PARIS — It's always been a dream of mine to ride my bike in Paris.
So when I was told I was going to cover the Olympics, I knew right away a dream of mine was coming true. There were so many things running through my head while riding a city bike, I started to sing.
"I'm riding in Paris. I feel so free. Riding in Paris it's only me. Ride, ride, ride, ride, ride," I belted out while riding.
But I was on a mission to get to the Louvre, and after much map checking and asking question to strangers, I found it.
Did you know that more people travel by bike than car in the center of Paris? That's according to a new report. A study by the urban planning agency L'institut Paris Region, or IPR, found that Parisians use bicycles for 11.2% of their trips inside the city, whereas people use cars for just 4.3% of journeys.
The group said the growth of using bikes over cars is a 3% increase since 2010.
Philip from Germany said Paris has changed and he's impressed.
"A bit, yeah, because we've been to Paris and it's new that there are so many bicycles on the road. A bit impressed, yeah, from the development of the city," he said.
Right now, there are 620 miles of bike path and routes in Paris. There's also been a significant investment on improving cycling infrastructure to the tune of $270 million. The group said the ultimate goal is make Paris a 100% cycling city.
Philip said it's left him with many choices.
"We looked once at the plan and said, OK, we take this route. We take the south and that's all and then we'll see what streets look nice and we'll go there," he said.
For me, my last destination is Notre Dame
Here's what I learned: Paris is not only for the lovers, but the cyclists, too.