Nothing compares to the positive stories and messages that our riders share on the Love to Ride stories feed and on social media. They have the power to inspire people to ride more or to overcome a barrier and try bike riding for the first time.
From switching cars for handlebars to celebrating successes, here are a few stories from around that globe that we felt compelled to share.
What a change
I live in a small town, and I didn't know how lucky I was.
Work was only a 3.4km car journey, and the trip to the shops was 1.8km. The go-to method was the car.
Last year everything changed. Fuel hit $2.20 per litre. This got me thinking, is there a better way?
Yes, get a bicycle and ride to work.
I haven't looked back. The car only gets used once a week now. My bank account looks very good.
I am only a bike commuter and I dress for my destination, not for the ride.
My bike is a department store type, but it has been adjusted for my need, but I know my bike very well.
I have discovered that my town is a 15-minute town on bike.
I ride because I chose too.
Moving house by bike!
At the end of January, a few days after the full on flash flood, my partner and I moved house by bike!
We invited a bunch of awesome friends with cargo bikes and bike trailers to come and help us, and had a really fun time in the light drizzle. Luckily, the roads between our old house and our new house were clear, and only 5 or so blocks apart. My friends managed to (easily) move the Queen bed on their beefy bike trailers, and we didn't even break any of the potted plants! A friend with a tall bike (two bikes welded on top of each other) used their bike trailer to take my large outdoor bathtub, which I use as a garden; that was quite a sight to behold. At the end I shouted everyone pizza and we celebrated with cake and cups of tea. It was such a beautiful community vibe, and exactly what we all needed after the stress of the intense flooding.
It’s a Revolution
Like a lot of families, we used to fire up our expensive, gas guzzling engines for every little thing. 2 miles to school? Get in the car and sit in traffic. Need supplies for dinner? There’s a Walmart 3 miles away. Get in the car and sit in traffic. 4.5 miles to the office? Get in the car and sit in traffic. Find a parking spot. Sit in a line of more traffic when it’s time to leave…. Commuting by car is stressful. Traffic is not fun. It sets the tone for your day and your evening, and it’s not a pleasant one. As soon as I rediscovered bikes, I started replacing those trips. First on a mountain bike, because that’s what I had. Then a more commuter friendly bike. Then I started hauling my kid everywhere in a Burley. Then we had another kid, and I discovered cargo bikes. Specifically e-cargo bikes. We sold our second car almost two years ago and haven’t missed it once! I live almost entirely car free and I am never going back. Commuting by bike is pure joy! It’s the wind in your hair, the smell of the honeysuckle, the sound of the birds, the people you never would have met otherwise. And for me, it’s the conversations with my kids, the chance to literally stop and smell the roses (or splash in a puddle or learn about an animal or plant we see), the bonding experience. It’s such a stark contrast to the way we used to do it. And trust me, it sets the tone for the day, and the evening, and it’s bliss.
FRANKFURT!!!
During the month of May the team at ICPC Health took part in the Love to Ride bike challenge. We managed to encourage 10 of our staff to get out on their bikes and log some miles.
Collectively, we cycled over 1000 miles during May, enough for us to have reach Frankfurt from Inverurie?!?!?!
Each mile cycled earned us points and surprisingly we managed to finish 1st in Scotland for the size of our business - yay!!!
Huge well done to the team, a massive thanks to Love to Ride for a brilliant challenge that has had us all talking everything bikes for a month.
What's your challenge going to be? Next up for ICPC Health is to cycle the full length of the Deeside way.
If you'd like to share your bike story, you can do so on our stories feed - you never know who you could inspire to ride!
