Located in the newly opened northern section of the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds, including 40,000 m² of outdoor space, bicycle trade fair, IFMA Cologne, will take place from September 14-17. The fair will include the ‘IFMA Bike Race - Ladies’ Ride’ for pro cyclists, the European Trial Championships, new test tracks both indoors and outdoors, and an Open Space conference entitled ‘Velosapiens - Paving the way for future mobility’.

The Open Space conference, an interactive event that has already been used in the IT and automobile sectors, will take place on September 16, as will the professional women’s bike race.

At the show itself, there will be a greater emphasis on the subject of cycling tourism this year. A wide variety of topics will be introduced, ranging from the idea of a cycle path in the immediate neighbourhood, to extreme biking holidays around the world. A number of long-distance cyclists have been invited to demonstrate their equipment and to share their cycling adventures.

Another focal point will be the over-50s age group which, according to Professor Ingo Froböse from the German Sports Academy in Cologne, accounts for a steadily increasing share of cyclists. Visitors will be able to find out which bikes and components are designed especially with the over-50s in mind.