The Love to Ride Blog

Bike Week was very well timed this year; the 200th anniversary of the first ever bike ride fell on Monday 12 June. To celebrate this momentous occasion we invited everyone in the UK to Give the Gift of Cycling by riding, encouraging friends & colleagues and sharing inspirational cycling stories. 9,352 people logged a ride and over 400 people encouraged someone else to take part. Together we clocked up 607,558 miles and 44,095 trips - that's the quivalent of 24 circuits of the equator!

We had LOADS of amazing cycling stories that we'll be blogging and sharing in the coming days - here's a taste to show the incredible power of everyday cycling:

• Emma in Kent told us how her simple mountain bike, through 'a combination of trailers, tagalongs, front mounted saddles and baby back seat' allowed her and her husband to do 60 miles of pedal-powered school run every week with four young children.
• Deb took up cycling to work in Cardiff on a rainy Monday when her mother-in-law passed on an unwanted bike to help her achieve her goal of losing weight: 'I have now cycled in all weathers, from hail to sunshine almost every day for two years and I really enjoy riding the 4.3 miles each day next to the river and through the park. I would recommend cycling to anyone.'
• Mark from Brighton took up cycling to recover from a 7-hour operation to remove a cyst from his lung: 'It felt amazing! ... As with so many, it took a health concern to get me cycling. But it needn't have done and it needn't do for you!'

As well as sharing inspirational stories and inviting people to encourage their friends and colleagues, we gave away 100 brilliant prizes from Raleigh, Rutland Cycling, UPSO, Cyclehoop (hi-five to Barry who was our Top Male Rider, clocking up an astonishing 803 miles!), Penguin Books and loads of local bike shops - a HUGE thank you to all our amazing sponsors for helping to get more people cycling!

Bike Week kicks off an exciting Summer of Cycling, building up to the the main event in our Year of the Bike calendar: Cycle September. We'll be having a weekly prize draw to reward regular riding over the summer and there are lots of hints and tips to help you build your team and plan to win in September.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Twitter feed (share pictures & join the conversation with #CycleSeptember) for info, prize announcements, weekly draws and curated content to get more people cycling.

Thanks to everyone who took part in Bike Week - keep cycling through the summer and make sure you and your colleagues are ready for Cycle September!

Register online now: lovetoride.net