Residents across Warwickshire have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to active travel by logging an impressive 64,610 miles on their bikes during this year's Cycle September challenge.
Run in partnership with the cycling app Love to Ride, the annual campaign encourages individuals and workplaces to celebrate cycling, log their rides, and build lasting active travel habits. The event showed strong ongoing engagement, with 640 people registering for the challenge and 527 participants actively logging rides.
The campaign data highlights the vital role cycling continues to play in everyday journeys. Of the 5,421 total trips logged throughout the month, 3,094 (57%) were made for transport rather than leisure. The campaign also saw 54 workplaces register to take part in the friendly competition, with local workplace winners including the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon, Jaguar Land Rover in Gaydon, and Citizens Advice in Rugby.
Cllr Stephen Shaw, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: "The results of this year's Cycle September campaign are truly inspiring. Seeing hundreds of our residents, myself included, collectively cycle over 64,000 miles demonstrates a clear, continued appetite for active travel in Warwickshire.
"By choosing to travel by bike for everyday journeys, our residents are not only improving their own health and wellbeing but also helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality across the county. We are committed to supporting this momentum and using the feedback gathered to make our networks safer and more accessible for everyone."
A key focus for the 2026 campaign was the "Rate My Routes" feature within the Love to Ride app. Riders were incentivised with bonus points to share anonymous feedback on how comfortable or enjoyable they found different sections of their local journeys. This initiative was highly successful, resulting in 63 routes being rated – nearly 15% increase compared to August 2026 – which provides valuable, mapped insights into local cycling experiences and highlights where road network improvements may be needed.
Building on the strong foundation of Cycle September, the county's active travel initiatives will continue with the upcoming Winter Walk & Wheel challenge. This next campaign will expand its focus beyond cycling to include walking and wheeling, creating more opportunities for residents to stay active and travel sustainably throughout the winter months.
Join the fun now at https://www.lovetoride.net/warwickshire
For all things active travel, visit the Warwickshire County Council website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/activetravel