Be like Benedicte
Posted by Stefan | Filed under bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
Campaign alert! In just three more days Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel is off again. Now we’re not gonna repeat what it’s all about – except that it is about getting loaded – or that this year you can save up for a double pannier designed by Walter Van Beirendonck and Basil. No, you can read all about that in our previous post.
This post is about walking the talk, about leading by example. Because it is easy for a big environmental organisation like Bond Beter Leefmilieu to just tell you to go out and ride a bicycle. Preaching is one thing, but what are they really doing themselves?
And that is why I want you to meet Benedicte, also know as the Belgerinkel campaign leader.
She, ladies and gentlemen, is the one trying to get you all to ride your bike to the shop. Living in Brussels, still known as the worst city to ride a bicycle, she rides her bike to work and to the shop every day.
And she does it in dashing style, as you can see in the picture below.
Basically all she wants you to do is to follow her lead. And enjoy it. So join Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel. Be like Benedicte.
Tags: Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, pannier, Walter Van Beirendonck
Belgerinkel 2010 – get loaded
Posted by Stefan | Filed under bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
Belgerinkel’s got a brand new bag! Yep, folks. For the Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel- campaign of 2010 Bond Beter Leefmilieu decided not to change a winning recipe.
After the huge success of last years bicycle pannier, Belgerinkel is launching a new one: bigger and better. Bigger, cause it’s a double one. Better, because personally I prefer this design to last years.
Like last edition, the pannier is designed by Walter Van Beirendonck and produced by Basil. And also like last time, they’re very exclusive. Again they’re not for sale in stores. You want one? Join the campaign!
This year the campaign is about how much you can transport on a bike when you’re shopping. Studies show that 70% of people are not willing to take the bike to the shop because you can’t transport a lot.
So Belgerinkel is trying to prove all of them wrong. And with good reason. These day cargo bikes and postal bikes, to name a couple, are gaining more and more popularity. They’re not only cool as bleep, they’re also extremely practical.
And by presenting this double bicycle bag, Belgerinkel is encouraging everybody to get loaded. Heavily. Fashionably.
Tags: bicycle bag, bicycle pannier, design, Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, Walter Van Beirendonck
Too cute…
Posted by Stefan | Filed under bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
This is Nuria, a good friend of mine’s daughter. This is how she goes to school, always. Goes to show that cycle chic really isn’t something you have to do a special effort for. Anyone can do this, anyone can be cycle chic, young or old, just by being himself or herself. And by riding your bike, of course.
Who doesn’t have a smile on his when seeing this photo? It really is all about those positive vibes.
And speaking of Smile + Bike: this weekend the new campaign image for Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel 2010 was shot. And we were there! We will post some ‘making of’ photos soon enough.
Meanwhile see how Nuria is showing her friends at school last years incredibly succesful pannier – 16.500 people joined the campaign and ordered one.
Photos by Wouter
Tags: Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, smile + bike, Walter Van Beirendonck
We ♥ BCN/BCC
Posted by Stefan | Filed under abroad
If you’re a regular visitor of this place, you might have noticed a couple of links we’ve thrown around to the very cool Barcelona Cycle Chic, a blog that keeps the finger on the pulse of all things bicycle in the vibrant Catalan city. A city that I have had a soft spot for ever since I saw Auberge Espagnol – and more so since I visited twice.
BCC is run by the amazing Txell, someone we’ve refered to in the past as classy and stunningly cycle chic. Someone who always rides in seemingly effortless style, and by doing so effortlessly promotes bicycle culture.
Someone who I consider a friend, even though I’ve never even met her in person. We actually were both at Vélo-city in Brussels last spring, but on different days. But we’ll meet someday.
Last weekend she participated in a Critical Mass Bike Ride for the climate, since the very important Copenhagen climate summit is less than a month away. If your Spanish is any good, you can read all about it here, or you can just go see the big come-up and the good atmosphere it had at Txell’s place.
As always Txell rode in dashing style. And hey, I believe I’ve seen that pannier before. Now how did she get one of those (insert winky here)?
Tags: Barcelona, Climate, Critical mass bike rides, friends, smile + bike, Walter Van Beirendonck
16.500
Posted by Stefan | Filed under Leuven, bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
Fall is here. And it’s raining hard today.
Good news though: yesterday Bond Beter Leefmilieu sent out a press release about the results of their Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel- campaign, or Ring your Bicycle Bell to the Shop – the reason we started this blog in the first place.
As you may or may not remember, this pannier was the center of the campaign: 
People who participated in the campaign could save for this exclusive pannier, designed by fashiondesigner Walter Van Beirendonck.
The results: from May 16 ’till June 20 no less than 175.000 people rode their bicycle to the shop and an absolutely smashing 16.500 – I repeat 16.500! – panniers were ordered. That, ladies and gents, is a hell of a lot.
We’d like to thank you very much for participating and giving cycling as a normal everyday habit the good name it deserves.
We are looking forward to seeing all of these 16.500 pannier in the city streets!
Missed out on one? Don’t worry, next year there’s gonna be a new Belgerinkel-campaign, but as you will understand, we can’t spill all the goods just yet.
Untill then, and even though it’s fall, just put on a smile and go out and ride to get your daily groceries. Just like this wonderful woman, captured by our good old buddy Wouter.
photo Wouter
UPDATE: As you can read in the comments below, our stunningly cycle chic friend txell from Barcelona spotted one of our panniers at the Cycle Tourism Congress in Costa Brava.
Here’s her photo:
photo by txell
Tags: bond beter leefmilieu, campaign, Leuven, Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, Walter Van Beirendonck
Belgerinkel Launch, part deux
Posted by Stefan | Filed under Antwerp, bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
Instead of writing about it, I’ve decided just to post some photos from the launch of Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel at fashion for charity event Naked. It was one big party, I can tell you that.
So here are some shameless promotional shots for the Walter Van Beirendonck bike and bag. Why so shameless? Because we want you all to start riding your bike and look very chic. That’s why.
Models for a day sporting the bag
Stunning actrice Nathalie Meskens and a friend
Models... and natural cycle chic's
And one more time... in the spotlight
Tags: Antwerp, Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, Naked, Walter Van Beirendonck
Smile + Bike
Posted by Stefan | Filed under bond beter leefmilieu, campaigns
In case you haven’t heard yet – if you haven’t, I wouldn’t admit to it – we just wanted to let you all know that Antwerp fashion icon Walter Van Beirendonck has designed a funky bicycle bag for Bond Beter Leefmilieu’s bicycle promotion campaign Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel.
What’s really clever about this bag, is that you can attach it to your bike, but you can just as easily drop it around your shoulder. And that makes shopping much more comfortable, cause you don’t need plastic bags to get your groceries to your bike. Ha!
Mind you, this is a very, very limited edition bag. It will not be available in the stores. To get your hands on one, you have to participate in the campaign, which is easy: you ride your bike to your local participating shop. Each time you do that, you get a stamp on your card. 8 stamps + 14 euro’s will get you this limited edition bag.
6 stamps automatically enters you in in a competition to win an exclusive Smile+Bike-bicycle by Oxford.
The campaign kicks off on May 16, at the fashion event Naked in Antwerp.
Stay tuned at www.belgerinkel.be to get all the latest news.
Tags: bicycle bag, bond beter leefmilieu, campaign, fashion, Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel, oxford, smile + bike, Walter Van Beirendonck
