Day 1 (25th September 2023) Arrived early in Toulouse on the overnight train from Paris (via Eurostar and bike reassembly at Gare du Nord) and took a local train up the hill to Latour de Carol. After some creative bike repair by Mark and several excellent coffees and then lunch, we set off through the crystal clear air of the Pyrenees celebrating World Lung Day. Amazing scenery, an inquisitive marmot, and the sound of roaming horses wearing traditional "cow bells" made for a great ride to a warm welcome at the Refugi at Gombren and a stunning sunset over the extraordinary form of the twin peaks of Pedraforca (2,506m) one of the emblematic mountains of Catalonia.

48.5 km 1,130 m climbing

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Día 1 (25 de septiembre de 2023) Llegué temprano a Toulouse en el tren nocturno desde París (a través de Eurostar y reensamblaje de bicicletas en Gare du Nord) y tomé un tren local cuesta arriba hasta Latour de Carol. Después de una creativa reparación de bicicletas por parte de Mark y de varios cafés excelentes y luego del almuerzo, partimos por el aire cristalino de los Pirineos celebrando el Día Mundial del Pulmón. Un paisaje increíble, una marmota curiosa y el sonido de los caballos deambulando con los tradicionales "cencerros" hicieron que el paseo fuera fantástico, con una cálida bienvenida en el Refugio de Gombren y una impresionante puesta de sol sobre la extraordinaria forma de los picos gemelos del Pedraforca (2,506 m), una de las montañas emblemáticas de Cataluña.

48,5 km 1,130 m de ascenso

Day 2 (26th)

Great home cooking at the Refugio and an early start towards Olot. Despite Mark's declaration (often to be repeated) that it was "all downhill" we had a significant climb to the col where we were met by Joan, one of the parents from the Olot schools association. He was a great guide down the hill pointing out lots of places and views and leading us to a fabulous vegetarian co-operative run restaurant for lunch and great conversation. After lunch we were privileged to join pupils and staff at a senior school (Institut Escola Greda) for more discussion and great questions from the students. When we asked who knew anything about air pollution every hand shot up. Tellingly, most hands also shot up when we asked how many of them used inhaler medication. We later had an amazing reception from the children at a junior school who had prepared banners and signs as part of their climate project work.

50.4 km 580 m climbing.

We had been looking forward to hearing all about the amazing initiatives at Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU), including their "Forest for health" initiative where every newborn gets a "sibling sapling" that the family takes care of at home and they finally plant in the PEHSU hospital forest, a project with a school called "Is clean the air we breathe?" where schoolchildren measure air quality with a low-cost sensor, they learn about air pollution and its impact in health. All the families associations in Olot have united to ask for healthier environments in their schools, and we were really so pleased to talk with some of them to learn from their experiences, successes and hopefully be able to tell others internationally.

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Día 2 (26)

Excelente comida casera en el Refugio y salida temprano hacia Olot. A pesar de la declaración de Mark (que repite a menudo) de que "todo era cuesta abajo", tuvimos una subida importante hasta el collado donde nos recibió Joan, uno de los padres de la asociación de escuelas de Olot. Fue un gran guía cuesta abajo, señalando muchos lugares y vistas y llevándonos a un fabuloso restaurante vegetariano dirigido por una cooperativa para almorzar y conversar. Después del almuerzo tuvimos el privilegio de reunirnos con los alumnos y el personal de una escuela de último año (Institut Escola Greda) para mantener más debates y grandes preguntas de los estudiantes. Cuando preguntamos quién sabía algo sobre la contaminación del aire, todas las manos se alzaron. Es revelador que la mayoría de las manos también se levantaron cuando les preguntamos cuántos de ellos usaban medicamentos inhalados. Más tarde tuvimos una increíble recepción por parte de los niños de una escuela primaria que habían preparado pancartas y carteles como parte de su trabajo en el proyecto climático.

50,4 km 580 m de ascenso.

Estábamos esperando escuchar todo acerca de las increíbles iniciativas de la Unidad de Especialidades en Salud Ambiental Pediátrica (PEHSU), incluida su iniciativa "Bosque para la salud", donde cada recién nacido recibe un "hermano retoño" que la familia cuida en casa y finalmente planta en el bosque hospital PEHSU, un proyecto con una escuela llamado "¿Es limpio el aire que respiramos?" donde los escolares miden la calidad del aire con un sensor de bajo costo, aprenden sobre la contaminación del aire y su impacto en la salud. Todas las asociaciones de familias de Olot se han unido para pedir ambientes más saludables en sus colegios, y la verdad es que nos ha encantado hablar con algunas de ellas para aprender de sus experiencias, éxitos y ojalá poder contárselos a otras a nivel internacional.

Day 3 (27th)

Early start along a well surfaced ex railway cycle track then a steady climb up to the Coll de Condreu then largely following the contours round to the fortified village of Rupit - clearly a tourist destination. Picking up food supplies for a picnic we quickly headed out along an amazing broken concrete & mixed surface road all the way down to the de Sau reservoir and on to Vic through fantastic scenery.

Vic is the birthplace of the Bicibus movement that we were to experience later in Barcelona. Eduard Folch an inspiring cycling activist from the city had organised an open air meeting with local paediatricians in the park. This was the first time that these advocates for children's health and safety had met, another example of how ride for their lives works in making connections and promoting networks.

65.4 km 1,230 m climbing

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Día 3 (27)

Comience temprano por una antigua vía ciclista de ferrocarril bien asfaltada, luego una subida constante hasta el Coll de Condreu y luego siguiendo en gran medida las curvas de nivel hasta el pueblo fortificado de Rupit, claramente un destino turístico. Recogiendo provisiones de comida para un picnic, nos dirigimos rápidamente por un increíble camino de cemento roto y superficie mixta hasta el embalse de Sau y hasta Vic. Un paisaje fantástico e inspirador para hablar con compañeros activistas climáticos y profesionales de la salud en una reunión al aire libre.

65,4 km 1,230 m de ascenso

Day 4 (28th)

#estodobajada. Its all downhill from here!

An early start to meet with others for an easy ride to Barcelona and an obligatory dip in the lovely clean sea.

76.3 km 400 m climbing

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Día 4 (28)

¡Es todo cuesta abajo desde aquí! Un comienzo temprano para reunirse con otras personas para un viaje fácil a Barcelona y un baño obligatorio en el hermoso y limpio mar.

76,3 km 400 m de ascenso

Day 5 (29th)

This was a day to celebrate all that Barcelona has taught the world about urban planning for people not just cars.

We joined the amazing Sant Antoni Bicibus at 0830. This was Heather, Mark and Chinthika's first experience of the joy of Bicibus, which allows children to cycle to school safely on Fridays. Bicibus was invented in Vic, where we cycled from yesterday. The Barcelona BiciBus takes over the entire street for its route and the children are kept safe by their parents and a police escort. As can see in our photos and soon to come video this transforms the experience for everyone. The children cycle as they wish, chatting to their schoolmates and not worried about the dangers posed by motorists. What a great way for children to stay healthy, safe and be ready to learn right from the start of the day. The contrast between the joy of the time riding with the moments after the children had entered the school and all the vehicles reclaimed the streets with the associated noise and smell was shocking.

From here we rode on with many new found friends and collaborators a short distance to the Col.legi de Metges de Barcelona, a medical college that represents the almost 35,000 doctors who practice medicine in the province of Barcelona. We were greeted with fruit and drink and speeches from the college president, two enthusiastic trainees who are developing the institutions climate health emergency response.

Our final leg took us up a gentle hill to Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. On the way we used an excellent cycle lane on Via Augusta that is under threat from the city government as part of the pro car backlash Barcelona is feeling as we are in the UK. At the hospital we listened to a 9 year old girl powerfully describing 10 demands for structural changes to allow children to cycle safely on the streets of their cities (Decalogue). These demands were supported by speeches from Dr Elena Codina, a patient from the hospital school, and the Medical Director. While all this was going on we also had a live video link between Barcelona and London for the UKHACC Biodiversity Report Launch ride.

These events all got significant press coverage including a TV interview with Dr Elena Codina.

As with all good rides we met up in the hospital canteen for further discussions and to plan ongoing collaboration.

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Día 5 (29)

Un día para celebrar todo lo que Barcelona ha enseñado al mundo.

Nos unimos al increíble Sant Antoni Bicibus a las 08.30 seguido por el Col.legi Oficial de Metges de Barcelona y finalmente el Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.

Organizamos un enlace Zoom en vivo entre Barcelona y Londres para el viaje de lanzamiento del Informe de Biodiversidad del UKHACC.

mark@climateacceptancestudios.com.

The Barcelona Declaration

#BikeBus is joy and freedom. Community bike rides to school make kids happier, more awake and ready to learn. Our community becomes more connected and resilient. We demonstrate that our streets can be for children too. As a #BikeBus community, we demand that our political leaders prioritize urban space and resources for child friendly, healthy and safer streets.

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La Declaración de Barcelona
#BikeBus es alegría y libertad. Los paseos comunitarios en bicicleta a la escuela hacen que los niños estén más felices, más despiertos y listos para aprender. Nuestra comunidad se vuelve más conectada y resiliente. Demostramos que nuestras calles también pueden ser para los niños. Como comunidad #BikeBus, exigimos que nuestros líderes políticos prioricen el espacio urbano y los recursos para calles amigables para los niños, saludables y seguras.

Bike Bus Summit, March 2023