A Social View of Cycling  

In the last years cycling has become much more popular as a means of transport and for leisure. Not only do more people cycle these days compared to ten years ago. There is also more research into cycling, and there are more books, talks and articles than we can read and listen to, if we also want to spend some time riding our cycle.

When you take a closer look at the cycling publications, it becomes clear that the focus of attention of the publications differs. Roughly you can say that there is a division of focus in four facets of cycling. First there are authors who focus on cycling as a bodily activity, second there are authors who focus on the cycle and its accessories as objects, others again focus on the cycling environment, and then there is also a group of authors that primarily deal with cyclists, the people who ride. As a variation, the focus can also be on the relationship between facets. For example on the development of the types of cycles that are used by cyclists in the urban cycling environment over time.

Apart from differences in facets of cycling, you can also distinguish different views of cycling. Examples are a sports view of cycling, a technological view of cycling, a geographic view of cycling, a health view of cycling and a social view of cycling. The fact that cycling and its facets can be viewed from many perspectives makes it an interesting subject of study that sparks many debates.

On this website and blog, you find a social view of cycling, since I am especially interested in people. How do people live their daily lives, how is this different in different geographies, how does it change over time and why is that so? I hope this view is a feast of recognition for you, or helps you to understand the world of cycling from a new perspective. Either way, I like to think and write about cycling from a social perspective!