On 'ya bike in Swindon

7 June 2010, 00:00 | Updated: 13 September 2017, 18:34

Around 5% of the population now cycle to work or school in Swindon, that's compared to the national average of 3%.

It's believed the credit crunch, high fuel prices and road tax has forced many to ditch their cars, and opt for the bicycle instead.

But there's now a campaign to encourage even more people to get on their bike. The Swindon Cycle Challenge is a fun and free workplace based challenge that encourages people to give cycling a go. Organisations across Swindon will compete from Monday 7 to Sunday 27 June 2010 to see who can get the most staff to ride a bike for just 10 minutes or more.

So far, 8,680 cycle trips have been logged, which in turn will burn off around 10.9 million calories!

Swindon's Cycle Development Officer Anna Cipullo is urging everyone to give it a go. She's been telling Heart "when I cycle into work, I just feel so much more energetic. When you come into work and you haven't been stuck in a queue for the last 10 minutes, frustrated at other cars being in your way."

Later this month, it's Bike Week. From the 19-27th June, they'll be activities and free events on offer to try and get us all cycling.