Local Actions winner holds Mountain Bike Cycling Festival

For his project, “Hey, I’m moving on two wheels”, Dilshod Kholmatov and his team held a Cycling Festival early in the implementation of his project to promote and popularize the bicycle movement among citizens of all ages. The event was held at the Park of Victory in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

The festival was also a part of promoting alternative modes of transport in the city by highlighting the benefits of cycling, walking, and using public transportation. During the festival, participants demonstrated the advantages of cycling, emphasizing its role as a modern and environmentally-friendly way of traveling.

Among the festival’s activities was a race around the park’s vicinity. During the race, all cyclists were able to participate, even young children. It wasn’t much of a competitive race but more of an opportunity to exercise, come together as friends and family, and enjoy the outdoors.

The race had five categories; children, women, paralympic athletes, men aged 15 - 35, and men over 35. The first three categories covered an area of two kilometers while the latter two covered 8 kilometers of an off-road track. Over 100 cyclists took part in the race. 

An extensive entertainment program followed the race; it included contests, games, quests, photo zones, a disco, and a lunch event. 

Another activity from the project is called the “Mass Ride” which gathered more than 50 participants to cycle a distance of 23 kilometers, traveling from Dushanbe to Varzob. The final location brought the cyclists to an area called ‘Mohru’ where they gathered and rested. As with the cycling festival, the goal of the event was to promote the use of bicycles as an alternative mode of transport.

The project also included road safety training for local cyclists. During the session, Dilshod and his team talked about traffic rules for cyclists. They discussed the level of safety cycles would find themselves in both inside and outside the city. They analyzed situations that occurred on the road and how they, as cyclists, could safely react; An experienced cyclist called Rinat Batirshin Soviet Union Coach even shared some of his professional insights on the matter.

Within the framework of the project, 30 cyclists donated standard bicycle helmets, reflective vests, flashlights, and catalogs on cycling to contribute to the cause. The participants were behind the idea of protecting cyclists as some of the most vulnerable road users.