When people from abroad visit Denmark, they are often very surprised by Denmark’s bicycle culture. The short answer for why Danish people cycle so much is: they start early.

Most Danish children can cycle by the time they start school, maybe not perfectly, however they can generally keep their balance and steer a straight line. Therefore children are not taught to ride a bicycle at school as it is generally taken for granted that they will be taught at home anyway.

Schools start at a slightly higher level when it comes to cycling, by teaching children about traffic rules and road safety, and participate in campaigns that support good cycling habits.

Bicycle training in an ordinary Danish family begins when a child is between 3 and 6 years old. By that time, the child has already been pedaling around on a three wheeler and in recent years often also on a training bike, which is a play bike without pedals.

The motivation in children is almost always high, especially in families where the adults use a bicycle in their daily life – cycling is very ‘contagious’. It is definitely a day of joy for parents when their children learn to cycle.

Especially in big cities the cycling family has become a symbol of energy and success in recent years. You can often see proud parents walking through the city with children as little as two years of age pedaling along next to them on small bicycles. Cargo bicycles with space for one or several children have become a status symbol as well for the modern metropolitan family.

There are plenty of good reasons for teaching your children to cycle. Children who cycle on a daily basis have considerably better physical fitness than other children, and are a lot less at risk of developing serious lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Also, cycling has a positive effect on the learning ability, joy of life and social well-being. When they get older, children enjoy the freedom of cycling to school, to spare time activities and to visit friends. However, usually children who do not cycle are not likely to become cyclists as adults.

In case you are wondering how to give your children positive cycling experiences, playing is always a good place to start. Adults can quickly start focusing on rules and technique, but if you give children bicycles and a safe area to cycle in, wonderful things start happening. Children immediately start playing on bicycles and this is how children slowly become one with their bicycles – this being the first step towards becoming safe and confident cyclists.

Training bikes have become very popular in many Danish families and day care centers. Many children, parents and day care center staff have quickly adopted the idea of bicycle play, which bodes well for future generations of cyclists.

Everyday cycling is not only an enjoyable way of commuting where people interact with the city and each other, it is also one of the most effective ways of promoting good health. For instance, cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, some forms of cancer, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes.

Health is one argument for making cities more bike-friendly and economy is another one. The economic pay back of making a city more bike-friendly is 2 – 7 times the invested amount. Savings primarily derive from health costs such as less hospitalization and less work related sickness absence.

So, there are many health related reasons for encouraging politicians, architects as well as urban planners to design bike-friendly urban areas in order to make the bicycle the favored mode of transportation for adults as well as for children.