On Saturday, September 23, 2023 the action day "South Tyrol, live your cities by bike" took place in Brunico and one thing could be observed: Cycling is a trend among young and old! For many, it is already THE means of transportation in everyday life - whether supported by an electric motor or pedaled independently - the bicycle is definitely experiencing an upswing. The day of action "South Tyrol (er)leben deine Städte mit dem Rad" (live your cities by bike), which took place on Saturday in Brunico but also in parallel in Bolzano, Bressanone, Vipiteno, Chiusa and Laives, also aimed to raise awareness. "Thanks to the well-connected bicycle paths, South Tyrol's cities are now easily accessible by bike - a contributing reason to consciously choose the bicycle as a means of transportation more often" emphasizes Environment Councillor Hannes Niederkofler.
On Saturday, in any case, many people decided in favor of the bicycle and came to Bruneck, where on this day various stations were offered on the topic of "bicycles", besides the Via Bastioni street was reserved entirely for cyclists (and pedestrians).
Particularly in demand was the mobile repair work station on the town hall square, where minor bicycle repairs could be carried out free of charge. The mobile repair station on Rathausplatz, where minor bicycle repairs could be carried out free of charge, was particularly in demand. The employees of the social cooperative NOVUM2 had plenty to do until late in the afternoon, and while some of the older ones had to exercise patience in the queue, the little ones diligently practiced safe cycling on the safety course of the Brunico local police. The little cyclists were able to give free rein to their creativity at the painting and handicraft station of the Bruneck Youth Service at the forecourt of the municipal library - which was gradually filled with colorful chalk drawings and paintings. At the bicycle flea market on the Graben, eleven "stands" were used for trading and haggling.Not only bicycles for children in all sizes and designs were for sale, but also bicycle helmets and bicycle clothing. "Over the years, a lot of things accumulate - the bike flea market is therefore a good opportunity to pass on used, but good bikes for a fair price," says one mom.Those who strolled through the city could also solve the hds unione window riddle by looking in the shop windows and receive a small surprise with the solution sentence "With the bike into the city".
Cycling into and on through the city was also the order of the day for a group of e-bikers who had come on a rally from Bressanone to Brunico to take part in a historical guided tour of the city by bike.A small group of guests also accepted the invitation to take a bike tour with the mayor and were visibly delighted to experience the city's first citizen as a bike guide, enjoying seeing the city through his eyes.
Finally, a blessing with Dean Josef Knapp took place at the town hall square. With the wish "to always get home safely", the cyclists and their bikes were blessed before the first raindrops fell. "Cycling is not only a popular recreational sport.In urban areas, the bicycle has now also established itself for many as a good alternative to the car, which is proving to be a positive trend for our cities in many respects in the direction of traffic calming, sustainability and environmental friendliness," emphasized Mayor Roland Griessmair and was pleased with a successful day of action. To ensure that this trend continues successfully, everyone should continue to ride their bikes diligently!

Meet & Greet with professional mountain biker Eva Lechner - postponed due to illness
For 20 years Eva Lechner from Eppan has been part of the international elite in mountain biking. She is a multiple World Cup winner, vice world champion, has participated in four Olympics and has won countless national championship titles. The current book "Offroad to the top of the world" documents her career with all its ups and downs and shows what lessons can be learned for life.