Every February, National Bike to Work Day rolls around (this year, that day is Wednesday 10 February). You know – the one day in Feb when the weather inevitably refuses to play along, which makes us all the more grateful for the welcome tent with the free coffee and muffins. We can be heroes, just for one day!
But wait! Now we get the whole month. That’s right – all of February is about adding bike fun and convenience to your daily life, thanks to the Auckland Bike Challenge, brought to you by Love to Ride.
Last year, their inaugural bike-to-work challenge got things rolling by encouraging workplace teams to rack up as many miles as they could. The fabulously named Stormwater on Wheels from the Council really made the grade and took home top prize.
This year, there’s a different and more democratic spin: the focus is still on numbers, but numbers of people.
You “win” by encouraging as many workmates as possible to give a bike a go, for a ten-minute ride or more. (Don’t fret if you work in a small outfit – there are separate categories for small, medium and large workplaces, so everyone can compete at their own level). And anyone can ride, from all the young dudes to old hands to absolute beginners.
Every little ride will count – the daily commute or a one-off good-faith attempt at it; a lunchtime trundle along the waterfront; a bike to beersies after work; a dash to the dairy the long way round. In other words, it’s super low-stakes, and super high rewards. It’s the competition equivalent of the two-mile tour.
Plus, the ride doesn’t even have to be during working hours: weekend and evening rides count too! All good, as long as you’re on a bike for ten minutes or so (or more, of course!), any day in February.
And there are all sorts of great category prizes. Prizes! Did we mention the prizes? They’re so good. Check out the first tranche of prizes; and there’s more to come.
There’ll also be events – taster rides, outings you can join in on, all sorts of fun. With 29 days to play with, you’re guaranteed a good ride or two or twenty.
All the details are over here at the Auckland Bike Challenge website; there’s also a Facebook event page you can follow. You can sign up any time before the end of February, but obviously sooner is better.
Over a hundred workplaces have already joined. Is yours one of them? Or are you next?
