Bike to work: get on your bike and win
Cycling is good both for you and the environment. And it will particularly pay off in May and June when “Bike to work” will also be offering attractive prizes for all frequent cyclists to win.
It’s no secret that regular exercise makes a major contribution to our personal health and well-being. But it isn’t always easy to integrate regular sport into our everyday lives – or to motivate ourselves on our own. The external page “Bike to work” challenge offers support for both.
What it’s all about
With “Bike to work”, four people each form a team and regularly cycle to work in the months of May and June. It makes no difference whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or getting your bike out of the cellar again for the first time in ten years. The important thing is to have fun and to motivate one another in the team, as the team of four will collect “bike days” for each work journey made by bike. All participants who cycle the whole (or part) of their way to work on at least 50% of their working days will be entered in the individual prize draw at the end of the challenge. Additional team prizes will be drawn among all teams of four in which every member fulfils this 50% challenge.
How it works
It’s easy to take part in the “Bike to work” challenge:
- Log in online to biketowork.ch and search for “ETH Zurich” under external page biketowork.ch/account/team.
- Here you will see which ETH teams of four already exist, which teams still have free places or you can create your own team.
- The challenge starts on 1 May 2023. Collect bike days within the team and enter them in the calendar. You can enter your private cycle journeys (e.g. to do the shopping) on days when you work from home.
- The winners will be announced on 6 July 2023.
Not got your own bike? No problem.
Want to take part in the “Bike to work” challenge but don’t have your own bike? In that case, simply make use of one of the attractive ETH bike-sharing offers, such as Team e-bikes: ETH institutes and departments can order their own e-bike or e-cargo bike internally here and make free use of it within the team – for a flat rate of CHF 60 per month. This also includes procurement, maintenance and servicing by Campus Services.
There are also other bike-sharing offers available to ETH employees, such as Züri Velos from PubliBike and various e-bikes from Urban Connect. You’ll find everything you need to know about these offers under ETH mobility offers.
Tips from the cycling expert
Still in need of a jump start for travelling to work by bike? Avid cyclist Roland Nisple (SSHE) has a couple of tips to offer:
Roland, why do you find your bike the best way to get around?
I’m flexible and can generally get around town quicker than by car or public transport. I can also “switch off” on the way home after work and do something for my health at the same time.
What are your best tips for all cyclists?
Keep an eye on the weather forecast and dress according to the layer principle: this will help you get through the day whatever the weather. Good visibility and taking good care are what make up safe cycling, especially in busy urban traffic. I hardly cycle on primary traffic arteries any more on my journey to and from work. In all the years in which I’ve been cycling, I’ve been able to find attractive and safe back roads for my work journey. Sometimes I also take a detour to discover new routes.
How do you motivate yourself to jump on your bike in bad weather?
I don’t need any motivation. I take the weather as it is. But on cold and foggy days when there’s a risk of black ice or when the temperature is below minus ten degrees, I leave the bike at home and take the train. Fortunately, such days are rare in May and June when the “Bike to work” challenge takes place!
Big mobility survey
In order to improve the transport infrastructure at ETH further, we need your feedback.
We want to supplement the data from the 2021 commuter survey with the following specific questions. The survey is anonymous and no specific prior knowledge is required. You can decide at the end of the survey whether you wish to enter the draw for three Velo-Plus shopping vouchers worth a total of CHF 750. An official ETH e-mail address is required to enter the draw.
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