SLOW and steady really did win the race yesterday morning when a Pendle cyclist beat a car to work.

Carl Pawson beat driver Councillor Ann Kerrigan from Foulridge to Nelson by a whopping 10 minutes in the race set up as part of Bike 2 Work week.

The pair set off from Foulridge Village Hall at 8.15am with Mr Pawson arriving 25 minutes later in the Trafalgar Street car park, Nelson, followed by coun Kerrigan.

Councillor Kerrigan, Pendle Council's Executive member for Parks and Recreation, said the stunt had confirmed she was a bike convert.

Although working in Preston means cycling is impractical, she has vowed to get on her bike for all her Pendle Council meetings in the future.

She said: "I am not surprised I lost. You spend a long time in slow moving traffic along North Valley Road and Vivary Way. It's horrible and you really get very stressed.

"Carl arrived all happy and smiley and I was really aggravated. When I got there he was already having his photo taken. Driving is bad for you in all sorts of ways."

Mr Pawson, who works for Boyces, and outdoor shop in Nelson, used the Lancashire Cycle Way, pedalling along the canal from Foulridge to Nelson and missing the snarl-ups.

Councillor Kerrigan urged more parents to encourage their children to cycle to school.

She said: "What we showed is that cycling really is quicker and easier and everyone knows it's healthier and better for the environment.

"More children should be cycling to school making them healthier and cutting school run congestion. A lot of workplaces are embracing that now.

"Where I work there are showers for people who cycle in and I would like to see more of that sort of encouragement everywhere."