The Municipality of Chios has become the 8th municipality in Greece to be awarded the “Bike Friendly Destination” designation.
Chios Mayor Stamatis Karmantzis, received the award which further spotlights Chios as an environmentally friendly destination. The mayor received the award from the General Manager of NatTour, Mrs. Vicky Karantzavelou, who thanked the municipality for its efforts to become a bike friendly place.
Also on hand was the President of the Cyclists Association, Mr. Panagiotis Sitaras, who spoke of the importance of proper learning and observance of the proper road traffic behavior for young children, in order to travel around the city on a bicycle.
Chios is one of the few islands that due to its size, rich natural and cultural landscapes and the variety of routes it offers, is suitable for cycling. In recent years, cycling has developed a lot, with the result that the activities related to it are constantly increasing. There are even organized clubs that often plan from simple leisurely walks in various locations of the island, to organized sports activities and games.
Cycling in Chios takes on basically three forms: in amateur cycling (cycling tourism) which is expressed through walks in the urban fabric and in the villages, in racing cycling and the races that accompany it and, finally, in mountain biking with wanderings through forest and rural areas, mountains, ravines and bike paths.
Chios is one of the few islands that due to its size, rich natural and cultural landscapes and the variety of routes it offers, is suitable for cycling. Each year, more and more sporting activities are organized in Chios, including the “Brevet Chios”. This is one of the biggest cycling events in Greece, a test for tough cyclists, with participations not only from Chios, following a route that crosses the entire island and travels a distance of 200 kilometers.
For lovers of mountain biking there are various (unorganized) routes of the island, such as Provatas, Nea Moni, Agioi Pateres, Anavatos, Retsinadika, Pelinnaio etc. for a more extreme experience.
Source: Travel Daily News