There's a cycling revolution in Hartlepool - with prizes up for grabs

Saddle up for a chance to shape up in Hartlepool - and there's fantastic prizes to be won as well.
Love To Ride is encouraging the take-up of cycling across the Tees Valley, including Hartlepool.Love To Ride is encouraging the take-up of cycling across the Tees Valley, including Hartlepool.
Love To Ride is encouraging the take-up of cycling across the Tees Valley, including Hartlepool.

A flourishing scheme called Love To Ride Tees Valley is making inroads into the number of people taking up cycling.

Nearly 2,500 have joined up since Love To Ride began including 162 organisations - 20 of them from Hartlepool.

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Love To Ride is a challenge for people to ‘have a go’ and log their mileage.

But there’s added incentives with prizes up for grabs including trips to the Grand Canyon or New Zealand. And to stand a chance of winning, all you have to do is join up and log your mileage.

The whole aim of Love To Ride is to reduce the number of cars on the roads and bring down air pollution levels.

But there’s an added benefit, said Georgina Burke, the marketing and communications officer for Love To Ride. “It encourages people, who have not cycled for years, to get on a bike and remember the enjoyment they got out of it.”

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Love To Ride has been going since 2015 and so far, its impressive statistics include:

More than 1.3million miles have been clocked up by members;

They have made 90,000 trips between them;

More than 900 riders have taken to the saddle for the first time.

Another part of Love To Ride is the Cycle September scheme. This is where people can ride anytime, anywhere during September - and then log their journey for a chance to win goodies in the prize draw.

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That could be anything from adventure days out to bike racks or, as Georgina explained: “You could win a trip to the Grand Canyon or New Zealand.”

Love To Ride includes a works challenge where companies and sign up and compete against other firms of the same size. People can log their mileage which can be as little as ten minutes a day ... it all counts.

It’s all free to take part and Georgina added: “It is all about having a go and thinking ‘I haven’t cycled for a while. Maybe I could have a go’.”

Anyone wanting to find out more should visit www.lovetoride.net/teesvalley.

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Hartlepool Council is contributing to the cycling initiative.

As part of Cycle September, people in town can get a free bike service on a first come first served basis for a limited time at Summerhill which can be contacted on 01429 284584 or [email protected]

For general information about cycling and Cycle September, contact [email protected]