Teessiders are being encouraged to get on their bikes this September as part of Love To Ride and take up the National Cycle Challenge – with some great prizes available just for taking part.
Love To Ride Tees Valley is giving away superb machines made by top bike manufacturer Specialized worth around £400 to two lucky riders who register to take part.
There are also meals at Middlesbrough’s The Chairman bar, the Parkmore Leisure Club in Eaglescliffe and Sunday lunch at Wynyard Hall being given away.
The prizes are all part of a national campaign to get more of us experiencing the physical and psychological benefits of travelling on two wheels.
The project is running during September and is all about persuading as many people as possible to give cycling a try.
Staff are being invited to recruit their colleagues, asking them to commit to cycling for at least ten minutes.
Points are being awarded to each workplace taking part according to how many people participate and how many miles they manage to cover. They then compete in various categories against other workplaces of a similar size.
“Anything that inspires more people to get into cycling as a hobby or a way of getting in to work in the morning is a good thing,” said Macks Solicitors personal injury specialist and cycling enthusiast James Pritchard.
“We’re way behind some of towns and cities such as Cambridge and London when it comes to the number of people who use bikes for their daily commute.
“I’d like to see this campaign backed up by more measures to make our roads more cycle-friendly, especially dedicated cycle-only routes on the busiest approaches to our town centres.”
As well as helping workers get fitter and healthier, the campaign also aims to reduce air pollution, road congestion and car parking problems.
More than 1,200 people have already signed up and covered 280,000 miles on the journeys they’ve recorded on Love To Ride Tees Valley’s dedicated website.
To join them or find out more about the National Cycling Challenge, visit www.lovetoride.net/teesvalley
