Get on your bike this Bike Week – which runs until Sunday and is backed by Highland Council – across Inverness and the rest of the Highlands and feel the benefits

Highland Council supports Bike Week which runs until Sunday – it is an annual celebration of cycling, in partnership with Cycling Scotland with the aim of encouraging more people to cycle more often.

This year Bike Week is all about you and your local community, to encourage as many people as possible to get out there and enjoy their community by bike.

Cycling is a brilliant way to help our bodies and minds stay healthy, helping us to get outside and active.

If you already cycle, why not support others to cycle during Bike Week – offer to cycle a route with a friend or do a short easy spin to give them some confidence.

Benefits of cycling:

• Cycling daily can mean you have a 45 per cent lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease – your health;

• If all cycle journeys increased from the current level of two per cent to 25 per cent by 2050, the collective benefit would be £248 billion – your pocket;

• A switch of one journey per day reduces a person’s carbon footprint by approximately 0.5 tonnes over a year – your climate.

A council spokesman said: "Numbers of people cycling are increasing and a new appreciation for the benefits of getting outdoors has been realised as a positive post-pandemic. For those that cycled as a kid, you may remember how wonderful a bike ride was.

"Bike Week allows us the opportunity to capture that feeling and for people who stopped cycling to consider reigniting their love of cycling, grow their cycling confidence and learn about accessible local routes so they can get from A to B by bike in a healthy and happy way whilst saving on fuel costs and play a part in reducing their carbon footprint."

Bikeability training is taking place at primary schools around the Highland Council area during Bike Week.

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