A Warwickshire rider has scooped the £4000 grand prize by taking part in the national Love to Ride's Bike Month Challenge in May. 

Over 500 cyclists across Warwickshire came out in May for the Bike Month Challenge and collectively cycled 92,161 miles throughout the month. 

Sarah, who works for the Leamington Spa-based company, The Transportation Consultancy, was selected at random as the winner of the month's grand prize, a £4000 holiday!  

Sarah shared: "I only returned to cycling a couple of months ago when I decided I wanted to try a different form of exercise.

"As I child, I remembered loving going on family bike rides in the summer holidays so thought, as we approach summer, now would be the perfect time to get back into cycling.

"For me, cycling is a great way to get out and see my local area, whether it be a quick cycle at lunchtime to sit in my local park or a longer route to a country park to enjoy a picnic on the weekend. Cycling has really started to improve my wellbeing and fitness, so I now hope to start cycling to work. 

"I'm looking forward to getting that extra bit of active travel in every week as well as saving some money! 

"The Love to Ride app has been super easy to use as it links up with my other fitness apps. It's also great to set up personal goals and compare my cycles to my colleagues. I'm looking forward to enjoying my first summer of cycling as an adult and continuing to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of being in the great outdoors." 

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As part of its ongoing partnership with Love to Ride, Warwickshire County Council encouraged residents and workplaces to take part in the Bike Month Challenge during May. 

Warwickshire's residents and workplaces rose to the challenge, getting on their bikes which resulted in 538 riders in Warwickshire, 40 individual workplaces taking part, 6144 trips made by bike, of which 35 percent were for a specific purpose like shopping, commuting to work or errands, rather than for exercise reasons and 92,161 miles ridden by bike - which is over four times around the circumference of the planet.   

Love to Ride forms part of the Council's commitment to encouraging residents to make the switch to active travel, as extensive evidence shows that replacing short car journeys with cycling helps to improve mental and physical health, as well as delivering improvements to air quality.   

Cllr Nigel Golby, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: "The benefits of active travel, particularly travelling by bike, are huge both for the individual and for our wider environment. 

"For many of us, it might seem difficult, and perhaps daunting, to know where to start as travelling by car, even for short journeys, has become so engrained in our daily lives.  

"We are committed to supporting residents to realise that they can start their active travel adventure by switching just one car journey every week to an active alternative such as cycling, and we hope that this partnership with Love to Ride will continue to offer residents a fun and engaging way to get into cycling and encourage their friends, family and colleagues to get on their bikes too." 

Cycle September is only six weeks away, and individuals can start their cycling adventures with Love to Ride today.

For the County's novice or nervous cyclists who want to get back into cycling, the Warwickshire Cycle Buddy Scheme can help.

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Find out more can be found online and to those looking to start their cycling adventure today can visit here,