Düsseldorf used to be big in cycling. Up until the 1930s, there were six large cycle racing tracks in the city. A long-buried tradition that is now being revitalised. Cross-country races such as the "QuerFeldRhein", the new profile of the classic "Rund um die Kö" and events such as Cyclingworld Europe are examples of the new Düsseldorf bike community. Trendsetters are often bike stores such as "La Bici", "Schicke Mütze" and "Awsum". They all stand for the newly discovered passion for cycling.

Bike fascination: Cyclingworld Europe at the Areal Böhler.

Great stories often start in small rooms, in garages or in the back room, just behind the workshop. Sometimes they smell of lubricating oil and freshly rubberised tyres - at least when they are stories about cycling: "The route of the 2017 Tour de France was planned at this table," says the man with the warm, mischievously smiling brown eyes. It's Sven Teutenberg, Düsseldorf's best-known professional cyclist, who has competed in all the Grand Tours in his career - the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The tour posters on the walls of "La Bici", the bike shop that Sven has successfully run since 2002, are proud witnesses of the Grande Boucle, the "great loop". A theme that has looped through his life for quite some time, as it took twelve years from the initial idea of bringing the tour to the Rhine to its actual start on 1 July 2017. The first attempt in 2006 failed because the then Lord Mayor Joachim Erwin and Alexander Liebkind, the head of Düsseldorf Marketing and Tourism, died – two powerful advocates that used to get things done. Sven made a new attempt in 2015. This time with success! Thomas Geisel, himself a cycling enthusiast, and then mayor of the state capital says: "It was an incredible moment, when we got the call from Paris in December 2015 and were awarded the contract - finally on the home straight!"

Tour de France: Cycling pro Sven Teutenberg planned the route.

Sven became Event Manager, responsible for sport and organisation - and therefore also for the route design, which was finalised in the team with Tour boss Christian Prudhomme at the table in the back room. The rest is history: the Grand Départ became a flurry of camera flashes and a worldwide media spectacle - a huge success. Admittedly, it was steep mountain to climb to get through the preparations for the start in Düsseldorf. Today, looking back, Sven says: "The start of the tour inspired, won over and encouraged many people to get involved in cycling." And something else got off to a good start: since 2017 Cyclingworld, originally a bike exhibition in the run-up to the tour, has evolved into an event trade fair and exhibition. Today, it is one of the biggest events for the cycling community in Europe. More than 25,000 enthusiastic cycling fans visited the Areal Böhler for the sixth edition of Cyclingworld Europe in March. Over 320 exhibitors showed more than 500 brands at the three-day "exhibition for the finest bike culture". "This makes us the largest cycling community convention in Europe," says Torsten Abels, project manager of organiser EVENTS4iDEAS.

Cyclingworld Europe: More than 25,000 visitors attend the event at Areal Böhler.

A trade fair with festival character - that's what Cyclingworld stands for. In the indoor and outdoor areas of the former steelworks, everything revolves around testing, exchanging ideas, joint rides, races and cultural and music projects: "Cyclingworld is as diverse, colourful and exciting as the bike scene," says Torsten. And it has found its perfect match in the charm and atmosphere of the industrial facility. Just a few weeks ago, the contract with Areal Böhler was extended for a further five years. The successful event will be travelling to the USA next year, when Cyclingworld New York City will take place in Manhattan. The premiere is on 1 May 2025, coinciding with the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, one of the world's largest events for urban cycling culture: "A lot is happening in terms of cycling and bike culture - from very different parts, with many different impulses," says Abels.

„Cyclingworld is as diverse, colourful and exciting as the bike scene.“

Carsten Wien is living his passion for bikes.

A trend towards new diversity can also be observed at other cycling events in Düsseldorf. For example, the classic "Rund um die Kö", which has been around since 1968, has changed significantly – despite initially facing some reservations from sports clubs. The race is currently organised by the Cycling Club Düsseldorf. Innovations are often initiated by the driving forces in the bike community itself. Such as Carsten Wien and Kerstin Kortekamp, both coowners of the bike shop "Schicke Mütze". Carsten and the "Schicke Mütze" team were the first in Germany to organise rides for classic racing bikes in group tours. Kerstin, who has now been organising her own tours for women for ten years, launched the "Women's Road Bike Movement" initiative in 2018. Both are also involved in the "Rund um die Kö" organisation team and provide additional inspiration. This is having an impact: the spectrum of the Kö classic now ranges from licensed to amateur races with starting fields for ambitious amateur athletes and semi-professionals to the balance bike race for children and the popular cargo bike race. The Petit Départ is also a permanent fixture, where children compete in three disciplines - endurance races, sprints and navigating a skills course. It all has proved very popular: almost 20,000 spectators attended the last event, with around 500 participants completing their laps - many times more than those who lined the roadside a few years ago. This year's date is the 11th of August.

The QuerFeldRhein shows just how much cycling enthusiasm there is in Düsseldorf. The cross and gravel cycling festival has been held at the racecourse for the last three years. Last October, it was the second largest cross-country event in Germany with 800 competitors and 12,000 spectators. Diversity is priority here, too: from international races, for which world ranking points are awarded, to the Masters 4 starting field (aged 60 and over) and two-year-olds on balance bikes - everyone who enjoys two-wheelers can take part. Carsten Wien is also one of the main organisers here. He puts it in a nutshell: "We want to make cycling and particularly cycling in Düsseldorf sexy." Even if the journey is sometimes as rocky and difficult as the trail on the race track. But then, Düsseldorf is quite familiar with mountain stages.•

Words: Dr. Mike Seidensticker
Pictures: Cyclingworld Europe/Tobias Seidel, Kerstin Kortekamp, Carsten Wien

The Wheels are Turning