EUROBIKE AWARD 2008

What a pleasant surprise: Italy’s carfree Sunday last January not only reduced the level of harmful emissions and swept clean the country’s freeways, but also allowed Italians to enjoy wonderfully peaceful cities, free of the perennial scooter cacophony — and even a bit of cycling! Thousands of Milanese and Romans fetched their bikes from the shed and set out to enjoy the roads free of motorized traffic. But such a situation does not come often, since, unless there is an official decree, not nearly as many people take part in campaigns for car-free Sundays as the organizers hope. But do we really need to force people to get a little cycling exercise? Isn’t it rather the case that cycling as a sport has become more and more popular, with an increasing number of fans discovering the bicycle as a recreational and sporting medium? And are generally highly conscious of the beneficial effect on the environment? No matter what the motivation — be it higher gas prices, a lack of downtown parking or simply a desire for more exercise in a computerized world: sales of bikes and accessories has gone up, with good quality in this segment being as important to consumers as anywhere else. That’s because outstanding quality can be a big help to consumers in navigating the marketplace — and also serves as a superb marketing tool for manufacturers. We therefore take pleasure in presenting the third-ever EUROBIKE AWARD this year, sponsored by Messe Friedrichshafen and organized by iF. Manufacturers, designers and engineers are once again called on to submit their cycling-related products by august 4th, 2008 for the evaluation and assessment of a big-name, expert jury. We look forward to receiving your entries for the EUROBIKE AWARD 2008 and wish you every success!

Your iF Team and the EUROBIKE / Messe Friedrichshafen Team