Cycling in Israel

Cycling is among the popular sports Israelis pursue recreationally.[1] The Israel Cycling Academy professional project began in 2014 and later grew into Israel–Premier Tech, which announced a rebrand for the 2026 season.[2] Israel's delegation to the Tokyo Olympics — held in 2021 after postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic — included road and mountain cycling among its scheduled events.[3] Cycling was also among the sports in which Israel competed at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Across all sports, Israel sent 42 athletes and returned with five silver medals and one bronze medal.[1]

The Sylvan Adams Velodrome, unveiled near Israel's National Sports Center in May 2018, was described as the first Olympic indoor cycling arena in the Middle East, providing a dedicated facility for track cycling competition and training.[1]

Modern organized cycling and infrastructure expanded through a sequence of municipal, tourism, and professional initiatives in the 2010s. Tel Aviv launched Tel-O-Fun in April 2011, and the Gospel Trail became fully open to cyclists and other users in November that year.[4][5] The Israel Cycling Academy project began in 2014, while Jerusalem reported approximately 43 kilometers of paved bicycle paths by 2017.[6][2] In May 2018, the Sylvan Adams Velodrome was unveiled and the Giro d'Italia began its Israeli stages.[1]

Israel's cycling infrastructure spans urban commuting networks, recreational forest trails, mountain-bike routes, and long-distance tourism projects.[7] The Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan has described bicycles as an increasingly useful, efficient, and environmentally friendly form of transportation, reporting that dozens of kilometers of cycling trails had been paved in Jerusalem and identifying approximately 42 kilometers of additional peripheral routes planned around Jerusalem Park.[7]

In 2017, Jerusalem had approximately 43 kilometers of paved bicycle paths and a target of 123 kilometers by 2023.[6] That target was linked to a budgeted five-year plan emphasizing a citywide network, outlying and southwestern neighborhoods, and students, with planned segments including routes along Begin Boulevard, Givat Ram Stadium, and the eastern ring.[6] Bicycle paths were also being built parallel to Jerusalem's Light Rail Green Line, with bicycle parking planned at Light Rail stops and park-and-go facilities to link cycling with public transport.[6] The NGO Bicycles for Jerusalem additionally presented Mayor Moshe Leon with a proposal for 4 kilometers of new lanes across three city routes during the COVID-19 period.[8]

The Jerusalem Development Authority developed a 42-kilometer ring path around Jerusalem — branded "Around Jerusalem" — in partnership with the Israeli government, the Jerusalem Municipality, and KKL-JNF.[9] Within the city itself, the Gottesman Ring Bike Path is designed as an approximately 20-kilometer unbroken circuit beginning near the First Station at Rail Track Park and passing through Malha, Deer Valley, Givat Mordechai, Nayot, the Valley of the Cross, Sacker Park, the Old City, Yemin Moshe, and Sultan's Pool before returning to its start, though the Development Authority noted that construction remained incomplete at the time of publication.[10]

Because Jerusalem is hilly, policy researchers have noted that improving access for cyclists requires additional measures beyond lane markings, including street shading and, in some locations, cable cars.[6] A Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research report has also linked bicycle use to conflicts over sidewalk parking, recommending physical barriers preventing curbside parking, integrated streets where pedestrians have priority, and rapid bicycle-lane implementation beginning with painted lines.[6]

Tel Aviv has developed cycling routes along Rothschild Boulevard, Arlozorov Boulevard, the beach promenade, and Sheinkin Street. A 2012 survey reported that the number of people cycling to work daily in Tel Aviv rose from 12,000 in 2010 to 18,000 in 2012, a 50-percent increase, while the number of drivers fell by 5 percent during the same period.[11]

The city launched its Tel-O-Fun municipal bike-sharing service in 2011. By its fifth year, the system operated approximately 2,000 heavy-duty aluminum bicycles at 180 docking stations and averaged around 9,000 rides per day, with yearly subscribers averaging 17-minute rides.[12] The program was designed to encourage cycling over private-car use, reduce congestion, and promote exercise. Tel-O-Fun was discontinued in August 2020 after more than nine years of operation; the municipality attributed declining use to the expansion of electric bicycles and scooters. Over its lifespan, the service's 1,860 bicycles had provided approximately 14 million rides.[5]

As of 2023, regular and motorized two-wheeled vehicles accounted for approximately 30,000 daily trips in Tel Aviv.[13] The municipality maintains more than 3,000 bicycle parking facilities and instructs riders to use bicycle lanes where available or ride near the right curb where no lane exists, while prohibiting riding on sidewalks.[13] Research using data from Tel Aviv's bike-sharing system alongside public-transport data found that shorter cycling trips were concentrated in the city center and appeared to complement bus travel, while longer trips were more concentrated on dedicated bicycle lanes and showed no strong correlation with bus travel, possibly indicating a weak substitution effect relative to bus travel.[14]

During the COVID-19 period, Tel Aviv announced the construction of 20 kilometers of new bicycle lanes.[8] Separately, a cluster of 13 local authorities in the Sharon area worked on tactical transportation solutions, with the Israel Bicycle Association leading work on bicycle-lane implementation.[8]

KKL-JNF has developed more than 2,500 kilometers of cycling trails across Israel.[15] A five-year Tourism Ministry plan envisioned a 1,200-kilometer, 27-segment, year-round mountain-bike route extending from the Golan Heights through the Galilee, Tel Aviv, and Masada, with English-language signage, tourist accommodation, and a distinct theme for each section. The broader plan called for 3,500 kilometers of bicycle paths for amateur, family, and extreme cycling, at an estimated cost of approximately NIS 100 million, to be funded by government ministries, KKL-JNF, and the national lottery Toto.[16]

A dedicated southern mountain-bike project connects Mitzpe Ramon and Eilat over approximately 300 kilometers divided into eight segments. The route was presented by the Tourism Ministry and Israel Nature and Parks Authority as part of a national plan to promote cycling tourism, preserve open spaces, and develop associated accommodation, restaurants, and logistical services.[17]

In the Ben Shemen Forest and Modi'in area, KKL-JNF opened a NIS 1 million, 32-kilometer dual-path cycling route combining the 10-kilometer Herzl Trail with the 25-kilometer Anava Trail. The trails pass through forest landscapes, lookout points, and historical and archaeological sites including Tel Gamzo and the Monks Valley. The project was designed both to meet rising demand for cycling and to channel riders away from environmentally sensitive areas.[18]

The Israel National Trail — approximately 1,000 kilometers long, running from Kibbutz Dan in the north to near the Taba border crossing by Eilat — has in parts become a multi-purpose route used by walkers, all-terrain vehicles, and cyclists.[19] The National Library of Israel catalogs cartographic records of cycling infrastructure, including a 2011 English-language map titled "Round the Sea of Galilee Biking Trail" published at a scale of 1:50,000 and a KKL-JNF topographic map of a bicycle path from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem dated approximately to 2010.[20][21]

The Gospel Trail in the Galilee incorporates more than 60 kilometers of specially signposted footpaths and roads that can be traveled by bicycle, on foot, or by car. The trail became fully open to the public in November 2011 and follows routes between Nazareth and Capernaum, passing through the Jezreel Valley, Beit Qeshet Oak Reserve, Mount Arbel, Magdala, and Tabgha. The Israel Tourism Ministry, in cooperation with KKL-JNF, invested more than $700,000 in the trail's infrastructure, including signage, safety barriers, shaded rest areas, stone benches, picnic sites, and tourist information.[4] As of 2026, KKL-JNF was also upgrading approximately 100 kilometers of northern singletrack trails in Hanita, Kabri, Yehiam, and Matzuva as part of the rehabilitation of northern forests and recreational infrastructure following wartime closures.[15]

The 2018 Giro d'Italia marked a milestone for cycling in Israel: described as the largest cycling event in the world outside the Tour de France, it was the first time the race had been held outside Europe.[1] A total of 176 cyclists from 22 teams representing 20 countries participated, including teams from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Israel Cycling Academy.[1][22]

The Israeli segment lasted three days. The opening stage was a 9.7-kilometer time trial in Jerusalem — the first time a cycling Grand Tour had opened outside Europe — followed by a 167-kilometer stage from Haifa to Tel Aviv and a 229-kilometer stage from Beersheba to Eilat, passing through the Mitzpe Ramon area; the race then continued in Italy.[22]

Cycling in Israel also serves significant charitable and community-building purposes. The annual Wheels of Love charity ride raises funds for ALYN Hospital, a pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility in Jerusalem that treats children with congenital and acquired conditions including cerebral palsy, neuromuscular diseases, spinal-cord and brain injuries, burns, and injuries sustained in terrorist attacks and motor-vehicle accidents.[23] The 2013 edition was described as a week-long ride of more than 400 kilometers through northern Israel, traveling from the Galilee to the Sea of Galilee before ending in Jerusalem.[23]

A five-day Wheels of Love ride described in participant accounts began at the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel, crossed the country to Tiberias and around the Kinneret, and finished in Jerusalem. The route passed through JNF forests, farmland, and the Jordan Valley, with an escort from local police. Participants from 13 countries took part, and one team reported raising more than $50,000 for ALYN Hospital.[24]

The Cycling2Gether program sent 12 cyclists from Israeli communities to participate in the Tour de Summer Camps NJ in Morristown, New Jersey, where riders could choose routes of 18, 36, or 62 miles through Morris County. The Israeli participants came from the communities of Ofakim, Merchavim, Arad, and Kibbutz Erez, and the program was co-sponsored by The Jewish Agency, Partnership2Gether, and Cycling2Gether as a means of connecting Israeli cyclists with American Jewish communities.[25] One participant, Tiran, worked as a certified cycling instructor for children; another participant, Queena, joined a women's cycling group despite having had no previous cycling background, gaining experience and confidence through the program.[26]

The Partnership Path — known in Hebrew as "Naim Beyahad" — is a 35-mile regional bicycle trail connecting five northern Israeli municipalities: the Jewish communities of Migdal HaEmek, Nof HaGalil, and the Jezreel Valley, and the Arab communities of Yafia and Nazareth.[26] The trail was conceived by Michael Mensky, an avid cyclist and Jewish Agency Partnership2Gether volunteer, and developed with Hesham Bsharat, an Israeli Arab cyclist from Yafia who became a co-chair of the project. Israeli Jewish and Arab adults and teenagers participated in constructing the trail, joined by a visiting Detroit youth delegation.[26]

The trail was designed to encourage contact between Jewish and Arab communities and is reported to be used daily by members of both groups, also hosting organized events. After the May 2021 ceasefire, nearly 100 Arab and Jewish riders gathered on the Partnership Path for a joint ride expressing solidarity.[26]

The Israel Ministry of Health reports that each year approximately 2,500 to 3,000 children up to age 17 reach hospital emergency rooms as a result of bicycle and electric-vehicle accidents.[27] Ministry guidance recommends cycling on designated paths, in areas closed to motor vehicles, or on quiet streets rather than sidewalks, and emphasizes the use of helmets, lights, reflectors, and bright clothing, as well as avoiding mobile-phone or headphone use while riding.[27]

The Jerusalem opening of the 2018 Giro d'Italia generated political controversy. The opening leg had initially been promoted as taking place in "West Jerusalem," but organizers ultimately used the designation "Jerusalem." The route was planned to avoid politically sensitive areas, while Palestinians protested the event and boycott activists announced planned demonstrations.[22]

Jibril Rajoub, chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, condemned the participation of the Bahraini and UAE teams and stated that he would send protest letters to the countries' Olympic committees, other regional Olympic bodies, and the Arab League.[28]