Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

Residents encouraged to get cycling and win £500 towards a new bike

Friday, 5 June 2020

It’s great to see more people having a renewed interested in getting out on their bike during the lockdown.

We're working alongside Love to Ride this Bike Month to get more people to choose cycling as part of their daily travel and exercise and encourage others to try it too.

To be in with a chance to win £500 towards a new bike, sign up to the Love to Ride free event (and make sure you check out all the great prizes on offer). It doesn't matter if you ride every day or haven't been on a bike in years, you just have to set yourself a goal and achieve it – it’s that simple.

And, if you win, Love to Ride will also give £500 to either the Bikes for Key Workers or the Community Support initiatives, so you could be giving back to others at the same time as winning yourself.

Cycling is a great way to explore where you live. To help with this, we've produced a series of maps to help you plan your rides. They contain a range of useful information including National Cycle Network routes, on and off-road sections, local places of interest and the location of cycle parking.

We also work with Sustrans, the charity which makes it easier to walk and cycle, which has produced some online activities for children, packed with creative, active and interesting indoor and outdoor activities for all the family.

A limited number of reconditioned bikes are available through the recycling scheme, please contact travelchoices@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further details.

Employers can also to sign up for the government's Cycle to Work scheme to offer staff tax-free bikes at a 40% to 50% discount from shop prices.

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, our Executive Member for Community Services, said:

This Bike Month we would like to encourage more people to enjoy the freedom of two wheels, by getting out for some fresh air to explore some of our beautiful routes across Central Bedfordshire.

We are throwing down the gauntlet to residents and asking them to try something different from their normal daily routine. A lot of people in the area use a car to travel, but we want them to think more about how they get from one place to another, and if this could be done on a bike.

Riding a bike has so many benefits for our physical and mental health. It helps combat stress and anxiety. It’s great daily exercise and is the best mode of transport to maintain social distancing and avoid congestion.

With this competition running throughout June, there’s even more reason to give cycling a go.