CYCLISTS have emerged victorious in the battle to find the quickest way into the city centre.
The council staged Edinburgh's first Commuter Challenge yesterday morning, which pitted bikes against cars and buses.
The contest had four starting points - Morningside, Ocean Terminal, Hermiston and Ingliston - and competitors had to make it to the foot of The Mound in the quickest time possible.
In each of the races, cyclists reached their destination ahead of the other forms of transport.
Ian Maxwell, from Try Cycling in Edinburgh, said: "This shows how effective cycling is over short and medium distances.
"Of course, not everyone can cycle as fast our as cyclist did from Ingliston, but when it is just three or four miles, people can get to where they want to go faster than on any other form of transport.
"Bikes can get you to work on time and also save you money."
Before the challenge, Neil Henderson of Edinburgh bookmakers Macbet, predicted the bus was most likely to win the contest.
From Ocean Terminal, he said Lothian Buses had a 5-4 chance of winning, while bikes only stood a 5-2 chance.
And from Ingliston, he thought cyclists only had a 33-1 chance.
However, everyone involved in the challenge agreed that the car would struggle in the early morning rush hour and the heavy congestion on city streets.
The council's transport leader Andrew Burns was on the winning side after confidently backing the cyclists before the race.
From Ingliston and Hermiston, the bus users took advantage of Lothian Buses' two new park-and-ride sites.
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