Purpose of the Call
This call explains the rules for participation, how students collect cycling kilometres, and how they qualify for the final event of the European Student Cycling Challenge Cycle2Connect.
The final event will take place in June 2027 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as part of the project Cycle2Connect – European Student Cycling Challenge: Connecting for Sustainable Mobility.
What do you get if you qualify?
Students from partner countries who qualify based on the highest number of collected kilometres receive:
- Travel to and from Ljubljana
- 3–4 nights of accommodation in a hotel in Ljubljana
- Meals during the event
- A city bike and helmet for the event
- Participation in the European Student Cycling Challenge final event
- An official event promo kit (t-shirt, race number, etc.)
- Participation in educational workshops
- A guided tour of Ljubljana
- International networking and social programme
- The opportunity to participate in any route of the Marathon Franja BTC City 2027
All costs for accommodation, meals, and organisation are covered by the Cycle2Connect project. The organiser also provides insurance during the cycling event.
Two teams will be formed: students from the University of Ljubljana (host city) and students from other universities and higher education institutions.
- A city bike and helmet for the duration of the event
- Meals during the event and workshops
- Participation in the European Student Cycling Challenge final event
- Participation in educational workshops
- Organised side programme
- An official event promo kit (t-shirt, race number, etc.)
- Free participation in any route of the Marathon Franja BTC City 2027
All students are invited to collect kilometres, even if they are not from partner countries. All participants will receive a 30% discount on registration for the Marathon Franja BTC City 2027.
Period for collecting kilometres
1 May 2026 – 20 April 2027
Only cycling activities as part of daily mobility are counted — commuting to university or school, leisure rides, and other daily activities.
How to collect kilometres
Students must record their kilometres only through the official Cycle2Connect app. The app includes:
- GPS tracking of cycling activities
- Display of individual kilometres
- Display of university team or sports organisation kilometres
- Separate rankings for men and women
- Daily overview of activities and statistics
- Personal data protection in line with GDPR
Kilometres recorded outside the app will not be counted.
Ranking and selection of participants
For each university or sports organisation, two official rankings are created: Men's ranking and Women's ranking, based on total kilometres recorded between 1 May 2026 and 20 April 2027.
Per university / sports org.
3 top-ranked men
3 top-ranked women
1 team leader
Team at final event
6 participants (3 men + 3 women)
1 team leader
Conditions for participation
To participate, a student must:
- Be enrolled in a university or higher education institution of a project partner with valid student status in the academic year 2026/27 (students who completed their studies in 2026 are also eligible)
- Use the Cycle2Connect mobile app
- Join only one group in the app (their university or sports organisation)
- Follow safe cycling practices
- Ride a bicycle in accordance with national traffic laws and regulations
Qualification and announcement of results
Selected students will gain the right to participate in the final event in Ljubljana, with organisational and accommodation costs covered.
Final selection results will be published in the Cycle2Connect app, on the project website, and officially communicated to universities no later than 30 April 2027.
University / sports organisation team at the final event
Each university or sports organisation will be represented by a team of 6 participants (3 men and 3 women). Teams will take part in a team cycling event on city bikes over a distance of 2.5 km in the city centre of Ljubljana, and must ride and finish together as a team.
All team members:
- Ride as representatives of their university or sports organisation, not individually
- Must wear matching shirts representing their university or organisation
- Take part in the accompanying programme and educational workshops
Awards for the best teams
1st place
Gold medal
Certificate for the university
2nd place
Silver medal
Certificate for the university
3rd place
Bronze medal
Certificate for the university
Educational workshops after the final event
Educational workshops will be organised after the final event, on the day after the cycling challenge (morning, in Ljubljana). Participation is mandatory for all selected team members.
Topics covered:
- Sustainable mobility and the environmental impact of cycling
- Healthy lifestyle and physical and mental well-being
- Safe cycling and urban mobility
- Intercultural cooperation and connecting European students
- Exchange of experiences between universities
Responsibilities of university partners / sports organisations
Each university or sports organisation must:
- Designate a team leader
- Promote the mobile app and the challenge among students throughout the year
- Verify the identity of the top-ranked students
- Support travel logistics
- Provide a contact person for communication
- Arrange travel insurance
Rules and disciplinary measures
- The average speed of a single ride must not exceed 30 km/h
- Recording false rides is prohibited
- Recording rides using motor vehicles is prohibited
- All rides must be genuine and in line with the rules of the call
- The organiser reserves the right to disqualify participants