Is it fun during the holidays?

The River Walk in the American metropolis of San Antonio in Texas can be imagined a bit like the Ballermann on Mallorca, only more expensive. Restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops crowd the promenade along the San Antonio River, which meanders through downtown. Music is booming everywhere, the smell of tacos and grilled skewers is in the air, party boats are sailing across the river. And here you should ride a bike?

The reservation confirmation of the hotel suggests it. It shows two young people happily pedaling the hotel’s rental bikes. But if you ask for exactly these, the woman at the reception has to catch her breath first. «Biking? Here? Nobody has done that for ages,” says the hotel employee. “I think the bikes are somewhere in the basement.”

Across America on two wheels? Can this go well? Or is that perhaps not such a good idea in a country where gas-guzzling pickup trucks top the sales stats? When the hotel takes the rental bikes out of the basement the next day, disillusionment sets in. The bell is missing, the front reflector is dangling from the handlebars. There is also no porter. After all, helmet and lock are part of the equipment. And the color is trendy: bright orange. Hopefully you can see it better from the car.

Through the urban jungle

As it turns out, pushing the River Walk is the best way to get around. Too big the rush, too big the risk of accidentally throwing someone into the river. The real cycling paradise should only begin a few kilometers downstream anyway. the City bike brochure shows the way, because there are only a few official cycle paths in the city center. The bike looks strangely small when it comes to a stop at the traffic light, wedged between vehicles that look like moving skyscrapers.

Shortly thereafter, a bike path actually begins, separated from traffic, with lanes in both directions. At the same time, the environment is getting rougher. Homeless people sleep on the side of the road, a woman lies in the middle of the bike path. Otherwise the area seems deserted. Fences, warehouses, front yards where chained attack dogs doze. Less than 500 meters further, behind the Salvation Army welfare department store, the scenery changes again. Suddenly food trucks can be seen, tennis courts, cafés, apartment buildings with insect-friendly front gardens (“mowing prohibited”). And of course: a rental station for bicycles. Sadness turns into prosperity, rich and poor is a matter of streets, as is so often the case in the USA.

Behind it is the river again, this time in its natural state, lined with trees, grass and the odd expressway. In fact, there is a lot going on on the cycle path, with most people unloading their bikes from the car in a nearby parking lot – the journey through the urban jungle by bike is probably too tricky for them.

Away from the party boats and office buildings, cycling is fun. The further you follow the river, the more natural the environment becomes. Crickets are chirping, water is splashing, anglers are casting their bait on the shore. Biking in the USA is therefore quite possible, provided that you see it primarily as a sport and leisure activity and less as a means of everyday transportation.

But progress is also being made in the metropolises. Houston is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary its bike rental system. According to a press release from the city, the bikes have been borrowed 1.6 million times since then. The balance sheet: 9.6 million miles driven and 381 million calories burned. The fact that official bodies are investing in such systems is also due to the increasing pressure from the diverse cyclist scene. Bicycle enthusiasts in Houston pimp their vehicles with colorful flashing lights to take them out at night. the Night Light Rides are half party, half political statement.

“It’s very important that we become more visible,” says Trudi Smith, a 58-year-old cyclist. She takes care of the expansion of bike paths in several city parks in Houston. Her most important tip: “When in doubt, it’s better to drive on the sidewalk than risk your own health.” The cops tolerated that – a statement that a bike police officer later confirmed. “At least as long as you don’t run into pedestrians,” he adds with a wink.

A distant goal: The Great American Rail Trail

Cycling projects are also developing in other cities. In Los Angeles, the L.A. River is gradually being restored. The concrete channel serves as a rainwater overflow basin, but should be made more accessible to cyclists and day trippers. In Pennsylvania, the Black Girls Do Bike initiative fights for the right of minorities to healthy mobility. And at the state level, an even bolder project is underway: With the help of donations, activists want to realize the Great American Rail Trail, a long-distance cycle path that runs through the north of the USA. It is still largely a vision, but 193 of 2700 kilometers have already been implemented. After all.

The lobby organization League of American Bicyclists drives cities and states by ranking them. At the top are Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington; Mississippi, Nebraska and Wyoming bring up the rear. However, the significance of these rankings should be treated with caution, as there are major differences within the individual regions: Rural areas generally do significantly worse than cities because there are hardly any cycle paths there.

But doesn’t a trip in the province still have its charm? Site visit to Fredericksburg, a small town deep in Texas founded by German immigrants over 150 years ago. The warm and humid country life is determined by agriculture and tourism. Everywhere wine-growing companies compete for customers willing to buy, while trucks cart cattle to the cattle market. A rusted minibus is parked on the highway advertising Trump. Strings of lights made from empty shotgun shell casings lie on the shelf of a coffee shop. Is this really a good area to saddle up?

Josh Allen doesn’t have to think twice. “Our country roads are perfect for cycling, because there’s hardly anything going on here,” says the 41-year-old, who would fit perfectly into a New York hipster café with his long beard and sunglasses. “I used to be a banker,” says Allen, “but that wasn’t for me. I need something tangible.” He has been running a bike shop in his hometown since 2014, and next door he has built a holiday home for two-wheel enthusiasts. Customers never have it that far.

Then he jumps on his racing bike, a few hundred meters through the residential area, finally into the open country. There really isn’t much going on here. A few cattle, endless barren pastureland, a farm in the distance. “You can clear your head here,” says Allen, which is why more and more city dwellers are moving to the little town. The biker does not see the traffic rules quite so narrowly, at stop signs he continues his journey slowly but purposefully. Isn’t he afraid of cops? “No, no,” Allen says and laughs. “They all have their bikes repaired by me. They don’t want to have flat tires the next time they’re used.”

The trip was supported by VisitTexas.