“On Yer Bike!”

IDBS Guildford takes to two wheels to triumph in cycling challenge

At IDBS we thrive on a little competition. And a fair number of us like cycling. So when we heard about the Surrey Cycle Challenge, a fun initiative to get people out of their cars and cycling to work, we were up for it. The competition also coincided with the opening of our new secure cycle bays, so this seemed to be an appropriate way to encourage more cycling within IDBS and celebrate the new facilities.

All entries are split into three groups – small, medium, and large companies – based on the number of employees. At Guildford we’re happy to be in the medium category.

The fact that some of the other companies taking part are close to the Guildford office added a little bit of a spur to do well, which only added to the fun. There’s nothing likeknowing the competition, is there?

On a personal level I am trying to decrease my use of the car and get on my bike more. Mind you at 5:40am on a wet and windy day it can be hard to keep motivated, so a little competition is helpful. That said, with the weather being asunsettled as it has been over the last many weeks I’ve not cycled as much as I had hoped to and only managed six times throughout the competition, usually ending up leaving little puddles throughout the office as the water and mud sloshed out of my shoes!

Impressive stats

We’ve just heard that we were the winners in our group. And across all groups we came in third – not bad for a small team up against the big boys.

As a whole, the 23 strong IDBS team made 99 journeys, covering 1,144 miles. On that note that I’d like to make a special mention of Harriet, Ben, Richard and Colum who have done us all proud by cycling in every day – regardless of the weather. Harriet alone clocked up an incredible 274 miles over the two weeks of the competition.

It’s great to see so many companies taking part – 34 in total, comprising 306 participants. Added together the total mileage covered was over 19,750 miles, which had taken an awful lot of cars off the road for a while and saved heaven knows how many litres of petrol.

It’s been a fun and positive experience with discussions around the coffee machine on everything from road conditions to who’s wearing the most mud after their ride in. I really enjoyed taking part – and winning – because, let’s face it, taking part isn’t always everything!