In pictures: Cash-strapped Greeks discover cycling
Music saleswoman Elena Koniaraki, 39, rides her bicycle in Athens July 11. In austerity Greece, the once lowly bike is winning new fans every day.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Briton Gareth Jones works on a bicycle wheel inside his shop in Athens Aug. 3.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
An employee works inside Mr. Jones’s shop in Athens. The number of cars on Greek roads declined by more than 40 per cent in each of the past two years.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Bikers ride in front of the parliament during a weekly massive cycle around the suburbs of Athens July 6. More than 200,000 bikes were sold in Greece in 2011, up about a quarter from the previous year.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
In a weekly event, cyclists tour the suburbs of Athens. Bikes were formerly shunned in Greece as risky or a sign of poverty.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Elena Koniaraki leaves her apartment with her bicycle on the way to work in Athens July 6.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Ms. Koniaraki says a pay cut two years ago forced her to give up her car. “At first my friends would laugh at me and say, ‘Oh, poverty!’”YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Bicycles are lined up in a bicycle shop in the Marousi suburb north of Athens June 28.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
A man works on a bicycle wheel in Gareth Jones’s shop in Athens August 3, 2012. Even some middle-aged commuters who relied on their cars have taken up cycling.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Bicycle tires are stacked on a wall in Mr. Jones’s shop. The high cost of road tax, fuel and repairs is forcing Greeks to ditch their cars in huge numbers.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
The new national fashion has even prompted the Athens mayor to start working on a public bike hire scheme similar to those in other European capitals.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters
Bikers cycle alongside a seaside avenue in the Vouliagmeni suburb south of Athens July 9.YORGOS KARAHALIS/Reuters