Workplace events

Here are just a few examples of the type of events that have been taking place in York, with the support of the Cycling City York team.

York Cycle Challenge

The 2012 York Cycle Challenge is coming your way soon! Be the first to sign up and join in!

The York Cycle Challenge is a fun, free competition to encourage people working or living in York to cycle more. Organisations, departments and teams all compete with one another to see who can get the most staff cycling - even for only 10 minutes - over a three week challenge period. Lots of prizes and incentives are on offer including new bikes and cinema vouchers.

Workplace Cycle Challenges

A number of the city's largest employers have taken part in Cycling City York's workplace-based cycle challenges over the last three years. Funded by the Cycling City York programme, our Cycle 50% Challenge and Bike Boost initiatives have proved to be extremely popular and always over subscribed.

Organisations taking part included Nestle, the University of York and York Hospital in 2009/10 and Aviva, City of York Council, York Hospital and the Marriott and Holiday Inn hotels in 2010/11.

Organised in partnership with York-based community interest group, Get Cycling, these schemes work by providing employees with everything they need to enable them to commute safely to and from work by bike over a 4-week challenge period - from a new bike with locks and lights to route planning advice and cycle training if needed, plus mentoring support.

The results have been very encouraging. Seventy seven per cent of staff who took part said they’d be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to continue cycling in the future, despite the fact that 48 per cent were not regular cyclists beforehand.

Before starting the challenge, participants cited not having a bike (14 per cent) and not getting round to it/not being fit enough/having too much to carry (8 per cent) as key reasons why they didn’t cycle. They said they had opted to take part in the challenge to get exercise (27 per cent); because cycling is sustainable (16 per cent) and because cycling is quicker than other modes of transport (12 per cent). Other factors behind their decision to give cycling a try included saving money, having fun and avoiding problems with parking.

At the end of the four-week challenge, participants confirmed that the benefits they got from taking part were more exercise (23 per cent); quicker and more fun journeys (11 per cent) and being ‘greener’ in the way they commute to work. Other top benefits included money saved on parking charges; the fact that their journey was more predictable and less stressful; and the convenience of travelling door to door.

Bike Week 2012

Would your organisation like to be involved in Bike Week 2012?

Find out more about what's happening across the UK this year during Bike Week (16-24 June 2012) and how your business can get involved, or register an event yourself, at Bike Week.

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