Dame Sarah Launches 1m Commuter Challenge

September will see more than a million people from across the UK, including multiple gold medal winning Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, taking part in the biggest-ever national ‘Cycle to Work Day’. This is the goal set by Cyclescheme, the UK provider of tax-free bikes for work.

According to an official release, census data shows 760,000 people now cycle to work regularly – an increase of 110,000 from 2001.  

Cyclescheme’s ambition is to see this number increase even further on Cycle to Work Day and continue to grow throughout 2013 and beyond with an ambition of hitting one million regular cycle commuters by 2021.

Launched by Cyclescheme and supported by British Cycling, Sustrans, Bicycle Association, Business in the Community and championed by Dame Sarah Storey, Cycle to Work Day aims to highlight the benefits of cycling as a means of transport and encourage more people to cycle, more often.

Cyclescheme research has shown that over 50% of commuting journeys are less than five miles – this makes most cycle commutes less than 30 minutes.

Dame Sarah Storey commented: ‘If we start by encouraging people to cycle to work, then they’ll feel healthier, will save money and be more inclined to ride their bikes for other journeys and leisure time too.’

‘Cycling is one of the best modes of transport for local journeys and Cyclescheme provides the means for people to obtain a bike in order to make those journeys to work. We hope to inspire even more people to challenge themselves, dust off the bike and cycle to work on the 12th September.’

Daniel Gillborn, director of Cyclescheme added: ‘Cycle to Work Day is a very exciting initiative for us and it’s great to be able to work with some of the greatest names in the bike industry.’

‘We hope the day will inspire as many people as possible to make a positive change to their commuting habits and get more people cycling more often. Every mile cycled, every calorie burnt and every kilogram of CO2 offset as a result of the day will be a massive achievement that we can all be proud of.’