17/03/2011

Issued by Cycling City York

York is in pole position at the end of the first week of Cycle Challenge

As the first week of the month-long York Cycle Challenge draws to a close, the battle between York and Cambridge is ‘hotting up', with the cyclists of York storming into an early lead.

As part of the contest, which is Cycling City York's biggest challenge to date, the two cycling cities are competing to see who can persuade the most new cyclists to take part. Cambridge took an early lead at the beginning of the week, but York has stormed back by attracting 23 new cyclists to get on their bikes, compared to Cambridge's 18.

Keep checking the dedicated challenge website - http://www.yorkcyclechallenge.org.uk/ - to see how the York versus Cambridge element of the competition develops. You'll also be able to follow the progress of around 50 teams from across York representing businesses, schools, colleges and other major employers, which are competing against one another at a local level.

In total, more than 700 individuals from York are taking part and there's still time to sign up if you'd like to get involved. Between now and Sunday 3 April, teams will compete in one of six different categories, depending on their size. The idea is that individuals taking part can cycle at a time to suit them, even if it's only for ten minutes. To make sure their journeys by bike contribute towards their team's success, they must log the details on the York Cycle Challenge website.

Graham Titchener, programme manager for Cycling City York, issued a rallying call to the people of York: "Come on, be a part of the York Cycle Challenge and help us beat Cambridge - it's not too late to sign up!"

He explained: "The York versus Cambridge aspect of the challenge is already generating lots of excitement and it's fantastic news that York is leading at the end of the first week. However, there's still a long way to go, so we want to keep persuading and encouraging those who are new to cycling to give it a try during the challenge period to help boost York's score.

"At a local level, our teams are off to a flying start - you can see from the website that, at some organisations, a really high percentage of the workforce is involved, which is fantastic news. Keep up the good work!"

The York Cycle Challenge has been organised in conjunction with CTC Challenge for Change; a partnership between the CTC's Charitable Trust and Challenge for Change. Challenge for Change is a social marketing agency specialising in developing behavioural change programmes that get more people cycling more often.

To find out more or to track the progress of the teams involved, log on to the York Cycle Challenge website - http://www.yorkcyclechallenge.org.uk/

(ENDS)