BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
NOTE: This column was first published in October’s BikeBiz, which you can read in full here.
At the time of writing this, 113,140 miles have been pledged for Cycle to Work Day. By the time you read this column, Cycle to Work Day will already have taken place. I’m hoping, as I’m sure our fantastic partners – Sustrans, British Cycling, Business in The Community and the Bicycle Association – are too, that all of these ‘pledged’ miles are turned into ‘cycled’ miles.
If we assume that every mile that is pledged will be cycled, then we end up with some truly staggering statistics. £32,767.56 saved in fuel, 3,003.69 kg of CO2 offset and 5,315,626 calories burnt. To put those figures into perspective that’s a trip twice around the Earth, saving the equivalent amount of CO2 from three return flights from London to New York and avoiding 17,000 cheeseburgers along the way. Pretty impressive stuff!
Big numbers aside, I have to mention the fantastic level of support we’ve received from IBDs across the country. A big part of the Cycle to Work Day campaign was the Free Bike Health Check initiative (a quick once-over of a bike to determine whether further servicing is needed). By visiting the website – www.cycletoworkday.org/free-bike-health-checks you’ll see just how many IBDs have been prepared to open their doors to prospective (and sometimes returning) customers to offer a free check up. We’ve even seen some great press coverage from up and down the country where shops are going the extra mile and organising events and shows too (Rutland Cycling and Moores Cycles, to name just a few). So, a big thank you to all of the independent bicycle dealers who are on board for Cycle to Work Day!
I’ll write a more formal review of the day in my column next month, but suffice to say we’re optimistic that we can reach at least 150,000 pledged miles; so expect to see those numbers jump!
Daniel Gillborn is director of Cyclescheme, a leading provider of tax-free bikes for work. You can reach him on @DGCyclescheme
