How Cycling 4 Climate Is Using Cyql to Build Their Community

What cycling actually means to people. For most riders, it is not just about the kilometers or the fitness. It is about being outside, finding a community and feeling like part of something. That is exactly why we are so happy to announce our collaboration with Cycling 4 Climate because they have built something that takes all of that and adds a bigger purpose to it.

Who Is Cycling 4 Climate and What Do They Stand For?

Cycling 4 Climate is a Dutch non-profit foundation that started in Utrecht in 2019. Their idea is straightforward: use cycling events to get people thinking and doing something about the climate crisis. Their mission, in their own words, is to make sustainability fun. What makes C4C different from a regular cycling event is the intention behind it. Every route they plan is connected to a real climate issue. The first Climate Classic in 2020 followed the coastline that scientists predict will exist in the Netherlands if sea levels keep rising. So while you are riding, you are also seeing something in the landscape telling you a story about what is at stake. The foundation runs almost entirely on volunteers, and that says a lot about the kind of community they have built. People show up because they genuinely care.

What Is the Climate Classic?

The Climate Classic is the main event that C4C organises every year. It started small,  just 50 riders in 2020, but has grown into something much bigger. Today almost 3,000 cyclists participate across different distances and across all editions more than 10,000 people have taken part. The event now runs in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Paraguay. Every edition is different, but the format stays the same. You pick a distance, you show up and before you start you make a climate commitment, a personal pledge about something you will do to live more sustainably. It is not a race. There are no winners. The point is to be part of something collective and to leave with a bit more awareness than you arrived with. Last year’s Dutch edition raised €180,000 for land restoration. The next one in the Netherlands is on 19 June 2026.

Pre-event Engagement Rides

When C4C was looking for a way to keep their community engaged before the big event day, they started using Cyql. Through our rides and challenges features, they can share preparation routes, organise group rides and give participants a way to connect with each other in the weeks leading up to the Classic. It turns out that the time before an event matters just as much as the event itself. People get more out of the day when they have already been part of something together when they have done a few rides, maybe met some other participants, and feel like they belong to the group. Cyql helps C4C build that.

Join the Cycling 4 Climate Challenge

From Club Platform to Cycling Ecosystem

When we built Cyql, we started with cycling clubs. That is still at the core of what we do. But working with a community like Cycling 4 Climate shows us where things are going. Cyql is becoming a place where cyclists discover rides, take part in challenges, and find other cyclists who share the same interests whether that is a local club, a big annual event, or a Europe-wide movement like C4C. It is growing into an ecosystem, and collaborations like this one are a big part of that. We are happy to be riding alongside Cycling 4 Climate, and we are curious to see where it goes from here.