West Side Little Cyclists Parade, June 1, 2024
On June 1, the center of cycling fun was in the West Side neighborhood! Over 1,200 children along with parents, grandparents, and adult friends celebrated Children’s Day at Little Cyclists Parade West Side Kids Race, organized by the Go4fun Association, Road Grand Tour, and the Sector 6 City Hall, with the support of Reciclad’OR.
For 10 hours, the smallest and most adorable cyclists pedaled, played, and recycled for a healthy lifestyle, not only on International Children’s Day but also on World Bicycle Day (June 3) and World Environment Day (June 5).
Protected from road traffic, restricted during the event on Splaiul Independenței in the area of SEK Bucharest International School – Petrache Poenaru metro station and the proximity of Sema Park, the children pedaled freely on the roadway, enjoying the feeling of freedom that the bicycle offers.
Little Cyclists Parade West Side Kids Race included activities to promote safe cycling, and the youngest cyclists learned the rules that must be observed during two-wheeled travel. The children practiced riding in a peloton, slow biking, and skill courses with cones and obstacles set up on the roadway. They visited an electric truck present at the event, with the help of which they understood how large the blind spot is and how they need to make themselves visible around vehicles.
The young cyclists then relaxed in the courtyard of the SEK Bucharest International School, where they participated in creative recycling games organized by Reciclad’OR & Remat Holding, learned how to check and repair a bicycle at the workshop organized by Sir Fix a Lot, and other activities organized by the event partners.
Gabi Orban, a holder of 3 Guinness World Records and a globally recognized athlete, kept all participants spellbound during the acrobatic bicycle stunt show, effortlessly jumping over the obstacles placed on the road for this moment.
The Parade was started at 12:00 by H.E. Willemijn van Haaften, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bucharest, and Ciprian Ciucu, Mayor of Sector 6, who were present at the event on bicycles.
At 1:00 PM, the West Side Kids Race began, a series of 11 cycling races for 6 age categories between 2 and 14 years old, on routes adapted for each category, in compliance with the regulations of the Romanian Cycling Federation. Over 40 children were awarded prizes for each certified category, both for licensed cyclists from cycling clubs and for amateur cyclists on MTB or road bikes. The start of the Pișpirică category had the longest pre-start countdown made by the participants with their supporting parents and friends.
Bogdan Matei, a zoologist-educator, offered the little ones a unique zoology lesson with live exotic animals: a sand boa, a boa constrictor, royal pythons, a Burmese tiger python, a Mexican yellow-knee tarantula, as well as unique natural science preparations: a python skull, snake skins and eggs, and a Siberian tiger skin.
At the end of the day, the award ceremony and raffle draw took place, with prizes provided by the event partners.
Little Cyclists Parade West Side Kids Race was a new two-wheeled adventure with over 2,000 children and adults present throughout the day at the event, organized with the support of the event partners: the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sema Park, the Romanian Cyclists’ Federation, the Road Safety Coalition, UNTRR, UNSAR, TBI Bank, Auchan, ING Bank, Orange, Fiterman Pharma, Remat Holding, Bikexpert, Nutrivita, Danone, Volvo, The Bridge, MarosBike, Vesta, Autonom – Rent a Car, Cycle4GlobalGoals, Click Birotica, and Apa Nova.
We thank ADP Sector 6, the Traffic Police, and the Romanian Gendarmerie for their support in organizing the event.
Additional details and photos can be found on the organizers’ pages:
