The Challenge runs from next Monday 15 September to Sunday 12 October 2014. Prizes are on offer in many different categories, and all over the County. The website is now open to registrations and is free to participate, go to https://cambscyclechallenge.pleasecycle.com/
“This is a real opportunity to capitalise on the wave of cycling enthusiasm that hit the county earlier this summer when Le Tour De France visited Cambridgeshire in July. We want to boost even further the number of commuters that cycle to work,” said Tim Watkins, Project Manager of Travel for Cambridgeshire (TfC), who promote sustainable travel to workplaces in the county.
"The Challenge is great fun and all participants need to do is log every cycling trip they make, either to work or for leisure during the Challenge period,” said Cambridgeshire Cycle Challenge coordinator, Gary Armstrong of Outspoken Cycles who are working with TfC to run the Challenge, “People of all cycling abilities can take part with weekly and overall prizes awarded to riders from the novice, rusty rider up to regular cycling commuters - so everyone has a chance of winning not just the lycra clad keen sports cyclists! In addition the prizes will also be available across the county – so cyclists in East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire will win prizes along with their Cambridge counterparts."
Over 500 people, working for over 100 employers, have already signed up to the Challenge from across Cambridgeshire, including Addenbrooke's and the Rosie (CUH NHS Foundation Trust), the Environment Agency in Huntingdon and Red Gate Software.
"Employers and their staff across Cambridgeshire have already stepped up to take part in the Challenge; spurring on new cyclists and those who already cycle to do so more often” said Councillor Noel Kavanagh, Cycling Champion at the County Council. “Cycling is a great way to commute to work and helps to reduce congestion especially during the busy rush hour, not to mention the potential health benefits of cycling. I’d encourage everyone to join in."
The Challenge is being run for Travel for Cambridgeshire and the County Council by PleaseCycle supported by local company Outspoken Cycles.
The Cambridgeshire Cycle Challenge is being funded by the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund. In Cambridgeshire, the funding is being used for a programme of measures aimed at getting Cambridgeshire to Work and to increase sustainable transport around the county.
Image: Le Tour De France in Cambridge this July
The Cambridgeshire Cycle Challenge
The Cambridgeshire Cycle Challenge is being run by Travel for Cambridgeshire (formerly the Cambridgeshire Travel for Work Partnership). PleaseCycle provides gamification software designed to get more people cycling, running and walking more often, so to create healthier, happier and more sustainable organisations. Local company Outspoken Cycles are providing business engagement and promotional events during the Challenge.
Travel for Cambridgeshire (TfC) [formerly the Cambridgeshire Travel for Work Partnership]
TfC is a not-for-profit partnership hosted by the County Council, one of its ten partners. It is dedicated to providing travel solutions to employers and developers in Cambridgeshire to deliver and promote sustainable and healthy travel; usually through the development of travel plans.
TfC provides free advice on increasing the range of travel options available to employees for commuting, travelling on business and other journeys.
The Partnership helps prepare and implement effective travel initiatives that ease transport and access problems associated with existing sites and or new business developments.
TfC has a range of tools and services to make travel planning as easy as possible, including an online car share scheme (www.camshare.co.uk), discounts at cycle shops and for rail travel a mapping service and an annual online travel survey.
To find out more visit http://www.tfw.org.uk/ or contact the team on 01223 715550 or email info@tfw.org.uk.
Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF)
Cambridgeshire County Council was awarded £5 million by Government (Department for Transport) in May 2012 to spend over three years. This was from the ‘Local Sustainable Transport Fund’, a fund established to enable the delivery by local transport authorities of sustainable transport solutions that support economic growth while reducing carbon. The fund also provides an opportunity to deliver additional wider social, environmental, health and safety benefits for local communities.
In Cambridgeshire, the funding will be used for a programme of measures aimed at ‘Getting Cambridgeshire to Work’ by making it easier for people to travel between home and work, and to other key destinations.
Programme measures will be implemented under three themes:
• Improving links to transport interchanges and corridors
• Improving links to employment areas
• The provision of improved travel information
The programme incorporates projects which aim to:
• Improve journey time reliability
• Make journeys more attractive via sustainable, healthy and lower carbon contributions
• Change travel behaviour
• Reduce congestion
• Improve connectivity and interchange facilities
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Contacts for more information:
Gary Armstrong (gary@outspokencycles.co.uk) at Outspoken Cycles 01223 719594
Tim Watkins (tim.watkins@cambridgeshire.gov.uk) at Travel for Cambridgeshire 01223 706575
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