Peuerbach cyclist of the year: Rudi Pfeiffer cycles for freedom!

Peuerbach cyclist of the year: Rudi Pfeiffer cycles for freedom!

Peuerbach, Österreich - The cycling initiative of the city of Peuerbach and the municipality of Steegen proudly named Rudi Pfeiffer from Ereiferdorf as the cyclist of the year. The 69-year-old has been enthusiastic about cycling for years and covers around 10,000 kilometers with his bike every year. The award was preceded by a long way that began through a friend who delighted him for cycling.

Pfeiffer particularly enjoys the fresh air and the attractive surroundings around Waizenkirchen, Kallham, Peuerbach and Pötting. "For me, cycling means freedom, movement and an experience in nature," he explains. He also likes to pass on this enthusiasm to the younger ones and encourages them to "get out into nature and movement". Leopold Gfellner, bike representative of Peuerbach and Steegen, underlines the positive effects of cycling: "It keeps it fit and young in the heart". Pfeiffer's wish for the future: to be able to cycle as long as possible.

bike -friendly initiatives in Peuerbach

Peuerbach has increasingly established itself as a bicycle -friendly community in recent years. A central measure was the Radl event, which took place on May 20, 2017 at the station forecourt. Despite the cool weather, the skill course was well received by the participants, including the winners of the various age categories. So Oliver Philip Bauer won the 9-year-olds and Daniel Marihart with the older participants.

In addition, various mobility days have become an integral part of the cycling initiative since 2011. These offer a wide variety of activities, from skill tests to e-bike tests. In 2015, impressive 80,000 kilometers of 58 participants were cycled as part of the mobility day.

bicyle boom in Austria

Cycling in Austria is becoming increasingly popular, which also affects the sales figures. In 2023, more e-bikes were sold for the first time than conventional bicycles. Over 200,000 e-bikes found their way into domestic households, while the total number of bicycles sold lowered around 421,000. This is particularly evident in the growing number of daily cyclists, in which 63 percent of Austrians (almost) pedal (almost) daily.

The increase in cycling is not only due to health aspects, but also to the increased environmental awareness. Over half of the population prefer city and trekking wheels. Nevertheless, the traffic safety aspect is not unnoticed, since the number of bicycle accidents rose from around 6,400 in 2013 to around 10,300 in 2023. It is therefore of great importance not only to promote cycling, but also to take suitable safety precautions in order to make cycling more secure in Austria

Overall, it can be seen that the cycling initiative in Peuerbach and the increased popularity of cycling across Austria have a positive effect. Cycling is seen both as a leisure activity and as an environmentally conscious form of mobility and remains a valuable pillar in the future of Austrian traffic culture.

For more information on the activities of the cycling initiative in Peuerbach, visit the website of the municipality here . You can find out more about developments in the field of bicycle traffic in Austria on Statista . For a detailed report on Rudi Pfeiffer and his passion for cycling, you can follow this article