Kicking Off Bogotá's Bicycle Week

'Welcome to the Day of the Bicycle.' If only every day were bicycle day...

Bogotá's 6th Week of the Bicycle kicked off today in the Parque Nacional with mountain bike races, an exhibition of low-rider and old timey bikes and even a bicycle museum. The week will also have forums, a bike show and other events.

These things are fine, and hopefully will popularize cycling here. But I've always believed that reducing air pollution, making car drivers respect cyclists and making cars pay their costs to society (read: more expensive gasoline, higher taxes and charging for car parking) are necessary to motivate more Bogotanos to get onto bikes.

'Fewer Cars, More Bikes.' Let's hope so.

Entrance to the bicycle museum.

A bicycle by Leonardo da Vinci inside the Bicycle Museum.

A low-rider bike. 

I didn't know Guy Fawkes cycled. 

A rider pumps uphill in the Parque Nacional.

Kids pedal thru a maze in the Parque Nacional. 

Bikes and riders from days gone by.

Women mountain bikers charge uphill in the Parque Nacional.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours