I want to ride my bicycle! Or not? Health and transportation legacies of the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research question This study evaluates the impact of the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship on local residents’ physical activity and transportation mode choices. Based on the common assumption that major international sport events are catalysts for sport participation and physical activity (the ‘trickle-down effect’), the study addresses two research questions: (i) Did the event increase residents’ motivation for cycling as a means of exercising and daily transport? and (ii) Did the frequency of cycling participation in various forms (e.g. cycling for work, for exercise) increase from before to after the event? Research methods The methodological approach is based on triangulation and comprises data from a three-wave panel survey among residents in Bergen (the hosting city), as well as bicycle traffic coun Results and findings Study results show that the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship had limited impact on residents’ motivation for exercising. Neither did cycling modal shares in Bergen increase after the event. Although some 10% of the sample reported higher cycling frequencies in the year following the Championship, this change cannot be traced back to the event. Overall, the results are discouraging to organisers who expect that an international sport event will automatically increase physical activity. Implications Organisers of major international sport events should make careful judgements about the potential for realizing trickle-down effects and thoroughly consider the alternative allocations of grants received for hosting the event.