Aimee O'LoughlinOnly one month to wait for the cycle competition to begin, and workplaces from all around York are ready and waiting for the challenge to start. If you haven’t heard of the York Cycle Challenge, the City of York Council has organised this free competition, in conjunction with the Challenge for Change CTC organisation. They challenge willing cyclists from different workplaces to compete with one another.
Many are participating, some of which include Nestle UK, the University of York, The York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the York Marriott Hotel are just some of the varied workplaces and organisations that are involved. Schools, colleges, and businesses are being encouraged to join in this competition to show their support.
The challenge will begin between Monday 14 May and Tuesday 5 June. It’s a fun idea to see just how many members of staff different workplaces manage to get to join in the competition. Participants don’t have to be professional cyclists, its all about having fun, and the journey time can be from as little as 10 minutes cycling and it will still qualify. They will provide you with free bike hire, and there will also be a free try-a-bike session to make the competition as easy and fun for volunteers as possible.
The cyclists can then record their ride on the York Cycle Challenge website. The idea of the challenge is to get as many people as possible to join in riding a bike. The event will have many exciting prizes for winners, some of which include a spa day, a hot air balloon ride, and a Giant Bike and weekend break at Best Western Grasmere Red Lion Hotel in the Lake District.
The cabinet member for City Strategy stated, “Last year the York Cycle Challenge was taken up with great enthusiasm by many organisations in York and everyone benefited. This year we hope to see an even better response for York’s 800 year celebrations… We’re really excited about this year’s Challenge and look forward to seeing lots of people take to their bikes in May and hearing their stories especially those new to cycling.”
The programme manager for I-Travel York, Graham Titchener, says, “With just one month to go, we hope that lots of other businesses will follow suit and show their support for cycling in York by getting involved in the Challenge.
“The York Cycle Challenge is a great way of joining together with your community, especially in these austere times. The event could also reveal the benefits that cycling has, for instance the benefits to your fitness that cycling can provide.”
There are still spaces for more to join in, so if you’re interested there is still plenty of time to sign up for the York Cycle Challenge. All that you need to do is register for free on the website, www.yorkcyclechallenge.org.uk. Everyone who is living or working in York is welcome to participate.
