In what is becoming something of an annual event for citycycling editor, Anthony Robson, the Edinburgh 'Commuter Challenge' once again caused surprise in some, and vindication in others. This year citycycling was asked to sponsor the event - we couldn't really say no...

Three years I've taken part in this now. And lining up 4 miles distant from our final destination in Edinburgh city centre, there was no real reason to believe this would have any different an outcome.

From four routes of differing lengths cyclists, cars and buses would do battle, contrasting and comparing commuting options. On one route a train would be added to the mix, and from two of them, for the first time, motorbikes would be pitted against us.

The rules are simple. Get to the centre of town, as any commuter heading to work would do so. Cars, motorbikes and bikes had to abide by the rules of the road. Bus and train passengers using normal scheduled services. And cars and motorbikes had to find somewhere to park where they were allowed to do so for the entire day.

The starting gun fired as the synchronised watches ticked to the appointed hour, and we were off. And then stopped. Damn red lights. What followed was as expected. On initially clear roads the car left us for dead, with the bus langiushing somewhere in the background as a group of old people tried to cobble together the exact bus fare before realising they were on the wrong service.

Then the traffic starts to build, and the bikes eat into the car's advantage. A recumbent, piloted by sometime cc contributer David Gardiner, heading for the centre by a route using a large section of off-road cyclepath, rolled in first, with my direct route taking 27 seconds longer. Richard Evans made up our cycling trio, all of us home before sight of the driver.