About
Learn more about Cyclovia ATX the event and Ghisallo Cycling Initiative the organization
Cyclovia ATX
Ciclovía originated in Bogotá, Colombia in the 1970s and has expanded around the world as an event model. In Spanish Ciclo means Cycle and Via means route or road. The original Ciclovía closed miles of roads in the capital to cars and opened them to bikes, as bike roads or paths one Sunday a month. The event has continued to grow and now includes over 75 miles of streets dedicated to riding, walking, and other forms of active transportation every Sunday.
Cyclovia ATX is pronounced phonetically in English as sigh-kloh-vee-ah (/saɪ:kləʊ:vē:ə/), similar to Cycle + Via, and celebrates Cycling Through Austin or experiencing Austin Through Cycling. How you pronounce it will depend on your native language, personal pronunciation, and accent. No matter how you say it, we hope to see you here!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclov%C3%ADa
Ciclovía (/ˌsiːkloʊˈviːə/, Spanish: [θikloˈβi.a]), also ciclovia or cyclovia, is a Spanish term that means “cycleway“, either a permanent bike path or the temporary closing of certain streets to automobiles for cyclists and pedestrians, a practice sometimes called open streets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclovia_in_the_United_States
Ciclovia in the United States are scheduled open-streets car-free festivals in various American cities. The ciclovía concept originated in Bogotá, Colombia but is more commonly known as open streets in the US.
Ghisallo Cycling Initiative
Ghisallo Cycling Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing bicycle education and encouragement in Austin and San Antonio. The name “Ghisallo” derives from the patron saint of cycling, Madonna del Ghisallo.
Since 2011, we have provided in-depth after-school Bike Clubs, high volume safety clinics, and learn-to-ride programs for youth in Austin. We began serving older adults (50+) and seniors (65+) starting in 2016 through the launch of our Golden Rollers trike program, expanded to San Antonio in 2018, and launched programs specifically designed for adults in 2019.
We envision a community of comfortable and confident lifelong riders. We see a future in which all ages and abilities can explore and connect with their communities by bicycle, and all have access to bikes at an affordable cost.
Cycle Academy
Cycle Academy is our structured education program geared toward youth cyclists focused on bicycle riding, safety, and maintenance skills.
The goals of Cycle Academy is to enable youth to develop into self-sufficient and confident riders. The program components focus on hands-on learning, self-sufficiency, developing a healthy lifestyle by integrating bicycling into daily activities, and community service.
City Cyclist
City Cyclist is our adult education and community engagement program.
The goals are to enable adults to become confident and knowledgeable riders through hands-on bicycle learning and community rides, and to enhance an environment where adults can access their destinations, such as work, parks, and community gatherings, by bicycle. It also includes our People Powered Places work related to the built environment and policy that impacts everyone’s ability to access the world by bike.
Golden Rollers
Golden Rollers provides older adults and seniors the opportunity to develop and grow interpersonal relationships, experience the outdoors, and engage in safe and fun physical bicycle-based activity in the community.
Many have had the life changing experience of riding again, or even for the first time; proving that you are never too old to roll.
This program also provides adaptive programming for individuals with physical and cognitive impairment.
