Thanks to its uneven terrain, Greece has ranked high among cycling enthusiasts, especially mountain-bikers. But outside of sport, cycling has not been seen as a mode of transportation, especially in large urban centers like Athens where bicycles could relieve traffic congestion. But in recent years, there has been a trend towards using bicycles to commute–if not in the city, where dense traffic makes this difficult but in suburban areas to reach public transport like the metro or light rail. Bicycles are gaining more fans by the day, some motivated by environmental reasons, some by health reasons, some for economy–and most for a combination of all.

Yet while cycling may be pleasant on remote country roads, Greece still lacks the infrastructure to support the switch to cycling. Pedestrian walkways have facilitated cycling in some areas like the Thessaloniki waterfront and the Faliro coast south of Athens, and now there is increased pressure on public transport to allow bikes and local officials to introduce proper cycling lanes in cities too. 

“The economic crisis has helped people renew their interest in cycling,” says web designer Kostas Dimitrakakis, president of the Athens Bicycle Club, which he founded in 2003. “Having less money has caused people to consider ways in which to save on gas and find alternative forms of recreation. Social cycling groups such as ours are flourishing, heralding a growing need for friendship and return to a more ecological lifestyle.” 

A veteran rider himself, Dimitrakakis recalls bygone days when cycling on the road was, at best, risky. “For unknown reasons, drivers would scream at us or scrape as near as possible as if to ‘ward’ us off the roads,” he recalls. “Thankfully, the mentality has changed and, these days, drivers are more courteous oftentimes giving priority to cyclists. Even so, for the sake of safety, the Athens Bicycle Club organizes rides across car-free tracks.”

Professional drivers are turning into ardent supporters. ETHELontes Podilates (Volunteer Cyclists) is a group created by three bus drivers, employed by the publicly-held Thermal Buses S.A. (ETHEL), who traded in the steering wheel for the pedal during their spare time. This is reflected in the group’s name which is a play on the Greek word for volunteers, ethelontes, and the bus company’s acronym. 

Originally, the group was created to cater to the recreational needs of ETHEL drivers. “Some saw the bicycle as exercise due to the fact that our work is stationary, others wanted to lose weight and then there were those that viewed cycling as an alternative means of transport,” says one of the founders, Antonis Kopitsis. “Later, word of mouth and Facebook brought others outside our profession to our fold, but we try to stick together and work in the same way as when we were just three.”

Kopitsis states that seeing parents with their children riding together, oftentimes with special toddler chairs, moves him. “What better example to avoid child obesity and many other negative activities such as addiction to electronic games?” he asks. 

While some see cycling as a hobby for fun and fitness, there are others who make a living out of it. Bondex Couriers, Greece’s bike messenger service, boasts of rapid deliveries at a cheaper cost. Courier Harry Skaftouros states that cyclists by their very nature are more credible than their gas guzzling counterparts. “Couriers who work for us, above all, love the bicycle and this, in itself, means that they see their job as more than just a living. Naturally, their eco-minded, fitness-orientated view of life means that they are not your typical messengers,” he states, pointing to the fact that messengers and mountain bikers share a common philosophy.

On the road 24/7, Bondex Couriers have come across all sorts of dangers. “It gets crazy sometimes,” admits Skaftouros. “I don’t think I would want it otherwise. The unpredictability of the job, that thin edge of danger and the Athens mayhem only serves to make the ride and the job more exciting.”

The growing use of bicycles and the benefits of this use to health and the environment has not gone unnoticed by the state. Greece’s own sporty Prime Minister George Papandreou has often been captured by the media on publicity rides, and efforts are being made for more citizens to follow his example. 

Cycling proponents have managed to make transportation and local officials more responsive as the broader benefits of using bikes rather than cars to get around–less traffic congestion, no carbon emissions, less noise. Taking a cue from the bike-friendly tram, the Metro, or Athens subway, began allowing a limited number on bicycles on its cars earlier this year. The pilot measure, put in effect last May, allowed for four bicycles per train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after 6 p.m., as well as on Sundays and public holidays. The trial period was extended past September.

Meantime, in June, the then-minister for infrastructure and public transport Dimitris Reppas announced that as a pilot measure, cyclists could use designated bus lanes through September 18 as a first step towards evaluating the effects on traffic in the city. Reaction was mixed, with cyclists welcoming the announcement as recognition that bikes are a viable means of transport but expressing concern about the safety of sharing lanes with buses.  

“The entry of cyclists to bus lanes will increase the number of cyclists but also ward off private passenger cars from illegally entering public lanes as their use by cyclists will no longer make them appear a faster alternative,” Kopitsis says. 

Bicycles got a further boost this summer when Health Minister Andreas Loverdos and Deputy Health Minister Hristos Aidonis announced that free bike racks would be installed at key points near public transport around the downtown Athens–the Acropolis, Thiseion, and Mitropolis–as well as in Thessaloniki, Samothrace, and Archipelagos Pellas as part of the “Exercise Paths, Quality of Life-The Bicycle of our Life” program.  Bicycle points were chosen, according to Aidonis, in order to spotlight the Greek capital’s main tourist sights  whereas the 20 static bicycles outside the Public Power Corporation pylons in Thessaloniki are for energy-gathering purposes. 

That’s commuting. What about touring? 

Bike sightseeing tours, in accordance to the model of other cities, have been operating in Greece for years. Pame Volta manager Vasilis Kambas says that the bicycle is an ideal way to get to areas not accessible to cars and too tiring to visit on foot. “What better way to remember the contours of a country than by riding through?” asks Kambas, who has lead countless of sweating tourists through the sights of Greece. Bikes, he adds, do not distinguish by class or age or gender. “Our clients range from twelve to sixty-five years and come from all walks of life.”

This is particularly evident during the regular car-free Friday evenings of Athens where hundreds of cyclists gather at Asomaton Square riding everything from racing bikes to rusty bone shakers. “What is extremely interesting about Freeday is that it is a spontaneous event,” says journalist and programmer Theodoros Natsinas. “The success of Freeday seems based on common sense, good taste, friendship, freedom, deep-seated good feelings about true ecology and sustainability, diligence, self-actualization, feeling of security during the ride, love for true auto-mobility, love for real contact with life and the environment, a healthy attitude about major modern concerns (like economy, traffic, etc), social sensibility, love for true social interaction, wisdom and much more…” 

The more cycle enthusiasts you speak to, the more you will wonder whether there is more to the calorie-burning, transport-giving bicycle that meets the eye. After all, a machine that uses man as his engine cannot help but fuel passions.