Proceeds from Brainport Cycling Challenge handed over to Longfonds

723,497 cycling kilometers covered

On Thursday, July 6, 2023, the proceeds of the Brainport Cycling Challenge were officially announced during a meeting in cycling café Cyklist. The accumulated kilometers registered in the SJEES App yielded a total of 26,662.70 euros. An amount that entirely benefits the Longfonds. In the presence of various representatives and participants in the cycling challenge, the check was presented to Géraud Klaassen, Partnership Manager of Longfonds and project leader Renée Kool.

The cycling challenge is part of the mobility campaign 'Give yourself more air, give the region more air', which started on May 11. With the help of the SJEES app, the cycling kilometers were automatically registered, so that participants only had to pedal to raise money for Longfonds. Klaassen was very pleased with the amount raised: “Great that so many participants have raised a huge amount for Longfonds! We are extremely pleased with this fantastic contribution to research into the prevention of asthma in children. And of course we hope that participants will be inspired by this challenge to get on their bike more often and leave the car at home. This is not only good for your fitness, but also for the air quality. We all benefit from healthy air.”

Although the cycling challenge has now ended, the campaign and the SJEES app remain active. The app with its associated benefits can still be used for the time being, says Joost Beenker, representative of Brainport Bereikbaar: “Residents can download the app and save points with their cycling kilometers and have a chance to win great prizes. We hope to encourage more and more people to cycle and develop a new mobility habit. By bike to work but also for short trips.”

Necessity falls on employers

Etiënne Lataster, program manager of Ons Brabant Fietst, looks back on the campaign with satisfaction. “Although we regularly carry out marketing and communication around bicycle activations, we are particularly proud of this result. We have received national exposure, launched a good campaign and show that the Brainport region is working hard on a mobility transition. The development of the SJEES app fits in nicely with our other Brabant-wide activities to get more Brabant residents cycling. And the media attention acted as a flywheel. For example, we are seeing an increase in the number of requests for the SJEES e-bike trial campaign for companies. The objective and necessity of getting Brabanders on their bikes and out of their cars is now also starting to dawn on employers. It is up to us to continue to provide support in this regard.”