Aotearoa Bike Challenge back for February

This story first appeared in the january issue of evtalk CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

The Aotearoa Bike Challenge returns for all of February for its fourth year, thanks to a partnership between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Love To Ride.

It’s a month-long challenge which encourages Kiwis to make everyday trips by bike or e-bike and provides the chance to win some great prizes.

As 2020 is a Leap Year there will be 29 days to clock up rides this February.

More than 22,000 people from nearly 2000 organisations participated in 2019, the record number of people including at least 4700 new riders.

Participants collectively made more than 289,000 trips by bike and cycled nearly 3.7 million kilometres.

Joining in the challenge is easy – and free – and the range of prizes (new bikes, restaurant vouchers and more) is a great motivator to get people riding bikes.

To take part, people must register and record trips online and only need to ride anywhere, anytime for 10-minutes or more to participate.

The challenge offers organisations – big or small – a chance to get their staff involved in cycling, competing as a team against other workplaces of a similar size.

It uses a points-based system where both an individual participant and their workplace team can earn points for every kilometre cycled, every day someone rides a bike, and for every person that has been encouraged to sign-up.

Every point matters, and everyone in a workplace can contribute to their team’s total points.

Businesses and organisations have a key role to play in encouraging more people to choose an e-bike or bike as a transport choice.

For employers, having more of your people riding bikes to and from work, or during the day, means a more alert and healthier workforce, and contributes to increased productivity.

The event encourages environmental and cost benefits too, as well as helping reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

Resources developed by the NZTA and the Sustainable Business Network are available if employers want to set up a e-bike purchase support scheme for their staff.

Visit www.nzta.govt.nz/employer-e-bike-purchase-support for more information on this.

Registrations for both workplaces and individuals are now open.

Visit www.Aotearoa.bike to register and for more information.