How to stay active even after the holidays? Accept the September Challenge Bike to Work, walk or trot

The eighth year of the popular challenge, which motivates people to drive to work on their own, takes place this year between September 16 and 29. It provides an opportunity to stay fit and contribute to a healthy city and planet even after the school year begins. The September challenge, organized by the AutoMat association, supports the idea of ​​the European Mobility Week. It is announced by the European Commission with the aim of making visible the importance of sustainable transport in our cities and towns. Registration for the challenge is now open to individuals and companies that can involve their employees.

The September Challenge Bike to Work, on foot or by trot invites sustainable transport, which is currently gaining extreme importance. Try it for two weeks and find out that you don’t want to give it up even for the rest of the year. This is the ideal scenario for the challenge. Regular movement by bike, on foot, or in combination with public transport and public transport contributes to people’s physical and mental health, as well as to cleaner air, a reduction in noise, the number of cars on the streets, tire dust and an overall more welcoming atmosphere in our cities.

For companies and individuals

The challenge also functions as a non-traditional team building and for companies and institutions an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and the illness of their people.  Employers who pay their employees entry fees for the September challenge benefit not only them, but also themselves. As part of the May challenge, which is the so-called “flagship” To work by bike, walk or jog, 79% of all participants pay the entry fee. Individuals, students, seniors or self-employed persons can also apply for the September challenge.

“A sustainable city emphasizes the health of its residents and ensuring that children, people with disabilities, and the elderly live well and safely in it. Such a city gives a balanced space to all modes of transport, not just cars,” says the main coordinator of the challenge, Dominika Lenthárová from the AutoMat association. And anonymized data about the routes taken by participants in the challenge can help cities identify places where people walk or cycle, as well as those that need improvement.

Registration for the September challenge is open to everyone who cares about the condition of their cities and ours, at https://dpnk.dopracenakole.cz/. Participants who meet the regularity of 66.6% are included in a draw for material prizes or entry fees to the May challenge To work by bike, walk or trot 2025. As a thank you for supporting the project, they will also receive a discount of 150 CZK on purchases in benefitial shop of the AutoMat association.

How did it go in May?

As part of this year’s May challenge, which traditionally lasts the whole month, 25,355 participants from 55 cities and 1,794 organizations covered a distance of 5.3 million kilometers (of which 4.5 million by bike and 1 million by walking or jogging). In doing so, they saved 690 tons of CO₂ compared to the same number of kilometers traveled by car. This is equivalent to what approximately 690 trees absorb in 100 years. Although the September challenge lasts “only” two weeks, it will still help you extend your active season, involve your company and raise the profile of the issue of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, which is increasingly important in times of climate change.

As part of the May Challenge, companies could also apply for the title of Cyclist Employer of the Year, which is voted for by tens of thousands of people throughout the country. The company Ferring-léčiva, a.s. from Jesenice has become the All-Republic Cycling Employer Do práce na bike 2024. Its director, Vadim Lukaševič, rides his bike to work himself and recommends that everyone do so: “It’s simply fun,” he says simply.

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