Your Health, Your Climate, Your Pocket, and Your Community are all Better By Bike

It’s National Bike Week from 6th-12th June. This year’s event is about encouraging us all to get on our bikes for the good of our health, the planet, our pocket, and our community.

The Surge in Lockdown Cycling

Did the lockdown tempt you into getting your bike out of the shed to explore and get fitter and healthier? You’re not alone. The number of people taking up cycling in the last few years has increased dramatically. Many more of us now cycle to work or the shops, or just jump on our bike for a relaxing ride out on a weekend.

How Cycling Improves Your Health

Did you know that by cycling to work, you have a 45% lower risk of developing cancer and a 46% lower risk of heart disease? It’s a great low-impact aerobic exercise that keeps your heart and lungs healthy and keeps your weight under control.

How Cycling Helps Fight Climate Change

Did you know that by taking just one journey per day by bike instead of car, you can reduce your carbon footprint by around 0.5 tonnes per year? Put simply, the fewer vehicles that are on the road, the less harmful emissions go into the atmosphere. This can help slow down the pace of climate change.

Why Cycling is Good for Your Pocket

Cycle journeys currently make up around 2% of the total number of journeys we make. Estimates say that if we increased cycle journeys to 25% by 2050, we would collectively be around £248bn better off. The money you save on fuel or public transport plus less wear and tear on your car really adds up.

How Cycling Benefits Your Community

If everyone cycled more, there’d be fewer cars on the road so it would be quieter and safer. The air would be cleaner. People would be healthier. It might sound like a pipe dream, but it could be a reality.

How Will You Celebrate Bike Week?

There are several ways you can get involved;

• Organise a bike ride-start in your neighbourhood or workplace;

• Encourage friends and family to make at less one less journey by car that week;

• Go out on a family bike ride-don’t forget the obligatory Instagram photo with the hashtag #BikeWeekUK.

At Contego, we want safer, cleaner, healthier communities and we want to reduce our impact on the environment. We’ll all be getting on our bikes this Bike Week, will you?