Aussie workers ignore rain and cycle in

(AAP) - An estimated 140,000 Australians swapped their car keys and train tickets for bikes and helmets on Wednesday for the annual Ride to Work Day.

It rained in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart but determined cyclists were
not discouraged, said event spokesman Gary Brennan.
"It is interesting because as more people ride more often the weather becomes less
of an impediment to riding your bike," he told AAP on Wednesday.
"Riding your bike becomes the normal thing to do and you see people ride to work in
any weather."
Cycling commuters were rewarded with a free breakfast in the CBDs of capital cities
around Australia before work while many companies hosted their own gatherings.
Melbourne's bike-riding lawyers also got together for a breakfast, Mr Brennan said.
Cycling to work has increased in popularity in Australia in recent years but the
nation still lags behind many other countries and it was no time to be complacent,
he said.
Organisers want the estimated 30,000 new riders on Wednesday to keep the habit going.
"There might be 9-10 per cent of people riding in to work in Melbourne or Sydney,
they have 37 per cent in Copenhagen (Denmark) and are aiming for 50 per cent," he
said.
"Ride to Work Day is a very effective mechanism for introducing people to it,
showing how it can be done and providing assistance to make that first step."
Organisers will collect data to estimate how many people participated and will lobby
for better riding facilities to councils, local, state and federal governments.