A time trail on August 19th embarked the start of the 77th edition of La Vuelta.

In Utrecht the participating cycling teams received the invitation to participate in the Pro-Cycling Sustainability Survey.

This research will look at the performance and sustainability ambitions in professional cycling. The Pro-Cycling Sustainability Survey is an initiative of the Cycling 4 Climate and will be conducted by Utrecht University. 

Paris is still far

In 2015, a global climate agreement was reached in Paris and agreed to keep global temperature warming well below 2°C.

“These agreements are not without obligation. All countries, organizations and individuals should comply with the ‘Carbon Law’ and reduce their CO2 emissions by at least 10% annually. We are curious to see if and how the Paris Agreement has been implemented in the pro peloton.” said former pro cyclist and sustainability expert Petra Dijkman of Cycling 4 Climate.

To measure is to know

Power, cadence, gradient, food: everything is accurately measured and tracked nowadays for an optimal performance of the riders. Paul Schot from Utrecht University states: “For the climate and sustainability this should actually be the same. That is why we want to know from the teams what their current carbon and material footprint is and what their ambitions are on sustainability. This initiative fits seamlessly into our strategic research area.” 

Together you go faster

Recently BEAT cycling, a the Dutch cycling team, announced their sustainability strategy which included their ambition to share their best practices and experiences with other teams. “It’s like a peloton: Alone you go fast, but together you’ll go much faster, that’s how we need to beat climate change as well.” according to Edwin Gulickx, co-founder and director of BEAT cycling.