Ready, Set, Cycle Programme

 

What is Ready, Set, Cycle?

The Ready, Set, Cycle programme provides a toolkit and resources for Smarter Travel Partner organisations to encourage and support staff and students to begin, continue or increase cycling on their commute and beyond. Participants will have the chance to win some great prizes while also being offered guidance and resources on many aspects of cycling – from what bike suits their specific needs to how they can purchase a bike through the Cycle to Work Scheme.

Your internal Coordinator and the National Coordinators will be in touch to let you know about each weekly event, how to register etc. once the programme has launched.

Follow us on social media for regular updates and tips on the programme!

TFI Smarter Travel Social Media
Twitter: @TFISmartTravel
Instagram: @tfismartertravel

 

Who can take part?

All staff and students at participating partner organisations can take part. You can check if your Workplace or Campus is participating below..

When will the programme begin?

The Ready, Set, Cycle programme will run for a total of 4 weeks, commencing April 28th until May 25th.

April 29th – Launch Webinar

May 14th – Bike to Work Day 

May 5th to  25th – Cycling Challenge on the Active Travel Logger 


Participating Organisations

Workplaces
Breedon Cement Medtronic
Business in the Community Ireland Merchants Quay Ireland
Central Bank of Ireland Naas General Hospital
Children’s Health Ireland National Orthopedic Hospital Cappagh
CIE National Rehabilitation Hospital
Clúid Housing National Transport Authority (NTA)
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission National Treasury Management Agency
Cork City Council Office of the Attorney General
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Office of the Planning Regulator
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Office of Public Works
Department of Finance Ornua Co-operative Limited
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Residential Tenancies Board
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital
Department of Justice Sligo University Hospital
Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform South Dublin County Council
Department of Transport St. James’s Hospital
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council St Vincent’s Private Hospital
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) St Vincent’s University Hospital
Expleo Technology Tallaght University Hospital
Gilead Sciences Transdev Dublin Light Rail
HEAnet Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Henry J. Lyons Architects University Hospital Galway
Houses of the Oireachtas University Hospital Kerry
HSE Community Services Cavan Donegal Leitrim Monaghan Sligo University Hospital Waterford
HSE Mid-West Community Healthcentre Verizon Services Ireland
IBM Ireland Waterford City and County Council
Kildare County Council Wexford County Council
Leopardstown Park Hospital
Campuses
Dublin Business School
Dundalk Institute of Technology
South East Technological University
University of Galway

Ready, Set, Cycle – Cycling Challenge on the Active Travel Logger

The Ready, Set, Cycle – Cycling Challenge is a fun team journey logging challenge   It is open to staff and students of workplaces and third level campuses that are partners of the Smarter Travel programme.

Check the “Participating Organisations” to see if your workplace/campus  is participating in the cycling challenge. Once your organisation has registered to participate, staff and students can then get together to form teams of 2-4 people

Get together in teams of 2-4 people.

1 cycle journey = a cycle journey that lasts at least 5 minutes where you cycle from location A to B;

A Team Name is chosen and a Team Captain is nominated. Each participant needs to have a working email address and have a registered and verified Active Travel Logger account. The Team Captain will be the main point of contact for a team and will set up the team on the Active Travel Logger website.

For more information on how to get started, creating a team, logging your steps and more, refer to our challenge guide or email cycling@nationaltransport.ie for more information.

Week 1 competition: Rain, Hail or Shine challenge

As we kick off Ready, Set, Cycle 2025, we want all our cyclists to be able to imagine the satisfaction of two consecutive days of cycling – undeterred by the Irish weather. Prepare for wind, rain or a crisp morning, to push yourself beyond the limits by keeping the pedal moving on your daily commute this week. The deadline to log your journeys is 2pm on Monday 12th May.

Top 20 and 50 Leaderboard

We know that changing habits takes time and effort. Just by participating in Ready, Set, Cycle, you’re already showing your commitment to sustainable travel. This week is to build your resilience to pedal through anything the Irish weather throws at you, so keep up the great work and aim for the top 50 teams on the Leaderboard. Those teams will be entered into a prize draw to win some great goodie bags.

Stay tuned!

Winners of Ready, Set, Cycle Week 1 will be announced on Tuesday 13th May.

Week 2 Competition: Bike To Work Day competition

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or regular cyclist, we want everyone to give cycling a go! What better day to do it than Bike to Work Day.

As part of Bike Week, to celebrate Bike to Work Day, everyone who cycles on their commute to work on Wednesday 14th May will receive double (2x) points. So, for instance if you log 2 journeys on 14th May, it will automatically be counted as 4 journeys, thereby bringing you and you team higher on the leaderboard. Additionally, we will also be picking 5 random teams who cycle into work on their commute on Bike to Work Day to receive triple (3x) points – this is to motivate you to get on hop on a bike for every  journey you take, irrespective of the distance.

We aren’t looking for the longest distance logged but to see how you fit cycling into your commute. Log your journey on the Active Travel Logger by 2pm on Thursday 15th May.

Top 20 and 50 Leaderboard

To encourage you’re your team to cycle, top 50 teams on the leaderboard will be entered into Prize Draws to win some Ready, Set, Cycle Goodie Bags.

Stay tuned!

Winners of Ready, Set, Cycle Week 1 will be announced on Tuesday 20th May.

Week 3 Competition: Pedal and pose photo competition

For the final week of #ReadySetCycle challenge, we want you to enjoy while you cycle. Explore a scenic route by a park or enjoy a pit-stop at the canal and take a break to send us a selfie/photo. Gather your team to make it even more fun!
P.S. We do not encourage you to use your phone while you are on your bike. Ride safe.

Get creative and send us your photos and captions via a link by 2pm on Monday  26th May to be in with a chance to win some great Ready, Set, Cycle goodie bags!

Top 20 and 50 Leaderboards

Last chance this week to reach the premier league and become one of the top 50 teams on the Leaderboard to be in with a chance of winning some Ready, Set, Cycle Goodie Bags.

Stay tuned!

Winners of Week 3 and Final competition will be announced on Thursday 29th May.

The deadline to log your journeys each week to place on the Weekly Leaderboard is 2pm each Monday of the challenge.

Using the Active Travel Logger

Please note: these video tutorials contains references and dates from previous Challenges and events and are only for the purpose of demonstrating the functions on the Active Travel Logger. If you have any queries, please refer to the challenge guide or contact your organisation Coordinator.

How to log your cycle journeys – video tutorial

How to join the challenge and create a Team – video tutorial

There are a number of other video tutorials you may find useful when using the Active Travel Logger. Click on the relevant link below to view the videos.

Video Tutorials for Organisation Coordinators:


Ready, Set, Cycle Resources

The following resources can be used to help you plan and promote Ready, Set, Cycle in your organisation. These resources can be used on a variety of communication platforms such an intranet, emails, social media, newsletters and to display as posters. Please click on the preferred link to download the resource you require. If you require an alternative format of these resources please contact cycling@nationaltransport.ie.

 

Terms and Conditions

Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions. The National Transport Authority reserves the right to make changes to this site and these terms and conditions at any time.

Details of prizes for TFI Smarter Travel Challenges will be announced on the relevant prizes pages.

Prize winners names/ organisation will be published on our website, reports, social media and other events/ publications associated with the TFI Smarter Travel programmes and the National Transport Authority.

Winners may also be asked to participate in a publicity shoot. By participating in any photo shoots associated with Authority challenges or events, you consent to the use/ publication by the Authority of these images.

To be eligible for Prizes, winners must be resident in the Republic of Ireland, and be employees of an active TFI Smarter Travel Workplaces  Partner organisation.

In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to TFI Smarter Travel Competitions or Challenges, the decision of the organiser shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

The Authority reserves the right to award all, some or none of the prizes associated with any event or challenge.

FAQ

A cycling champion is a member of your organisation who is an avid cyclist and would like to encourage other participants to get involved and support the Smarter Travel Coordinator throughout the programme. There are several weeks where their involvement would be greatly beneficial. An example of this would be the cycling distance competition, and knowledge sharing during bike maintenance class week.

The top cycling champions are in with a chance to win some great prizes!

The try a bike day offers you the chance to try different types of bikes to understand which suits your needs the best. The Cycle to Work Scheme allows you to purchase anything from a hybrid bike to a cargo bike, so the try a bike day is perfect for new cyclists!

You can purchase bikes and bicycle equipment tax free through your employer. We will be promoting the Cycle the Work Scheme during the Ready, Set, Cycle programme. You can now purchase e-bikes and cargo bikes along with accessories like helmets, lights and reflective clothing for more information click here

A facilities tour ensures you know where your cycling parking is when arriving to work or campus, how to access it and park your bike confidently. You may also have addition facilities like a drying room, lockers and showers. The facilities tour week is a great way of promoting these facilities. You can organise a coffee morning to encourage participation in this week’s event.

A bike clinic is an on-site visit from a bike shop or bike repair service which facilitates any new or existing bike owners to get their bike serviced or repaired on-site or on campus. This is a great way to promote cycling on the commute, and encourage participants to ensure their bike is road ready!

Bike maintenance classes assist cyclists that would like to learn about small repairs and get confidence in puncture repair, gear tuning, and more. Visit here for more information and resources on bike maintenance and training.

Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions. The National Transport Authority reserves the right to make changes to this site and these terms and conditions at any time.

The content contained within this site is for personal use only. All text, graphics and selection, layout and arrangement thereof and all materials on this website are the copyright of the National Transport Authority. If you wish to use our content, please contact us for further information.

This website contains links to other websites operated by third parties over whom we have no control. Such links are provided for your convenience only and the National Transport Authority accepts no responsibility or liability in respect of the content or use of other websites.

Details of prizes for TFI Smarter Travel Challenges will be announced on the relevant prizes pages.

Prize winners names/ organisation will be published on our website, reports, social media and other events/ publications associated with the TFI Smarter Travel programmes and the National Transport Authority.

Winners may also be asked to participate in a publicity shoot. By participating in any photo shoots associated with Authority challenges or events, you consent to the use/ publication by the Authority of these images.

To be eligible for Prizes, winners must be resident in the Republic of Ireland, and be employees of an active TFI Smarter Travel Workplaces  Partner organisation.

In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to TFI Smarter Travel Competitions or Challenges, the decision of the organiser shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

The Authority reserves the right to award all, some or none of the prizes associated with any event or challenge.