The cycling revolution is in full… ahem…gear. If you dig street riding, chances are you saw “Premium Rush,” the 2012 action-thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a New York bike messenger chased around the city by a corrupt police officer. Before that there was the 1986 gem “Quicksilver,” which was also about a bike messenger in New York City, this time played by Kevin Bacon; the dude was totally Footloose, if you get our drift.

 

Biking is described as the superhero of transportation, and these five cities have the best riding in the world.

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bike. In fact, you probably can’t be a citizen of Holland unless you own a bike. It’s one of the globe’s most pro-two wheeled destinations. Navigating the cobblestone streets is a challenge, and avoiding hordes of wobbly tourists can easily turn into a sport. And if you don’t bank a turn right – BOOM! – you end up drinking canal water. Every year, city authorities dredge hundreds of bikes from Amsterdam’s canals (fun fact!).

 

Portland, Oregon

Biking is deeply ingrained in the culture of Portland. There are over 65 miles of bike paths and 175 miles of bike lanes. In fact, 8 percent of Portland’s citizens claim that biking is their primary form of transportation. The only thing you have to worry about when biking in Portland is accidently crashing into a hipster on his way to get some craft beer or artisanal light bulbs; hey, you’ve watched “Portlandia,” right?

Copenhagen, Denmark

No joke. There are more bicycles in Copenhagen than people. More than half the locals ride their bikes to work or school. The city’s compact dimensions and tolerant traffic are ideal for biking enthusiasts.

Montreal, Canada

Montreal began constructing bike paths in the 1980s (maybe town officials were inspired by Kevin Bacon’s performance in Quicksilver.) Today, Montreal has over 400 miles of bike paths. While the daytime winter temperature in Montreal can be a tad, umm, chilly, it hasn’t stopped hardcore bikers from “taking it 2 the streets.”

Seville, Spain

In an attempt to combat the city’s four daily rush hours – don’t forget Spain does that whole midday siesta thing – the government created 50 miles of cycle lanes within a year. Seville now has 80 lanes, and it is considered one of the most up-and-coming cities for biking.

Enough preachin’. Now get out there and ride, Breakbounce style.