An international cycling relay on its way to the UN COP31 climate conference in Antalya has passed through Burgas, the Burgas Cycling Community association told BTA. Local cyclists joined the international group for a ride through the city, and Burgas council pledged to promote cycling as a way to get around.
This report follows our earlier story on the relay's arrival in Burgas on October 4 and 5, when the two Bulgarian legs of the initiative, known as the COP31 Bike Ride, met up in the city.
The cyclists met on the bridge by the Southern Salt Pans, then rode through the city to the new St Anastasia children's hospital, where the ride ended. About 18 cyclists took part in the Bulgarian leg, along with riders from France, Brazil and Portugal. Burgas is one of the stops on the route where separate groups in the relay join up.
The full route runs more than 22,000km through over 20 countries on three continents. The initiative is not a race but a symbolic relay passed from city to city. Along the way, organisers ask local communities and authorities to commit to specific steps that make cycling easier. The goal is to get more people cycling day to day and to make cities more sustainable.
The Burgas Cycling Community also held a talk on conditions for cyclists in the city. The association said the event gave local cyclists a chance to be part of the route, not just watch it go by.
During the talk, organisers explained the idea behind the COP31 Bike Ride and showed a film about the last edition, a trip from Baku to Belém. It showed how long the route was, the obstacles along the way, and the unconventional ways riders crossed continents and an ocean.
Organisers said the talk in Burgas went beyond statistics and bike lanes, and touched on how to turn promises into real change. They said the COP31 Bike Ride is not just a call for more bikes and bike infrastructure, but a push for solutions people can actually feel in their daily lives.