Staff at Hadrian Primary School in South Shields, including headteacher Scott Brown, took to their bikes as part of the national inter-school virtual Tour D'Afrique bike race.

Pupils and teachers from schools across the UK were challenged to cycle enough school journeys to equal the distance from Cairo to Cape Town.

The race took place over a four-week period and was part of the Bike It project, managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans.

Hadrian Primary beat off hundreds of other schools to land third place in the competition.

And teachers at the Baring Street school also discovered that taking the bike to work was a quicker option, as many escaped the Tyne Tunnel traffic.

The five teachers clocked up 80 green miles for every day they cycled.
Headteacher Scott Brown said: "Working in partnership with Bike It has been a fantastic experience.

"As a school which promotes healthy living, we have been able to encourage not only pupils, but parents and staff to get on their bikes.

"It has been a great way for staff to get fit. We need another cycle shelter now and our school council have contacted the council to ask for help."

Bike It officer James Adamson said: "This is a fantastic display of leading by example.

"Hadrian Primary has been a model Bike It School, going from zero cyclists this time last year, to the 57 bikes we have in school today."

Bike It officers work with local schools to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling, in order to encourage and support children to choose two wheels instead of four for the school journey.

More information about Sustrans and Bike It is available from www.sustrans.org.uk.