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Getting In Top Gear For Cycling Challenge

May 2011

We are once again getting on our bikes this month and gearing up to cycle 500 miles between us as part of the Leicester Shire Cycle Challenge, whilst saving 180 kg of CO2 emissions along the way.

Workplaces across Leicester and Leicestershire are taking part in the event which runs from Monday 9th May through to Sunday 29th May. The free and fun workplace-based challenge has been set up by Leicester City Council in partnership with CTC, the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation, to encourage people working or living in the county to remember the joys and benefits of riding a bike.

In last year’s competition we emerged victorious in the team category after our wheelie big enthusiasm for pedal power saw us ride 621 miles – smashing our initial 500 mile target – whilst also saving 203kg of CO2 and burning over 19,250 calories. Thirty of our employees were also rewarded with free cinema tickets for getting back on their bike after an absence of over a year or more.

Partner John Griffin and tax consultant Neil Davis are just two of our employees who have again decided to take up the challenge.

Neil, who lives in Oadby is a keen cyclist and makes the five mile bike ride to work at the firm’s Leicester office on Regent Road every day, plus the 30 mile round trip to our Loughborough office at least once a week. He comments, “I really enjoy the health benefits of cycling plus it means I don’t have to be stuck in a car in a queue of traffic each morning. I think this event proved last year that it’s a great way to get more people out on their bike and it should be a success once more.”

Meanwhile John says, “After our success in the team category last year I know many of our employees are keen to get out and about on their bikes again this year. Therefore it’ll be interesting to see if we can match our initial target and even beat our excellent total from last year.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the Leicester Cycle Challenge can do so by registering at www.leicestershirecyclechallenge.org.uk where they will be able to keep a record of their cycling trips over the coming weeks, learn how much energy they have burnt and also how much carbon dioxide they have saved.

There are also various prizes on offer during the challenge, such as: free cinema tickets for anyone who rides a bike for just 10 minutes who hasn’t previously done so for over a year; meals at a number of the city’s finest restaurants; high street vouchers; a mountain bike worth £550; and even an £800 cycling holiday in the Loire Valley in France.