In what can surely be called a landslide victory, Utrecht has once again been named the best city in the world for cycling, beating out major cycling capitals like Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Global Bicycle Cities Index 2022

Published by bike insurance company Luko, the annual Global Bicycle Cities Index examines 90 cities around the world, analysing a range of factors and elements in order to evaluate the overall cycling climate and determine the best city in the world for cycling. 

The cities featured in the study were selected based on their willingness to invest in and improve cycling infrastructure and safety, with all of the factors used to asses each city split into six key categories: 

• Weather
• Percentage of bicycle usage 
• Crime and safety (i.e. number of fatalities and accidents)
• Infrastructure (i.e. number of bike shops, number and quality of bike paths)
• Sharing (i.e. number and quality of bike sharing initiatives)
• Events (i.e. is there a car-free day)

Each city was then awarded an overall score out of 100. 

Utrecht and Amsterdam two of the world's best cities for biking

With its international reputation as a country full of avid cyclists, it's unsurprising that multiple Dutch cities feature in the index. However, at the end of the day, only one city can come out on top, and this year that honour once again went to the city of Utrecht! 

Achieving an overall score of 77,84 out of 100, Utrecht secured a confident win and reclaimed the number one spot, but Amsterdam also managed to nab a spot in the top 10, coming in a very respectable fifth place with 60,24 points. 

Utrecht performed particularly well when it came to percentage of bicycle usage (51 percent), as well as the number and quality of specialised bike paths and government investment in cycling infrastructure. The city also outperformed the Dutch capital in the crime and safety category, thanks to the relatively low number of fatalities and thefts. Amsterdam, on the other hand, beats Utrecht when it comes to the number of bike shops and the availability of bicycle sharing and rental schemes. 

The top 10 cycling cities in the world 

According to the 2022 ranking, the 10 cities in the world with the best cycling climate are: 

1. Utrecht (77,84)
2. Munster (65,93)
3. Antwerp (60,51)
4. Copenhagen (60,46)
5. Amsterdam (60,24)
6. Malmo (55,88)
7. Hangzhou (52,55)
8. Bern (48,76)
9. Bremen (47,81)
10. Hannover (46,7)

For more information about the Global Bicycle Cities Index, visit the Luko website.