bike to work 2019: KAUboys and Kilometre-Eaters

The aim of the Pro Velo Switzerland bike to work campaign is to encourage more people to commute by bicycle. The idea is to ride to work on at least 50% of the working days for one or two months.

Here at Roche, once again the event was organised by the Roche Employees’ Association (AVR): “We want to do our bit to improve the health of our employees and protect the environment,” explains AVR President and bike to work coordinator Adnan Tanglay. This year, 672 employees from Roche alone took part in the campaign. In June, the Roche employees cycled around 146,000 kilometres in total and, on average, used the bike 91% of working days, cutting CO2 emissions by around 21 tonnes.

This time round, the AudaxPower team pedalled the furthest, proudly clocking a distance of 3,477 kilometres. The Kilometerfresser (“The Kilometre-Eaters”) came second, living up to their name with 3,010 kilometres, and third place went to Ain’t No Breaks (2,185 km). Erwin Schabert (1,207 km) claimed the top spot in the individual category, followed by Thomas Oberhauser (1,189 km) in second and Thomas Müller (1,028 km) in third. And when it came to the team names, the participants really showed off their creative sides again: besides the Kilometerfresser and Ain’t No Breaks, teams such as the Kettenbeisser (“Chain-Biters”), the KAUboys, and the Radlosen (“the Wheelless”) all rose to the challenge.

There was also a photo contest to find the most original team photos and selfies. First prize went to the Mikrobiologie Racers, second prize to the team Rückenwind (“Tailwind”). As a small thank-you, the Site Mobility Team and the AVR’s Executive Committee invited all the cyclists who took part to the bike to work party in Viaduktstrasse on 27 June, where they were treated to culinary delights courtesy of Tavero and music by Eva Wine & Jazz.