Sustainability and "green" transport UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum
Athens will be at the centre of the international discussion on sustainable urban mobility and cycling, hosting the UCI Mobility & Bike City Forum 2026, on May 10-11, at the Athens Conservatoire.
The conference is jointly organized by the Municipality of Athens and the International Cycling Union (UCI), in collaboration with the Kyvernitis Travel Group.
The organizations join forces to implement a high-quality conference that aims to highlight cycling as a tool for sustainable urban mobility and tourism development. With the guidance and expertise of the UCI, the Municipality of Athens strengthens the city’s position as a modern European hub, while the Kyvernitis Travel Group has undertaken the design, organization and promotion of the conference, enhancing its international character.
The conference, which the UCI has been holding in a different city every year since 2018, brings together representatives of municipalities, academics and organisations working on sustainable urban development, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences on the contribution of cycling to tourism and the transformation of cities. The choice of Athens is a recognition of the initiatives of the Municipality of Athens to promote a green transition in the city.
On Monday, 11 May, the opening remarks will be given by the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, the President of UCI David Lappartient, the President of the European Olympic Committees and member of the Board of Directors of the International Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos and the President of the Hellenic Cycling Federation Vassilis Diamantopoulos.
The keynote address will be given by Carly Gilbert-Patrick, Secretary General of the International Organization SLOCAT.
Panel on the development of cycling tourism
The first panel focuses on the development of cycling tourism through modern trends and effective practices. The methods that can be used by tourist destinations to attract visitors will be presented by two distinguished speakers from Greece, Spyros Papageorgiou, Founder & Director of Cities for Cycling | Member of ECF, and Giorgos Nanos, co-owner of Outline / Velosolutions Greece, companies specializing in cycling tourism and cycling infrastructure, as well as two speakers representing the European Cyclists’ Federation and the Cycle Tourism Show.
The second panel examines the methods that cities can implement to reshape road networks and transportation systems to enhance cycling. Speakers from C40 Cities, Copenhagenize and UCI, and the Mayor of Ilioupoli Stathis Psyropoulos will share good practices, while the head of the Rwanda Cycling Federation – receiving the award for the capital Kigali as a UCI Bike City from the UCI President – will highlight the cycling “transformation” of the city that hosted the UCI World Championships in 2025.
The discussion will continue on the role of cycling events as a lever for the development of sustainable sports tourism.
Three experienced organizers from the Netherlands, Finland, Australia and entrepreneur Yannis Koklakizoglou, of Top Cycles and Athens Bike Rental, analyze the balance between strengthening the local economy, protecting the environment and ensuring the quality of life of residents.
The last thematic section is dedicated to road safety, with the participation of leading organizations and personalities such as the UCI and UEFA, and from the Greek side, Enduro champion Vasilis Orfanos, winner of the Dakar Rally, founder and trainer of the VOM Safe Driving School, as well as Apostolos Ziakopoulos, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Transport and Transportation Infrastructure of the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, highlighting the importance of cooperation with the aim of a safer environment for cycling.
See the detailed Conference Program and to register, click here.
On the eve of the Forum, on Sunday, May 10, the Tour of Hellas will finish at Syntagma Square and the medal awards will be presented, while on the same evening, during an official dinner, the winners of the UCI Cycling for All & Sustainability Awards 2026 will be announced.
The UCI Mobility & Bike City Forum 2026 is an important opportunity for the exchange of expertise, opinions and proposals in the fields of sustainable urban mobility and cycling tourism. It is aimed at organizations, businesses and individuals who either operate in related sectors or see cycling as a pillar of green, daily transportation in the city and want to shape its future.