What cycling truly brings — and how to prove it

One in three French people cycle every month. So what?

In 2024, 24% of French people cycle at least once a week, up from 12% in 2012. Usage of cycling infrastructure increased by 37% between 2019 and 2023. These are known trends, even if the figures add weight to what was already perceived.

What's less frequently highlighted is the regional variation. Metropolitan areas capture attention, and for good reason: in Paris, the share of cycling in commuter trips doubled in five years, rising from 3.1% to 6.1%. But urban agglomerations are also making progress, from 1.7% to 2.5%. And rural towns show average usage almost equivalent to urban areas outside major centers. Cycling development isn't exclusive to large cities that have already done everything. This is perhaps the most useful point to remember.

A €3.1 billion sector — but undergoing restructuring

The cycling economy represents approximately 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The market for new bicycle sales, parts, and accessories reached €3.1 billion in 2024, with electric-assist bicycles accounting for 58% of that value. French production is particularly well-positioned in this segment: one in two e-bikes sold in France is manufactured domestically.

However, the industrial sector is undergoing a correction phase after the post-Covid boom: production fell by 17% in 2024 compared to 2023, and by 30% compared to 2019. Inflated inventories, reduced orders — this phenomenon is observed across Europe. What's notable is that this decline in volume is accompanied by an increase in average price and higher revenue than in 2019. The sector is moving upmarket; it's not in decline.

This underlying trend is also evident in the services sector, which is accelerating. The repair sector now accounts for an estimated 5.9 million interventions in 2024 — a 32% increase compared to 2019. Cycle tourism generates direct economic benefits estimated in hundreds of millions of euros along key routes. Cycle logistics employs over 20,000 FTEs and is starting to significantly impact urban delivery.

What cycling prevents — and the cost of not accounting for it

This is where the study is most valuable. Not for grand statements, but for its methodology. EXPLAIN analyzed the evolution of modal shift in five territories — Toulouse, Angers, Clermont-Ferrand, Calvados, Saint-Étienne — over approximately ten years, using Cerema's EMC² surveys.

In all cases, the rise of cycling reduces vehicle-kilometers and congestion. In Toulouse, the modal shift observed between 2013 and 2023 prevented 440,000 vehicle-kilometers per day, resulting in an annual collective gain of €12.5 million and eliminating 6,500 hours of congestion daily. In Angers, 95,000 vehicle-km avoided per day translate to 1 hour and 8 minutes saved per motorist per year.

What's noteworthy is that mid-sized cities also produce results. Less spectacular, but very real. And the study clearly states: in less dense areas, cycling acts as a stabilizer — it prevents future congestion rather than solving an existing crisis. This is not a secondary argument; it's often the right argument to present to a city council.

Regarding emissions, the contrast is hard to dispute: cycling-related emissions in France amount to approximately 9,800 tonnes of CO₂e per year. Those from private cars reach 89 million tonnes. The impact of cars is 9,000 times greater. Expressed in social cost, cycling generates €2.5 million per year. Cars, €35 billion.

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Regular cyclists have 15% fewer sick days

The health effects have long been documented, but the study quantifies them with a rigor that makes them actionable. In 2019, cycling practice is estimated to have prevented 1,919 premature deaths and 5,963 chronic diseases. Regular cyclists average 15% fewer sick days than non-cyclists, which amounts to approximately 4.5 fewer days of absence per year.

For an HR manager or a local authority CEO, this figure has direct implications. Not in terms of messaging, but in terms of payroll, service continuity, and absenteeism costs. This is a different kind of argument than 'cycling is good for your health'.

Data as a prerequisite

A common thread runs through the entire report, and it's perhaps the most important for decision-makers: results are only visible where they are measured.

The study explicitly states in its methodology section: local data, when it exists and is properly structured, allows for steering and demonstrating impact. Without it, decisions are made blindly. And good results remain invisible — which, in practice, means they don't exist in budget discussions.

This is precisely why EXPLAIN partnered with Kiomda and its Verdilo counter: so that local authorities — including medium-sized ones — can access reliable data on the usage of their cycling facilities, without heavy infrastructure or specific technical expertise. A simple, autonomous, rapidly deployable measurement foundation, which then allows for the construction of the indicators recommended by the ADEME study: infrastructure, usage, budget, safety, human resources.

To put it another way: the study shows what cycling produces. Kiomda makes it possible to prove this, territory by territory.

What France aims for — and where it stands

In 2019, the modal share of cycling in daily commutes in France was 3%, compared to an 8% European average. The National Low Carbon Strategy 2 had set a target of 12% by 2030. Nationally, we are far from this. However, Bordeaux and Strasbourg already showed over 20% in 2023. This is not a question of culture or geography. It's a question of investment — and the ability to measure what that investment yields.

The full study is available on the ADEME website. It is 248 pages long. What is presented here is only a partial reading, focused on what is directly useful to those who design or evaluate cycling policies.