Ride to Work Day Declared a “Huge Success”

Not for Profit cycling groups said today’s Ride to Work Day was a “huge success” with an estimated national figure of 150,000 cyclists commuting on two wheels.

Bicycle Victoria Network said 40,000 Victorians braved bleak weather to ride to work.

‘‘It’s a 20 per cent increase on last year so we’re thrilled. We won’t have the final numbers for a couple of weeks, but it’s so promising. We’ve got 150,000 people registered nationally, so it’s amazing, “ Emma Gallus-Jones of Bicycle Victoria Network told the Age.

Ride to Work ambassador Charlie Pickering, co-host of The 7PM Project commutes to work by bike.

“On top of my commute I do lots of hours of cycling and it’s really transformed the way I approach life and the way I feel about myself,’’ he told The Age.

‘‘It was this very simple ingredient that I added to my life that has made it a lot better. I rode to school as a kid and rode everywhere as a kid.

‘‘Once I turned 18 and got my [driver’s] licence my car seemed a lot cooler, but that novelty has thoroughly worn off.’’

In Sydney, the city council provided a free breakfast to riders in Hyde Park as well as free bike-tune ups and physios assessing riding posture.

''During the last year we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of people choosing to take advantage of our bike network,'' the lord mayor, Clover Moore told the Sydney Morning Herald. "This is the city's way of saying thank you.''