Bike Wise

Bike Wise Month - February 2010

Bike Wise Month has been and gone and thousands of kiwi’s took the chance to participate in a huge selection of fantastic, fun-filled, safe cycling events nationwide. Thanks to the wonderful network of event coordinators throughout NZ who work so hard to organise events in their communities, including;

59 Go by bike day events
50 Mayoral Challenge rides
Over 100 other events ranging from bike carnivals to commuting workshops and everything in between
Nearly 100 school events

2010 Mayoral Challenge Results

50 Mayoral Challenge events were regisitered this year, with Mayor’s around the country vying to take out the crown of Most Cycle Mad city or town by getting as many of their residents as possible to join them on a fun community bike ride.

The tsunami warnings on 28 February saw a couple of events cancelled, or routes changed at the last minute, but most events went ahead throughout the month as planned.

Congratulations to the winning towns and cities in the 2010 Mayoral Challenge. They are:

Upper and Lower Hutt cities - for their combined Bike the Trail Ride - winners of the population of 58,000 category
Waipukurau - for their Central Hawke’s Bay Mayoral Challenge - winners of the population 11,000- 58,000 category
Wairoa - for the Wairoa District Mayoral Challenge - winners of the population under 11,000 category

For a full list of results please download the 2010 Mayoral Challenge results spreadsheet (xls 25 KB)

Bike Wise Challenge 2010

The Bike Wise Challenge is now over! This year, we collectively rode 1.5 million kilometres and saved 244,146 kgs of CO2. Congratulations to all the organisations and participants in this year’s Challenge.

Results can be viewed on the website. Alternatively you can download a spreadsheet of the National and Regional winners (xls 55 KB).

The Bike Wise Challenge (formerly Bike Wise Battle) is a fun, free competition which encourages people to have a go at riding a bike. Organisations compete against each other to get as many colleagues as possible to ride a bike for just 10 minutes or more over the four week Challenge period. Experienced cyclists can help mentor the "newbies" and support them to give it a go.

People can ride wherever they feel comfortable and at anytime over the Challenge, for just 10 minutes/2 kms or more. It’s not about cycling the most kilometres, it’s all about getting more people to experience and remember how fun and easy cycling can be.

As well as the health benefits, cycling offers a cost-effective way to commute, with savings made on petrol, parking fees and even gym memberships. There are heaps of prizes that you and your colleagues could win just by taking part, including 3 Avanti bikes, cycling gear, Avanti and Ground Effects vouchers, workplace treats and loads more! Keep an eye out here for the dates of the next Bike Wise Challenge.

Exclusive to Auckland - Bike Wise to Work

Bike Wise to Work is a new challenge aimed at people who have been thinking about biking to work but haven’t quite had the time, courage or motivation to get out there and try it. This free, individual challenge is open to all workers in the Auckland region, and supports new cyclists with a series of emails with advice and tips on how to make the journey to work in a fun and healthy way.

We challenge you to make a small commitment to cycling to work – just 10 trips over 12 weeks from 18 January to 9 April 2010. During this time we will support you with regular emails which will help you to plan, prepare and discover the benefits of cycling to work!

Each person that registers will receive a free cycle map of their area (North Shore, Auckland, Waitakere, Manukau) to help you to manage your route to work and there are 50 registration packs to be given away. Plus, every trip that you log to work will be an entry in the monthly prize draw. There are cycle packs and an Avanti bike to be won! Find out about prizes here.

So set yourself a target for how much cycling you would like to do, and register for Bike Wise to Work!

Safe Cycling

We all want to have a safe, comfortable and enjoyable ride when we jump on our bikes. There are loads of things you can do to maximise the fun and minimise the risks, including:

Plan your route to take advantage of cycle lanes and quiet streets
Check your bike regularly and make sure your tyres, brakes, chain, reflectors and lights are all in good working condition
If you are not a confident rider, practice your skills away from traffic, and see if you can find a more experienced buddy to give you some advice and support

The NZTA have just released the Official New Zealand Code for Cyclists. The code is useful for people who are just learning about cycling on the road or those teaching someone else to ride. The code can be downloaded for free, and provides guidance on a range of topics from road rules to roundabouts.

For more safety tips read our Hey Cyclist flyer.

Bike Wise Month is managed by the NZ Transport Agency, supported by the Ministry of Health.