SlowUps are a tradition that started in the year 2000 around the lake of Murten as part of the “Human Powered Mobility” project at Expo.02. Several such events now take place in various areas of Switzerland and neighboring countries and are a great way to discover an area without the use or presence of cars! The recipe is simple—take approximately 30 km of relatively flat roads in an attractive area, close them to motorized traffic for the day, and allow participants to discover and enjoy the region and a host of activities in a cheerful, safe, and car-free atmosphere. You can take your bicycle, inline skates, scooter, skateboard, wave board, or wheelchair, or just walk or jog along all or part of the route. Everyone is welcome to join, and participation is completely free! The events take place rain or shine, and nearly half a million people participate each year in one of the 20 slowUps in Switzerland and neighboring areas. Basel hosts a terrific slowUp each fall (this year on Sunday, September 15), but why not enjoy a slowUp in another region and experience it in a safe environment with the whole family?

The Jura slowUp in the French-speaking region of Switzerland is a 36-km stretch that crosses the main villages of the Delémont valley, passing through Courroux, Vicques, Courrendlin, Châtillon, Courtételle, Courfaivre, Bassecourt, Develier, and back to Delémont. Each village offers an entertainment area, including food and drink. The town of Délémont can be reached in about an hour by car from Basel; however, it is strongly recommended to arrive by train as there will be additional trains between Basel and Délémont on that day, and the train from Basel only takes about 30 minutes. A wide variety of bikes can also be rented at the Délémont train station; reserve them in advance online at www.rentabike.ch/fr-ch/slowUp.
Note that e-bikes are permitted, but participants are asked to adjust their speed and not go faster than 25 km/h! Cyclists are asked to help inline skaters on descents by offering braking support (for example by holding on to the luggage rack). Cyclists are strongly encouraged to wear a helmet and inline skaters both a helmet and protective clothing.

Website
slowup.ch/jura/de.html

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