A TEAM from Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary clocked up the miles as part of the national Cycle to Work Day last week.
The four women representing the hospital’s cardiology team cycled to work from as far away as Moffat and Kirkcudbright last Wednesday August 15.
Sue Bryant from Moffat is a cardiology nurse specialist at DGRI, and she said: “I saw the information on the weekly communication about cycle to work scheme and thought it would be a good idea to encourage a team cycle.
“I recently participated in ‘Ride London 100’ cycling 100 miles on closed roads round London and Surrey with 30,000 other people, raising money for charity.
“I mentioned the cycle to work day to colleagues and a few people agreed to cycle to work so that’s what we did it.”
Sue added: “I regularly cycle home from work, but never yet to work. Leaving at 6 am to cycle the 26 miles to work does not appeal on a regular basis but I do enjoy my cycle home, having been dropped off at work by my husband.”
Kirsty Bell is assistant general manager at DGRI, and cycled to work with Sue from Moffat.
She said: “A lot’s being discussed at the moment in respect to mental health, and cycling is an exercise which has been promoted as helping with mental health.
“Coming from the cardiology team it’s also about the health of our hearts, so I think we all feel quite passionate about that.”
Meanwhile, Rachael Nicholson is a cardiographer who lives in Dumfries, while Mieke McKend is a clinical physiologist and lives in Kirkcudbright. A recent convert to cycling, she had cycled the distance just once before.
Cycle to Work Day is the UK’s biggest cycle commuting event, and has been running since 2012.
For more information visit https://www.cycletoworkday.org/
