These are the 10 most bike-friendly cities in the world (and 9 of them are in Europe)

Cycling lovers know how liberating it can feel to zip along a bike path, taking in the charm of a city without the downsides of crammed public transport or traffic jams.

And as governments worldwide try to cut carbon emissions, more and more cities are encouraging people to ditch cars and making it easier for them to hop on bikes instead.

But which are the most bike-friendly cities out there? They’re overwhelmingly in Europe, according to the latest Global Bicycle Cities Index.

Digital insurance company Luko looked at 90 cities around the world and ranked them based on six main parameters: the percentage of bicycle users, weather conditions, crime and safety (such as accidents and bike theft rates), infrastructure, bike-sharing opportunities and special events such as "no car days".

The final results are presented on a scale from 0 to 100, where the higher the score, the more bike-friendly the city.

European cities topped the list, mainly thanks to quality cycle paths and weather conditions that include a high number of "cyclable" days.

No city in the United States made it to the top 10, or even the top 20, but some did feature among the 90 on the list: San Francisco (ranked 39th), Portland (41), Seattle (50), Washington DC (53), Los Angeles (57), Boston (61 - interestingly one spot ahead of London), New York (67), Chicago (71), and Detroit (72).

Here’s a look at the top 10 best cities in the world for cyclists:

The German city in Lower Saxony has splendid parks, so what better way to go check them out than by bike? Hannover made it into the top tier of this year’s ranking thanks to its quality infrastructure and events promoting cycling, including "no car days".

Bremen is another popular city for bike lovers in Germany, with