometers. The ADFC Bad Zwischenahn and the Azurit team and friends from Apen also deserve recognition for their achievements. When it comes to rides, the KirchenRad team from Westerstede leads with 1,172 rides, followed by OBV Scheps with 1,061 rides.

The winning teams and the awarding of points will be recognized on August 24th at a citizens' breakfast in Edewecht. A special awards ceremony for schools is also planned soon to raise awareness among young people about an environmentally conscious lifestyle, with the Cooperative Comprehensive School in Rastede making a significant contribution to the success of the competition.

“City cycling will continue to be a central part of our efforts to promote cycling and thus contribute to improving air quality and the health of citizens,” continued Harms. Encouraging everyday use of bicycles is the new focus of the city cycling working group - so that the positive development continues in the coming years and each of us makes a contribution to sustainable mobility.