Local residents and businesses encouraged to enjoy cycling
Residents of all ages and abilities are invited to join Love to Ride East Lothian, a fun, free, community platform - which supports riders both new and regular to cycle in and around the county.
Love to Ride provides people with a fun and engaging way to meet their wellness and sustainability goals simply by riding a bike. And for those who are new to riding or hopping on the saddle for the first time in years, Love to Ride will connect them with other riders and provide the support and guidance they need to ride with confidence.
Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Cllr Colin McGinn, said: “The last few years, particularly during periods of lockdown during the pandemic, has seen an increased interest in cycling. East Lothian Council has increased active travel routes and is continuing to identify ways to encourage safer routes for cycling. The forthcoming UCI Cycling World Championships are being held in Scotland and this provides an ideal opportunity to share the opportunities to cycle locally. We have signed up with Love to Ride to help encourage and support more local people and businesses to enjoy cycling.”
The friendly Love to Ride online community is made up of more than half a million riders, including over 150,000 people who are new to riding! They hop on their bikes, log their rides, encourage their friends and family to ride, and win amazing prizes for their efforts.
To join Love to Ride, it doesn't matter if you ride every day or if you haven't been on a bike in years. The folks at Love to Ride are behaviour change experts who have refined their approach by helping people worldwide get into biking. Love to Ride has lots of resources to help people ride out with confidence, including a range of Tips articles and Quick Courses.
There are so many benefits to be enjoyed from riding a bike, and Love to Ride is all about embracing each and every one of them, such as:
- Supercharged physical health – even a 10-minute bike ride will boost your immune system, improve cardiovascular health, and help you live longer
- Improved mental health – riding a bike is a mindful activity that promotes the release of endorphins and can reduce the causes of depression
- Reduced stress and anxiety - biking can calm the mind, improve self-confidence, and elevate your mood
- Protecting the planet – reduce your carbon footprint by leaving the car at home
- Saving money – cut down on transport costs and car maintenance
Throughout the year, Love to Ride runs several challenges that reward people for riding their bike and encouraging others. Each challenge is different and requires different actions to enter the prize draws.
Some challenges are points-based, which means that you earn points for every day and mile you ride and for every person you encourage.
Other challenges, like Winter Wheelers, simply require you to log a ride to enter the prize.
Getting involved with Love to Ride is easy, just go to www.lovetoride.net/eastlothian to create your free profile. There’s a brand new app for iOS too (Android coming soon) which is available to download here.