If there’s one thing SingletrackWorld readers don’t lack, it’s opinions on tyre compounds, suspension kinematics… and excuses not to ride when it’s still a little too cold to be outside. Forestry England would like to politely remove that last one.
From 9–22 March 2026, Forestry England are throwing down a simple, beautifully uncomplicated challenge on Strava: rack up 200 active minutes on your bike in just two weeks. No segments. No power targets. No ‘you must ride this exact trail at dawn while chanting’. Just ride your bike, log it on Strava and prove you’re still alive after winter.
That’s it. That’s the challenge.
Why 200 minutes?
Because it’s just awkward enough to make you think, ‘Yeah, I can do that,’ and just demanding enough to make you reorganise your life around sneaking in rides. That’s roughly 14 minutes a day, or a couple of solid weekend blasts, or one big ride followed by several ‘I’ll just spin the legs’ outings that somehow turn into full sends.
Trail centre loops. Gravel missions. Commutes that accidentally take the scenic route. Wild night rides. It all counts. If it turns pedals and gets your heart rate up, Forestry England wants to see it.
Yes, there are prizes. Proper ones.
This isn’t just about internet glory (although that’s obviously important). Complete the challenge and you’ll be in with a chance to win:
- A two-night stay in a Forestry England x Unyoked cabin – the kind of off-grid, back-to-nature escape that pairs suspiciously well with tired legs and post-ride drink.
- A free Forestry England membership renewal, which is basically the gift that keeps on giving if you like riding bikes in excellent places.
So yes, you could ride your bike for a couple of weeks and end up sleeping in a woodland cabin afterwards. Hard to argue with that logic.
Forestry England: your all-year riding headquarters
If you’ve somehow forgotten, Forestry England look after some of the best riding spots in the country,with over 2,500km of cycling trails, from the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, to Cannock Chase Forest, to Dalby Forest, as well as dozens of forests all over England. Their forests include purpose-built singletrack, waymarked loops, techy off-piste options, family-friendly routes, café stops and big forests that swallow noise, stress and excuses.
March is prime time for rediscovering them: longer days, fewer people.
And to sweeten the deal even further, Forestry England are offering 20% off their National Membership for a limited time when you use code FERYW26. That means £6.40 per month instead of £8 (annual contracts only), available until Monday 23 March 2026. If you’ve been hovering over the ‘maybe’ button, consider this your shove.
Membership gets you free parking all year, special discounts, and that warm glow of knowing you’re supporting the places you ride.
The competitive bit (because… of course)
Let’s be honest. You won’t be doing this just for fun. You’ll be doing it because:
- Someone else will.
- Strava will know.
- And quitting halfway through would haunt you forever.
This challenge is perfect early-season motivation. It doesn’t demand peak fitness, but it does demand consistency. It rewards riders who keep turning up, sneaking in rides and saying yes when the sofa says no.
And why not take it on with your mates…. just for that added motivation, if you need it!
What to do right now
- Head to the Forestry England Strava challenge page and join the challenge.
- Plan your rides for 9–22 March 2026 (or just wing it like everyone else).
- Check out the membership offer before it disappears on 23 March. (use code FERYW26)
- Ride your bike. Repeatedly. Brag responsibly.
Two weeks. 200 minutes. Forest trails. Big prizes. Mild bragging rights.
We’ll see you on the leaderboards – or at least on the trail, breathing heavily and smiling like you’ve remembered why you love riding bikes in the first place. Good luck!
200 minutes is under 4 hours which is a standard Sunday ride for my group. Its clearly not aimed at keen riders.Â
*Swoon*, you had me at “standard". 😘
They probably only count moving time not faffing and chatting time 😀
Here’s a question. Can you stack the membership? ‘Cos we’re paid up until October (I think) but we’ll almost certainly renew it next year.
Best only ride official trails then…
Check out the membership offer before it disappears on 23 March. (use code FERYW26)
it says the code does not exist
Cheers. That is being looked into.Â
I had the same with the code on Strava.
I’d also found both codes non-functional, but assumed they’re set to go live from the challenge start date (i.e. Monday), so will just hold fire until then.
Pretty shonky on FE’s part rolling out the PR if your codes don’t work though…
The membership code just states before 23rd.
@drac any news?
The codes do work but they are not gift vouchers, so ignore all the gift voucher boxes, eventually after entering address, car details, membership type then you get to a page that says Enter Your Discount, both the STW and Strava codes work in that box
That is point is failed for me. I shall try again
Edit – it worked this time thanks
Afternoon all.. just to confirm that all codes should be fully working now. Apologies for the messing around.
Years ago I worked for a cycling organisation which put on a couple of special Strava-linked challenges and we had people phoning us up complaining that the challenge wasn’t hard enough, anyone could complete it, it should be more difficult / more hardcore / more exclusive…
They’d clearly missed the point of the exercise which was making it achievable enough to get lots of people to sign up to it and complete it so we could then email them! The last thing you want is some challenge that’s so hardcore that only a dozen people are actually capable of completing it!
Anyway, I’ve signed up to it – my Forestry England membership has been great.Â
Is this forestry england harvesting were all the latest non sanctioned trails are so they can go felling ?
Tried to use the codes with my renewal and neither worked. Is it just for new members only?Â