16.4.2025

Tiedotteet

Let’s celebrate equality in cycling

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Cycling Week invites everyone to get on their bikes between 3 and 11 May 2025. We welcome everyone to celebrate equal opportunities for cycling with the theme “Cycling for All”.

The event week will be kicked off on Saturday, 3 May at Kansalaistori Square, where you can have your bike checked for free and decorate it in a workshop. You can discuss cycling and related plans with experts from the City of Helsinki and learn about the popular tax-free employee benefit bike scheme with guidance from bike benefit expert Vapaus. Or you can warm up with a Zumba class and join the “Cycling for All” bike parade in the Helsinki city centre area. You do not need to have your own bike to participate – you can join in using a city bike. At the opening event, you can also try out a three-wheeled electric bike offering stability and lightness as well as a range of handcycles and recumbent bicycles for rent from the Paralympic Committee, and special bikes from Apuväline Avux.

On weekdays, cyclists will be offered breakfast in Töölönlahdenpuisto in Helsinki on 6 May, Myyrmäki in Vantaa on 7 May and Keilaniemi in Espoo on 8 May. The popular events are a way for the cities to thank commuter cyclists for their chosen environmentally-friendly mode of transport.

On Thursday, 8 May, Helsinki’s Töölönlahdenpuisto will host the event “Everybody Cycles”, where visitors will be able to try out bikes suitable for children and adults with severe disabilities. Among the bikes on display will be assisted tandems to be pedalled in tandem or side-by-side as well as trailer bikes and children’s solo tricycles with assistive solutions. At the event, you can learn how to take cycling safety factors into account when a cyclist is facing challenges related to, for example, perception, vision or understanding. In addition to the above-mentioned bikes, the event will also feature a three-wheeled electric bike that offers both stability and lightness for cycling. This could offer many older people a solution for continuing cycling at an older age if riding a two-wheeler feels too unsteady.

Throughout the week, there will be online interviews with cyclists and people interested in cycling from different backgrounds in Finnish and English. 

The event week will also include a bicycle trip for the whole family and information on the basics of bikepacking. All the events of the week are free of charge and welcome cyclists and bicycle enthusiasts of all ages, levels and backgrounds.

“This year, the events of the Metropolitan Area Cycling Week will offer visitors the opportunity to see and try out different models of bikes that are still rarely seen on the streets. We hope that we can help people find the right bike for them. We want to send the message that everyone is welcome on the cycle paths,” says Henni Ahvenlampi, Executive Director of Helsinki Region Cyclists (Hepo).

The aim of both the Helsinki Metropolitan Area cities and the national Cycling Week events is to encourage people to cycle and increase the use of bicycles in all trips. We encourage people to consider their options when moving from one place to another. It is important to increase people’s awareness of the benefits of cycling and to enhance cycling’s position in our traffic culture. 

The Cycling Week in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area is coordinated by Helsinki Region Cyclists (Hepo). The week’s events will be organised in cooperation with the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, Helsinki Region Transport (HSL), and other operators in the bicycle sector. Hepo volunteers will also contribute to the events.

At all Cycling Week events, you can participate in the Finnish Cyclists’ Federation’s campaign for recruitment of members. Those who become members by 28 September 2025 will be included in a prize draw for an electrically-assisted Helkama bike (value up to € 2,800). The draw will take place on 8 October 2025.

Programmes for the events will be published at hepo.fi/pyorailyviikko (in Finnish) and Hepo’s Facebook events (in Finnish). Please find the event info in English below.

More information:
Janina Vesala
Producer, Helsinki Region Cyclists NGO (Hepo)
044 2809 137
janina.vesala@hepo.fi

Henni Ahvenlampi
Executive Director, Helsinki Region Cyclists NGO (Hepo)
041 3191002
henni.ahvenlampi@hepo.fi

Join the Cycling Week events

Saturday, 3 May 
Opening event of the Cycling Week & Cycling for All bike parade

Hepo and its partners will hold the grand opening of the Cycling Week at Helsinki’s Kansalaistori Square next to the Oodi Library on Saturday, 3 May from 12:00 to 17:00. 

The grand opening event will be full of entertainment and fun activities for all! Come and test-ride the Paralympic Committee’s range of rental bikes, including various special bikes such as handcycles and recumbent bicycles. The Paralympic Committee’s bikes are suitable for adults and adolescents. You can also try special bikes from Apuväline Avux, whose bikes make cycling accessible for almost everyone. Apuväline Avux’s selection also includes bikes for children and adolescents. Come and test-ride also Helkama’s stable three-wheeled electric bike. Employee bike benefit specialist Vapaus will also participate in the event. At the event, you can test-ride high-quality refurbished circular economy bicycles from their Precycled selection and discuss a tax-free bike benefit. You will also have the opportunity to have your bike checked free of charge by a bike maintenance professional of Helsingin Pyörähuolto Oy and to decorate your bike for the bike parade. Experts from the City of Helsinki will be present to talk about the development of bicycle traffic. The bike parade for the whole family will start at 14:00 and end at the same place in about an hour.

Of course, there will also be music as Trash Heroes DJs provide tunes between 12:00–15:00. There will be a guided Zumba class to warm up before the parade. Naturally, you can also meet representatives of Helsinki Region Cyclists. The Kansalaistori Square event will provide tips and information about both cycling and traffic rules for cycling.

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2IlbJQLFC 

Sunday, 4 May
Bicycle Ride for the Whole Family in Helsinki

On Sunday, 4 May, we will organise a guided and free cycling trip for the whole family in Helsinki. The cycling trip will start from Kansalaistori Square, next to the Oodi Library at 10:00. The route is about 23 kilometres long and will take about 4 hours.

The tour will take you to the vernal Central Park and head to the magnificent Paloheinä campfire hut! The pace will be slow so that everyone can keep up – this means that the route is even suitable for those who have not cycled much. There will be frequent small breaks during the trip, with a stopover at the Maunula hiking lodge (Metsäläntie 9, Helsinki). You can finish the trip after 6 kilometres at the Maunula hiking lodge, or you can also join in from there at around 10:45. The distance from the Maunula hiking lodge to the Paloheinä campfire hut is about 5 km. At the Paloheinä campfire hut, there will be time for outdoor activities and eating snacks. From the hut, the trip will return to the starting point at Kansalaistori Square. You can bring drinks and snacks to enjoy during the trip and at the campfire hut.

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/7Vjnsfijr 

Monday 5 May – Friday 9 May
Learn to service your bike – Free repair workshop in Otaniemi, Espoo 

Welcome to the free bike repair workshop to service your bicycle with expert guidance! RD Physics Oy and the City of Espoo are organizing a free bicycle repair workshop in Otaniemi as part of the Cycling Week. In the workshop, you’ll learn hands-on how to maintain your own bike – for example, how to patch a tire, adjust the gears, and lubricate the chain. The goal is to make bike maintenance easy and inspiring, lower the threshold for getting into cycling, and promote sustainable mobility. The workshop is open 5.-9.5, 8am to 4pm at Omnia Makers Space, at Otakaari 5, Espoo. Bring your own bike!

Event on City of Espoo’s website: https://www.espoo.fi/en/events/espooevents:aglbv5o2cm 

Tuesday 6 May, Wednesday 7 May, Thursday 8 May
Breakfast for Cyclists

The extremely popular Breakfast for Cyclists event invites everyone to pedal to Helsinki’s Töölönlahdenpuisto, Vantaa’s Myyrmäki and Espoo’s Keilaniemi. Hepo volunteers will serve breakfast to cyclists every day from 7:00 to 9:00.

On Tuesday, 6 May between 7:00 and 9:00, hungry and coffee-thirsty people will be served at Helsinki Bike Centre in Töölönlahdenpuisto (Address: Karamzininranta 4, Helsinki). The Bike Centre is a service provided by City Transport in cooperation with Inurba Mobility, where you can get practical advice on bike maintenance. At the Bike Centre, you can service your own bike with the help of the Centre’s professionals and tools. Charity cycling team Team Rynkeby Helsinki will also be present at the event.

On Wednesday 7 May, between 7:00 and 9:00, breakfast will be served in Vantaa’s Myyrmäki, opposite the Länsi-Vantaa Bicycle Workshop at Myyrmäenraitti 4, Vantaa. At the event, the Vantaa Cyclist of the Year 2025 will be announced at 8:00. Charity cycling team Team Rynkeby Vantaa will be present at the event. The Länsi-Vantaa Bicycle Workshop is a free do-it-yourself space where everyone is welcome to service their bikes. Volunteers are on site during the opening hours to help out when needed. The aim of the bicycle workshops is to make cycling and bike maintenance approachable for all types of cyclists.

On Thursday, 8 May between 7:00 and 9:00 breakfast will be served in front of Laguuni in Keilaniemi, Espoo (Address: ). Charity cycling team Team Rynkeby Espoo will be present at the Espoo event.

Helsinki event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2qVF681kA
Vantaa event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2VIk34Tzy
Espoo event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/d5OEwmwOR 

Thursday, 8 May
Everybody Cycles event

On Thursday, 8 May from 16:00 to 19:00, Helsinki Bike Centre in Töölönlahdenpuisto’s Event Square will host the event “Everybody Cycles”, where visitors will be able to try out bikes suitable for children and adults with severe disabilities. The event is organised in cooperation with Vammaisperheyhdistys Jaatinen ry and Inclusion Finland’s Malike activities. Among the bikes on display will be assisted tandems to be pedalled in tandem or side-by-side as well as trailer bikes and children’s solo tricycles with assistive solutions. At the event, you can learn how to take cycling safety factors into account when a cyclist is facing challenges related to, for example, perception, vision or understanding. In addition to the above-mentioned bikes, the event will also feature Helkama’s three-wheeled electric bike that offers both stability and lightness for cycling. The bike could offer many older people a solution for continuing cycling at an older age if riding a two-wheeler feels too unsteady. You can come to the event just to watch and learn, even if you do not have the need to acquire an assisted cycle due to your life situation.

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/9S1H127PE

What would encourage you to cycle and who you would like to see more of on cycle paths – interviews in Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo

Hop on to Hepo’s Facebook page to listen and watch the live feed interviews throughout the week. We will hear from cyclists and people interested in cycling from different backgrounds in interviews in Finnish and English. The recordings of the Live feed interviews will be available later on Hepo’s Facebook page and a blog post based on it will also be published on Hepo’s website so you can read more about the subject later.

Saturday, 10 May 
Basics of bikepacking in Helsinki

Come and learn about bikepacking with Taina Renkonen, an adventure cyclist known from social media. At the event, you will hear Taina’s tips for getting started with bikepacking and planning trips, whether they will take you near or far. How to get started in bicycle touring if you are interested but lack experience and equipment? What kind of equipment should you invest in? How to plan a route? Where to find accommodation? How to take safety issues into account? At the event, you will find answers to these and many other questions.

The event will start with a relaxed lecture in the courtyard of the Maunula hiking lodge next to the café building (Metsäläntie 9), during which Taina will also present her own hiking equipment. After that, those interested will have the opportunity to go on a short bike ride in the surrounding area, with the aim of demonstrating how to find a suitable place to stay overnight and how to set up camp in the terrain.

The event will begin at noon and end at about 15:00. You do not need to bring any equipment – except for a bike if you want to joint the ride after the lecture. The event is free and no registration is required. We hope to see you there!

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2WQYSOesS