(Utrecht, NL) As it has now become an autumn tradition, the 2026 edition of the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference took place from 30th of September until 2nd of October in the cycling capital city and province – Utrecht.

Over the three-day event, 220+ cycling delegates from 37 different countries and five continents discussed cycling for a sustainable future, shared ideas during networking gatherings and participated in six technical visits around Utrecht and the Utrecht region.

Co-organised by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), Utrecht & Partners, Provincie Utrecht, Gemeente Utrecht and Royal Jaarbeurs, the conference was defined by the theme ‘At the beating heart of cycling’, and saw 67 speakers (with equal gender representation), three plenaries, four keynote speeches, eight parallel sessions, and eight exhibitors.

How to make cycling a policy priority? Start with convincing data
After the annual EuroVelo General Meeting, the program started at the Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs on Wednesday afternoon. The master of ceremonies, Nynke Cuperus, guided the seamless moderation of both conference days.

The opening speeches were delivered by Rob van Muilekom, Provincial Deputy of the Province of Utrecht, Cor Jansen, CEO of Utrecht & Partners and Belle de Gast, Bicycle Mayor of Utrecht.

After the formal introduction, Holger Haubold, ECF Director of Intellectual Property & Data Collection, presented a new report – ‘Cycling Tourism and Leisure Cycling’. The report draws a clear picture of the economic benefits and volume of cycling tourism and leisure cycling in four European countries – France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands – and underlines the importance of advocating for consolidated and up-to-date EuroVelo data and definitions on cycling tourism.

Read the full report here.