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Blumilk bike it and we like it

Blumilk bike it and we like it

I’m sure you will all agree that sitting in traffic, every day, on our journey to and from work is not always the best way to start the working day. That’s why James, our Digital Development Manager cycles to work every day!Even before we relocated to Sixty Grey Street in central Newcastle, James has always routinely cycled back and forth each day as part of his daily exercise routine. Our new office is fully equipped with shower facilities and indoor cycle park to encourage more people to choose cycling as a viable alternative option for everyone’s journey to work, and James is taking full advantage.

The benefits of cycling or walking to work, far outweigh driving our cars, which most of us seem to opt for. It’s cheaper, it’s better for your physical and mental health and it can help you to be more productive throughout the day. Combined with a healthy diet, cycling can help to alleviate stress and keep the body and mind in good shape. It’s easy to vary the intensity of exercise on a bike, so for anyone thinking about getting a bike or starting to cycle to work it’s best to start gently and build up momentum and miles as your fitness improves.

Cycling is also the personal passion of Blumilk founders, Colin and Adam Robertson. Adam, Creative Director and Co-founder, and Cycling Team Manager has grown up with cycling in his blood. He is proud to have represented the UK over a number of years on the downhill mountain bike circuit, throughout Europe and also in America. During this time, he won numerous national medals and achieved seriously  impressive results. Today, his love for the sport is as strong as ever, and he continues to work hard with the Blumilk cycling team to maintain a presence on the circuit regionally.

Adam says:
“We were so passionate about cycling we decided a number of years ago to form our own race team which is made up of 10 local road cyclists, who are all nationally ranked riders. It’s a great way to promote our environmentally friendly ethics, whilst also getting Blumilk’s name out on the road.”

James was also heavily influenced by Adam and found his love of cycling shortly after joining the blumilk team. In a short space of time he has come a long way and now, he too, also competes in both on and off road racing events throughout the year.

James says:
“Cycling to work is a great way for me to get regular, consistent training miles in without impacting on the rest of my day.”

On the 4th September James took part in a Cyclo-Cross race in Ponteland. The course was run on grass where there is ample hard standing/grass parking facilities, toilets and a café. Travelling back and forth to work each day combined with a routine training programme, James did well at the event and finished 8th in his category.

The Blumilk cycling team has also had its share of successes over the years, across many disciplines of cycling, from regional road race champions to winners in criterium, time trails and, during the winter, cyclo-cross.

If you are thinking about cycling to work, you may want to investigate the Bike to Work scheme. It is a UK Government tax exemption initiative introduced in the Finance Act 1999 to promote healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution. It allows employers to loan bikes and safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. There are a few different scheme providers out there each with their own variations, but the basic idea is the same.

It’s a simple process:

  1. Your workplace registers with a scheme provider
  2. You choose the bike you want
  3. Your employer pays for it
  4. You pay your employer back through monthly instalments taken through payroll.

Cycling to work cuts down on pollution, congestion and roadway cost but also comes with a whole host of benefits for your health, wealth, and the environment too. With the introduction of the new Clean Air Zone in Newcastle about to get underway in 2023, there’s never been a better time to consider an alternative way to commute.

If you’re still a little nervous about trying it for the first time visit: www.cyclinguk.org/article/guide-cycling-work for advice and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

If you love cycling as much as us we do at Blumilk please follow @blumilk_cyclingteam and stay up to date with all our cycling adventures!