With help from Heart Research UK, Subway and Healthy Hearts Grants funding over the last few years we have been able to provide free bike checks, cycling tuition, led rides and even provide bikes for loan in the community. This has enabled people to choose cycling more often, explore their local area by bike, commute and find a new fun way to travel. Not only is this good for the environment, but good for your health. Cycling is a great way to keep active and feel good. It helps to prevent, or reduce the risk of heart disease, burn calories, build and tone muscle and improve overall fitness.
More recently with the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, we have been unable to deliver cycling activities face-to-face and had to adapt our work very quickly. This meant finding a new way to engage people online. We developed a Bike Bingo Challenge. This asked people to:
- Choose cycling for daily exercise
- Find a scenic view
- Cycle to the supermarket or a place of worship
- Ride 8 miles
- Share a new cycle route
We are delighted that 40 rides were registered for the Challenge across Birmingham over 6 weeks – with people choosing cycling for the school run for the first time, riding to the local shops, using the opportunity to explore locally and find new interesting places or complete personal fitness goals. It was an activity for everyone to get involved with together, but apart.
To help people complete the challenge, we also offered online route–finding sessions to share cycle routes across Birmingham, explore route–finding apps and show how to use the free Komoot app to explore #BrumByBike. This was very popular and the feedback was great:
Encouraging people to get out on their bike as much as possible, we also gave away some great cycling goodies including quality bike locks, lights and gloves. We hope these will help people to keep choosing cycling going forward. The response has been fantastic. WELL DONE to everyone who got involved for getting out on your bikes, even in the colder weather. We hope all the lucky winners enjoy the prizes. Please continue to share your cycling journey with us online using #BrumByBike.
Photos from @twins_slings_bikes_adventures, @shrinking_likkle_bear, @brendacquinn, @gigglesther, Nikki & Steve.
If you think this looks like fun, you’re right! And it’s not too late!
Cycling to work or choosing a bike for shorter journeys is a great way to start! In most cases you will arrive quicker, definitely feel happier and with the additional health benefits, we should all be dusting off our bikes.
You can find our recommended cycle friendly / traffic free routes HERE.
Just want to get from A to B quickly? Watch this short video to learn how to plan a traffic free cycle route using Google Maps.
We will be offering cycling tuition, route-finding sessions and more in 2021. For more information check out our website and look out for updates on our social media pages @ecobirmingham.
If it’s a challenge you need to keep you pedalling, why not try cycling or walking to school with the Healthy Hearts MOVE MORE challenge for children and families HERE
Or join LOVE TO RIDE, set goals, log your rides and win prizes. You can sign up HERE.
Working with @heartresearchuk & @SUBWAY to help you stay active.
