Sky Ride Birmingham – a free family-oriented mass participation cycling event – has been given the green light by the city council.
That means up to 15,000 Birmingham residents will get on their bikes for the September 12 event, cycling along a circular route from the Markets, along Pershore Road to Cannon Hill Park and back.
Sky Ride 2010 is being backed by a line-up of celebrities and pro-cyclists, so participants could be joined by the likes of Olympic heroes Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins.
And Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture Cllr Martin Mullaney expects the event to be a huge hit with the people of Birmingham.
The aim is to encourage new, occasional and lapsed cyclists to overcome some of the perceived barriers by showing them cycling can be safe and fun. Twelve Sky Ride events are taking place in 10 major cities across the UK this summer, with smaller local rides also taking place across the country. This year’s events build on the success of 2009, which saw over 110,000 people take part.
Since last July, Sky’s national cycling activities have encouraged almost 300,000 people to start cycling more frequently (cycling more than before) and 92,000 of these people have become new regular cyclists (cycling at least once a month or twelve times a year).
Click on the following link to sign-up for Sky Ride Birmingham
The site also features tips and expert advice on how to ride safely plus views from Sky Ride’s cycling ambassadors.
