Slovenians give bikes a holiday glow

TWO-WHEEL TREAT A decorated bike and a sign saying “Happy 2021” (Srecno 2021) are seen on display in a small Slovenian village on Dec. 26. In shop windows, backyards, on streets and public squares, many Slovenians have opted this year for unusual Christmas and New Year’s decorations enshrining the humble bicycle. —AFP

SEZANA, Slovenia — In shop windows, backyards, on streets and public squares, many Slovenians have opted this year for unusual Christmas and New Year’s decorations enshrining the humble bicycle.

While the coronavirus pandemic may have hit the small nation of just 2 million hard, locals refuse to give in to the gloom.

Instead they prefer to focus on one of the few bright spots of 2020: their country’s success in cycling competitions, especially the Tour de France, where Slovenians claimed first and second place.

“We wanted to honor the results of our bikers and to promote a positive approach to the current crisis,” Tina Jancigaj Avsec told the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Jancigaj Avsec is one of the organizers of “Life in Karst and Brkini spins on,” the group that set off the decoration spree in the southwestern Slovenian region.

The wheel, she added, also “symbolizes action, wind in the hair, moving toward the future to face new challenges.”

Cycling traditions

This year, Slovenian biker Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France, while his fellow countryman Primoz Roglic came second in the Tour and went on to win the Vuelta a España.

Vintage bicycles, racing models, children’s bikes and even wheels from old horse-drawn carriages now dot the countryside in Karst and Brkini, home to longstanding cycling traditions and boasting many small hotels catering to pedal-powered tourists.

During a lockdown to stymie new coronavirus infections, locals have found welcome distraction in driving around to take pictures of the displays and sending them to the organizers, who promised prizes for the top ten.

Positive challenge

“We wanted to find a positive challenge for people to promote tourism in our region … and to avoid sinking into coronavirus depression,” Avsec said.

The Karst and Brkini economy is heavily dependent on the tourist trade.

Although Avsec insists the displays are in no way politically motivated, antigovernment protesters have been riding their bikes through major cities while criticizing the handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Protesters have posted photos online of the decorated bike displays from the Karst and Brkini regions, while left-leaning weekly Mladina described them as “monuments to resistance.”