The race - Desafio Intermodal

The Desafio Intermodal competition pits pedestrians, runners, cyclists motorcyclists, cars, buses and wheelchair users against each other. They all travel the same route, and they have to stick to general traffic rules. Bikes are the undisputed champions, having won every competition since it began in 2007. But the first to the finish doesn’t always win the race in this tournament. The different modes of transportation are evaluated according to not only speed but cost and eco-friendliness, too. In 2012, an electric bicycle topped the competition for the first time.  

The Federal University of Paraná organizes and finances the race. Professor José Belotto, who founded it as part of the Ciclovida project back in 2007, says Desafio is more than a simple competition. “We wanted to launch a discussion about how we get around our city,” he says. He and a group of students go along with the race every year and scientifically evaluate the results. 

Still, Belotto believes bicycles still have a long way to catch up when it comes to transportation in his city. “We want to support the bicycle culture. If people don’t want to hop on two wheels, governments won’t do anything either,” he says.   

But he sees a positive development in Curitiba and across Brazil. “We are on the right path, more people use bikes every year,” he says.  

The next race takes place in August of this year, and Belotto plans to stream it live online.