And the i-Bike officer for Dunfermline is practising what he preaches after taking on the task of getting more kids in the saddle.

Employed by Sustrans but working very closely with Fife Council, he’s been wheeling his way round the schools – and there are 29 in his West Fife patch!

Greg (27), whose home in Duloch is a “nice and flat” cycle from his New City House base, said, “It’s a brilliant job. Cycling is a great way to get around and something the kids can take into later life too.

“As part of my job I get to encourage them to get out and about on their bikes and I get to cycle more too – though maybe not as much as I’d like!” The i-Bike Fife project promotes cycling, scooting and walking to school, as well as everyday journeys in leisure time.

The focus on pedal power also chimes with the Scottish Government’s stated aim of 10 per cent of journeys being taken by bike by 2020, as well as Fife Council’s £2.4million investment which is seeing new and improved walking and cycling routes established in and around Dunfermline.

Greg, who graduated from Stirling University in 2009, became the i-Bike officer in Kirkcaldy in December 2012 and started the Dunfermline role recently.

He explained, “I’ll go into schools at the start of the year, meet the headteachers and school champions and get introduced at assembly.

“We’ll then plan a programme of events and activities such as Dr Bike, where kids bring their bikes in and get them serviced and checked for free.

“We’ll do basic repairs on the day – one of the parents asked recently if we could do his too!” He continued, “We make sure their bikes are safe and then there’s Bike Breakfasts where the kids cycle in before school and I buy them their breakfast as a reward, bringing in croissants, bagels etc and we talk about where they’ve cycled in from.

“It’s good to see them enjoying it and it’s another positive experience.” Greg continued, “In the winter I’ll be more classroom-based, we’ll do ‘high-vis’ days where the kids come into school as brightly dressed as they can to raise awareness, whether they’re cycling or walking to school, of the importance of being seen.

“We’ll also do puncture repairs, showing the kids how to fix them, and I’ve got a ‘smoothie’ bike.

“It’s got a blender on the back, you put the fruit in and close the lid, pedal as hard as you can and it powers the blender. They love that!” The i-Bike project also seeks to reverse the drop in cycling levels when children move from primary to secondary school and close the gender gap that sees far fewer girls cycling to school than boys.

Greg said, “In the summertime there are a lot of transition activities. Kids in primary school can be very active but when they go to high school, traditionally there’s a decline so we’re trying to address that and reverse it if possible.

“We do mapping exercises to look at routes to get to high school and take them on a cycle along that route so they can experience it first-hand and feel more confident about it.

“They can also have a meeting point with their friends so they can cycle in as a group and feel safer. Where possible, we’d like lots more kids to get on their bike to get to school.” Greg’s also encouraged schools – and now individual classes – to compete to win prizes in the Big Pedal, a UK-wide competition to find who can record the greatest number of pupils, staff and parents cycling or scooting to school. And he’s assisting the council with the Bikeability scheme, which has been widely incorporated into the PE curriculum and offers cycle training for all P6 pupils. It’s already proving popular in Dunfermline with over 130 bikes kept within schools – so they can use them as much as they like – while other schools are sharing and there are another 32 bikes the council can bring in. Greg said there is more information, and a handy journey planner, on the website www.cyclefife.com.