To mark the occasion, we were offering an incentive for the person who cycled the furthest distance, and a bacon sandwich and hot drink for everyone who had a go! 

Last week, Polar Technology celebrated Cycle to Work Day. The point of the day is to encourage anyone to get in the saddle and experience the brilliant mental and physical benefits that everyday cycling offers. 

Our participants all provided the details of their journey, as well as their cycling experience:
Scott Roberts, Co-Founder, said: “I cycled in from Denchworth, which is near Wantage, and back. I picked up Jake at Southmoor on the way in, which made it a 33 mile round trip. I normally cycle in two days a week, up the Ridgeway, on my Specialised Stump Jumper mountain-bike.”
Michelle Lewis, QESH Manager, said: “I cycled 35 miles in total, going a slightly different route home to avoid a busy stretch of road. I have a Trek Emonda ALR 4 Disc road bike in red and orange, which I love! I am a bit of a fair weather cyclist in general, though earlier this year I completed the Ride London-Essex 100.”
Lochlan Gunn, Manufacturing Development Engineer, said: “I completed my normal commute of around 12km from my home in Oxford and back, on my Colnago Titanio CT1 road bike, though unfortunately I got a puncture around the 8km mark on the day!”
Jake Longman, Paint Shop Manager, said: “As Scott said, he met me by my home in Southmoor, near Abingdon and then we completed the rest of the journey together, which is about 12 miles, and then the same on the return leg.”
The winner of the competition was our Laser Technician, Jay Hewlett , who clocked up an impressive 51 miles on the day, starting in Cowley in Oxford but taking a much longer scenic route on the way home to secure victory!
Jay explained: “I did extra on the way home as it was such a nice evening, which was another 40 miles; I must admit I did get a bit lost! The reason I pushed for that is I wanted to hit my first 50 miles in a day.”  “I rode my new electric bike which is pedal assist only, so you can’t just cruise along, you still have to put the work in! I also called electric bikes cheating until I got one; it only has a 25-mile range at the most, so you can’t just ride with the power on all the time, you have to pick your moments.”

To further encourage cycling on a day-to-day basis, Polar Technology offer a Cycle to Work Scheme, to help colleagues spread the cost and save money on bike and safety equipment through salary sacrifice. More information can be found on our People page: People (polartechnology.co.uk)