Around 30,000 cyclists join ADFC's 50th Sternfahrt in Berlin

Routes and road closures

Cyclists converged on the Großer Stern and the Victory Column from across Berlin and Brandenburg. "Viele Teilnehmer waren in Brandenburger Orten oder am Berliner Stadtrand gestartet und fuhren dann auf rund 20 Strecken Richtung Großer Stern und Siegessäule," the broadcaster said. Some of the 20 routes began early on Sunday morning in Brandenburg, including in Oranienburg, Eberswalde and Brandenburg an der Havel, while longer night tours set out from cities including Leipzig and Stettin (Szczecin). The combined length of the 20 routes totaled about 1,000 kilometers. A separate children's route also wound through the Berlin city center.

A 50th edition with a message

At the destination, an environmental festival ran until 18:00 on Sunday. The Verkehrsinformationszentrale Berlin informed the public about the road and motorway closures on its website viz.berlin.de and advised drivers to use the S-Bahn and U-Bahn services instead of their cars. "Die Verkehrsinformationszentrale rät, statt des Autos lieber S- und U-Bahnen zu nutzen," the report said.

This year's Sternfahrt carried the title "Die Zukunft fährt Rad" (The future rides a bike), marking the 50th edition of the event organized annually by the ADFC. The club used the occasion to press its longstanding demand for better cycling infrastructure in the German capital.

ADFC calls for investment in cycling

Marlene Alber, Political Advisor of ADFC Berlin, framed the ride as a signal that residents want to cycle more but are being pushed onto unsafe paths by policy choices. "Die Menschen wollen von Herzen Radfahren, dennoch drängt die Politik sie an den Rand und schickt sie auf unsichere Wege," she said. The ADFC has used previous editions to make the same pitch: that politicians must take cyclists' concerns seriously and invest more in safe bike paths.

Alber added a direct policy demand, calling for an expansion rather than dismantling of cycling infrastructure and for investments rather than cuts. "Wir fordern Ausbau statt Rückbau, Investitionen statt Kürzungen. Damit Radfahren jeden Tag sicher und komfortabel möglich ist," she said. The ADFC has held the Sternfahrt annually to underline that call, and organizers said "zehntausende" people took part, while the more precise police and organizer count put the figure at around 30,000.

The report was broadcast on rbb24 Inforadio on 07.06.2026 at 16:00, with audio by Jürgen Buch. A separate item on the same event aired on Deutschlandfunk on 07.06.2026.