Taranaki people urged to get pedaling
If you are pondering whether to take on the Aotearoa Bike Challenge 2018, and that’s as far as you’ve got, New Plymouth’s Jennifer Patterson has a few words of wisdom to motivate you.
The NZ Transport Agency campaign to boost cycling across the nation aims to get the workforce on a bike and experience the benefits to their health, workplace productivity and the environment.
Venture Taranaki has picked up the cycling gauntlet and Patterson is the driving force behind encouraging her colleagues to get pedaling.
‘‘Most people can ride a bike so that’s the first challenge taken care of,’’ Patterson said.
‘‘I guess the next challenge is to let go of the excuses and just go and ride a bike.’’
‘It’s easy and it’s fun like it was when you were a kid and you can do that again and it’s amazing.’’
The challenge is about participation and organisations across the country go head to head to see which one can encourage the most workers to give riding a bike a go for just 10 minutes or more per day from February 1 - 28.
Patterson has been commuting from A to B, on two wheels since she was riding her bike to school and back. Now, the ride into work is a breeze because it’s mostly downhill, obviously the return trip is a different story.
The road and the traffic varies, sometimes drivers are not so friendly but 90 per cent of the time everybody is fine.
‘‘It’s actually not a s scary as people think.’’
When it comes to taking out the challenge, Taranaki could be forgiven for having an unfair advantage with its cycle-friendly network of cycle lanes, shared walkways, and on road recreational cycle routes.
‘‘There’s great new facilities everywhere so there’s really no excuse if you want to get on a bike, Patterson said.
When she heads out on the highway on her road bike she tends to steer clear of the designated walkway and cycling tracks, unless she is taking her daughter out on a leisurely joyride.
‘‘I want to do a proper ride and get a bit of speed up.’’
Prizes and spot prizes are available as an extra incentive to take part. Registrations for the challenge will remain open until February 28 and a 10-minute journey by bike is all it takes to participate. Visit the official website, it’s free.