Today is Cycle to Work Day, a national event that aims to encourage people to commute into work by bike and has a reported 28,000 people pledged to ride. This would mean a collective 400,000 miles ridden in one day across the country and according to a new study, those that ride will feel pretty happy about it.
Motivation
Aviva carried out a study of 2,000 adults that worked in the UK. When asked if they felt motivated after their commute, these varied responses followed.
Nearly a quarter of cyclists (24%) reported feeling motivated after their typical commute, scoring higher than any other common form of commuting, including walking. This is double the number of bus passengers (12%), triple the proportion of drivers (8%) and four times the proportion of train and tube users (6%).
Mood booster
As well as feeling motivated, 53% of cyclists said that cycling to work improved their overall mood with walking coming second at 38%. This is put into perspective next to the 9% of those who take the bus, 14% of car drivers and a measly 9% who travel in by tube.
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About these results, Dr Doug Wright, Medical Director at Aviva UK Health, stated that it was clear from the findings that how we commute has a huge impact on how we feel when we arrive at our desks.
It seems from our research that if you are willing to jump on a bike and get to work under your own steam it can boost your mood as well as your physical health.
Other perks that the cyclists seemed to benefit from above motor and train powered commutes were a feeling of better health and fitness and also a huge saving on the cost of travel.
Of course to some of us, this study may just prove what we already know, but these findings and initiatives like Cycle to Work Day might work towards more people getting on a bike and a happier, healthier work force.
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