How Our Community Swapped Cars and Buses for Bikes: For Their Health and the Planet's

Every year, we run Switch Your Journey, a two week Cycle Sisters x Muslim Aid challenge that invites women to swap car or public transport journeys for cycling. It's not about learning to ride or joining a group ride (we already do that through our weekly rides); it's about building the confidence to use a bike independently for real everyday journeys, such as the school run, the commute, or the weekly shop, with our environment and our local communities in mind.

The Results

This year over 150 women signed up.  The numbers speak for themselves:

• 97% said  they feel more confident cycling for everyday journeys as a result of participating.

• 100% said they plan to keep switching their journeys to cycling after the challenge.

  
  

Meet Our Prize Winners

Every participant had a chance to nominate themselves for a 6-month Brompton bike subscription. This year, we had two very well-deserved winners, chosen for their inspiring stories of how the challenge impacted their lives and helped them get started with cycling for their everyday journeys.  

Flora's Story

When Flora signed up for Switch Your Journey, she wasn't sure what to expect.

She started by swapping her car for a Brompton folding bike and Santander bikes (available for free to challenge participants) for her regular journeys including the school run, her commute into the City from West London, after-school clubs, and quick trips to the shops.

Almost without noticing, she was outside every day, breathing fresh air and getting her body moving. But the biggest change wasn't physical.

"It really helped my mental health," she says. "I'm so so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate. I'm my own winner, as it opened up a whole new world on two wheels and I can't wait to explore more, Insha'Allah!” (God willing)

For Flora, winning the Brompton subscription means finally being able to ride alongside her children without worrying about the cost of hiring a bike each time, and being able to store it easily at home. She's looking forward to cycling the school run without facing traffic, doing her weekly shop car-free, and cutting down her time on the tube.

Jinny's Story

Jinny during her Cycle Sisters lesson

Jinny came into the challenge as a complete beginner, having only just learned to ride a bike a few weeks earlier through our Cycle Sisters lessons.

"What started as something I had only ever dreamed about has become part of my everyday life. I've explored places I never thought I'd cycle to, built the confidence to ride on London roads, and discovered how much joy and independence a bike can bring. I genuinely look forward to every ride now and can't imagine stopping."

Living in a flat with limited storage, Jinny says a folding Brompton is the perfect fit. She's looking forward to building her cycling confidence further, making cycling part of her everyday lifestyle, and making her weekly commute to Colchester much easier.

Journeys From Across the Community

Beyond our two Brompton winners, dozens of women switched their everyday journeys during the challenge and shared their stories with the community.

Stacy did her first commute of 2026: "Needed this challenge to get 'out of my head' and just do it! It wasn't half as difficult as I was anticipating. And lovely being outside in the summer weather instead of inside a tube."

Asma did the school run by bike: "Saving on time sitting in school traffic and much more fun for the kids."

Poppy's switch made her feel good: "I could have got the bus today shopping but jumped on the bike instead. Have done 15 miles before lunchtime. And feeling better for it!"

Yasemin cycled to the museum to meet a friend: "I have a bike which I don't use in Central London as I don't feel safe locking it. Santander bikes give me the freedom to just put it back in a dock and not think about it."

From nervous first-timers to more experienced riders who needed an extra push, this year's Switch Your Journey participants proved that small changes to how we get around can make a big difference: to our health, our confidence, and our communities.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part. Here's to even more women switching their journeys next year inshaAllah (God Willing).

Thank you to our Switch Your Journey partners: Muslim Aid, Transport for London, London Marathon Foundation, Brompton, Santander Cycles, Komoot, Schwalbe, Cycle Sprog, and the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA).  This challenge would not be possible without your support!