Key Project Details
Pedal Powered Progress is an Erasmus+ project built around a simple idea: helping young people discover bikepacking as a way to stay active, explore new places and connect with others. Through two learning mobilities in Portugal, our team had the chance to learn directly from an experienced organisation that has already built a strong bikepacking community.
We explored how these activities are organised, how people are encouraged to get involved and what it takes to turn an idea into something sustainable. Back home, we put this into practice by creating local bikepacking events, sharing our experience online and bringing together a growing group of people interested in this lifestyle. The project is not just about cycling, but about building a community, gaining confidence and creating opportunities for young people to be active in a different way.
The project included two international learning activities in Lisbon: a job shadowing mobility in September 2025 and a coaching and training mobility in October 2025. These were followed by local bikepacking events organised in Gheorgheni, Romania, in October 2025 and April 2026.
A total of 10 members of Asociatia Cloud Five took part in the mobilities, gaining practical experience in organising and promoting bikepacking activities. At local level, more than 30 young people participated in the events, contributing to the creation of a growing community that currently includes 35 active members.
Objectives and Activities
The main goal of Pedal Powered Progress was to help our team learn how to turn bikepacking into a real opportunity for young people, not just an occasional activity. We wanted to understand how to attract and involve people, how to organise safe and engaging experiences, and how to build something that can continue over time.
To do this, we took part in two mobilities in Lisbon, working closely with our partner organisation. The first one, a job shadowing activity, focused on observation and understanding. We explored how an active bikepacking community works in practice, how activities are promoted, and how people stay engaged. This included looking at communication strategies, community management and the way events are designed.
The second mobility was more hands-on. During the coaching and training activity, we moved from observing to actually doing. We learned how to plan routes, manage safety, organise logistics and work with groups in real conditions. The experience included practical exercises and a multi-day bikepacking trip, where we had to apply everything we learned.
Back home, the focus shifted to action. We organised local bikepacking events where we tested what we learned and involved young people directly. At the same time, we ran an online campaign to raise awareness and show that bikepacking is accessible, enjoyable and worth trying.
Why the Project Was Implemented
The idea behind Pedal Powered Progress started from a simple observation: although many young people are interested in outdoor activities, there are very few structured opportunities in our community to try something different like bikepacking. Most activities are either one-time events or lack continuity, which makes it harder to build long-term engagement.
At the same time, within our organisation, we saw the need to develop our capacity to organise more complex and meaningful activities for young people. We wanted to move beyond basic events and learn how to create experiences that combine sport, learning and community in a sustainable way.
Bikepacking offered the perfect context for this. It is accessible, flexible and encourages both physical activity and personal development. However, to implement it properly, we needed practical knowledge, real examples and guidance from an organisation that already has experience in building such a community.
Through this project, we aimed to learn how bikepacking can become more than just an activity and turn into a tool for bringing people together, encouraging initiative and creating lasting engagement among young people.
Results and Impact
The biggest result of Pedal Powered Progress is simple: bikepacking is no longer just an idea for us—it’s something real that has taken root in our community.
After the mobilities, we focused on putting what we learned into practice. We organised three local bikepacking events that brought together more than 30 young people. For many, it was their first experience of this kind. What stood out wasn’t just the number of participants, but the fact that many wanted to stay involved even after the events ended.
One of the clearest outcomes is the community that has grown around the project. We set up a WhatsApp group that quickly reached 35 members and remains active. People use it to share ideas, plan rides, and invite others, which shows a natural and steady growth in interest. The fact that new events are already being planned highlights that the momentum has continued beyond the initial activities.
The online campaign also made a real difference. Through a series of videos, we reached thousands of people and offered an authentic look at what bikepacking involves, from local group rides to longer journeys. Several participants who later joined our events mentioned they first came across the project through these videos, confirming the campaign’s impact.
For our team, the experience has been equally valuable. We now feel confident organising bikepacking activities independently, from route planning and logistics to group coordination and adapting to changing conditions. Just as importantly, we’ve gained a better understanding of how to build something with lasting value, not just organise one-off events.
The project ultimately led to more than a set of activities. It created a foundation for a growing community, opened up new ways for young people to stay active, and set a clear direction that we will continue to develop in the future.