Islington Community Rides Bike Club Launches! 16/04/2012
Posted by Frances Chaloner in Asda, London, Uncategorized.Tags: Barclays, Community rides, Cycle Training, Family rides, Islington, Islington by Bike, marshalled rides, Paradise Gardens, Rosemary Gardens
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Islington By Bike Poster
The London Borough Of Islington Community Bike Rides Bike Club got off to a flying start, with a good showing of family and solo riders turning up to Rosemary Gardens to set off at 11am on 13 April – a chilly but bright spring morning.
Young Rider with his colourful roadworthy bike
All bikes were checked by Islington Council’s team of qualified cycle instructors, to ensure they were roadworthy and any needing attention were put to rights.
The Islington Community Rides Bike Club set off!
The group set off on a very leisurely, fully marshalled, 10 mile ride around the borough. It went via Highbury Fields and the Emirates football stadium, stopping off at Paradise Park for a picnic lunch in glorious sunshine.
Islington Council’s Cycle Instructors and Ride Marshalls enjoy the lunch and the sunshine in Paradise Park
“I am new to the borough and wanted to explore it on my bike and the rides looked ideal for me” said one participant.
“I want to start riding my bike to school with a group of school friends and this ride was a good chance to ride with other people” another rider said. He is also hoping to try out some cycle racing in the future.
The next Chris Hoy?
The group returned to Rosemary Gardens to collect their Barclays goody bags with maps, water bottle, Bike Club T-shirt and useful information about the route, to allow them to go exploring in the future. Every one filled in a questionnaire and those interested in cycle training sessions were signed up for courses.
All smiles!
David Shannon with young Bike Club rider
David Shannon the Cycling Officer for Islington and Bike Club Leader said:
“I am delighted with the way the ride has gone today and we are looking forward to attracting more people to the Bike Club as the programme rolls out”
Bike Club Participant waves goodbye after her 10 mile cycle
It is is the first Bike Club in Islington and is being supported by Bike Club, Barclays and Islington Council.
The next ride will be on 8 June and will explore more of the borough.
Want to come along and join the next Islington Community bike ride on June 8?
Don't forget to book!
If you are interested in finding out more about how to set up a Bike Club in London including accessing funding please contact the Bike Club Officer for London:
Frances Chaloner
frances.chaloner@bikeclub.org.uk
075 0006 9261
Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League 03/04/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events, Fife, Scotland.add a comment
Liberton High school, Inverkeithing High School and Dunfermline’s Queen Anne High School have been participating in the first ever Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League.
About Cycle Speedway
Cycle Speedway is similar to track cycling in a velodrome other than the track is shorter and has less of a camber. The riders compete four at a time and each race is just four laps of the track. The specially designed bikes have no gears and no brakes! It is easy to learn the basic skills of Cycle Speedway and a lot of fun right from the start.
The inter-schools cycling league was conceived following an invitation by Gavin Kennedy, coach of the Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club, to members of Liberton High School’s after school Bike Club to a ‘Come and Try It’ session at the club’s Redbraes Park circuit. Liberton Bike Club ran a number of cyclo-cross races in their own school grounds inviting other Edinburgh schools to join them – but it became obvious that moving a group of pupils and their bikes around the City was far from easy and few accepted the challenge. The idea of just turning up with a group of pupils equipped with no more than their bike helmets to a fixed venue where specialist bikes were provided seemed like a great idea!
The league was based indoors at the Jack Kane center and bikes were provided by Edinburgh Falcons. This was a small, but fast circuit – much more challenging than the outdoor track at Redbraes Park which some had visited last Autumn. Each participating school attended their own training session with coaches from Edinburgh Falcons where they had the opportunity to learn some basic skills and practice racing against each other before the league started.
Liberton Bike Club team
The opening round of races brought thrills, spills, skill and determination in equal measure. There were 26 riders taking part serving up a feast of racing for the spectators including representatives from Bike Club, Scottish Cycling, Sustrans I Bike, and City of Edinburgh Council Active Schools. After 3 weeks of battling it out Dunfermline’s Queen Anne High School were crowned Indoor champions. Well done to all involved
It will soon be time to take the riders and their new found skills outdoors to Redbraes Park, Scotland’s only surviving shale Cycle Speedway track, for a Summer term of inter-school races. It is hoped that similar competitions can now be developed elsewhere in Scotland.
Cycling Out in East Lothian 03/04/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Events, Scotland.add a comment
On Saturday 31st March Beyond Boundaries East Lothian (BBEL)launched their inclusive cycling project ‘Cycling Out’ at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School, Pinkie Road, Musselburgh. ‘Cycling Out’ aims to provide and develop opportunities for people with disabilities and mental health issues living in East Lothian to participate in regular cycling activities. BBEL now has a small stock of used cycles which they have inherited, borrowed or had donated and have also received funding from Cycling Scotland to run this project.
For this event BBEL linked up with Fife based cycling charity Talking Tandems who provide tandem cycling for people who are blind or with visual impairments. As part of the event I joined 2 tandems from Talking Tandems on the north side of the Forth Road Bridge to cycle down to Musselburgh. We were joined at Crammond Brig in Edinburgh by 2 cyclists from Musselburgh Road Cycling Club and on arrival into Musselburgh we were met by another group including a tandem, mountain bikers, and some adapted cycles. We were all escorted by a police man on bike through the town.
On reaching the school we were welcomed by young people and their families taking part in a variety of activities which included:
- Quest 88 with their 2012 Roadshow showcasing a variety of adapted bikes for everyone to try out.
- Freewheel North (Glasgow based Bike Club) also brought along some of their adapted bikes to try out
- Dr Bike from the Bike Station in Edinburgh were on hand will be on hand to have a look at bikes and make small repairs and adjustments.
- Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative had their cycle smoothie maker - making smoothies using pedal power.
- Luca Ice Cream was there the glorious sunshine with their Ice Cream Trike.
Fabb Scotland were also on hand to discuss plans to set up inclusive cycling in East Lothian for young people and consult with parents. Earlier this year Janet from Talking Tandems carried out an audit across Edinburgh and Lothians to assess what Inclusive cycling opportunities are currently available in the area. This information will be used by Fabb, BBEL, Bike Club and East Lothian Disability Sport to look at establishing an Inclusive Cycling Hub for young people in the Lothian area. Watch this space for further developments.
Backbones Women Learn to Ride project in Edinburgh 02/04/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Girls, Scotland.add a comment
Backbones Women Learn to Ride project has been running every Saturday for the last 6 weeks in Edinburgh. This is a joint Bike Club project with Backbone and Blackhall Mosque with additional funding from the Forestry Commission Scotland. The project has been designed to provide a safe, fun and comfortable environment for women and girls from all backgrounds to learn to ride a bike and to increase their confidence in riding a bike.
Backbone coordinated a 6 week training course for up to 14 women who were new to or returning to cycling from across Edinburgh. The cycling sessions have been running every Saturday at Inverlieth Park, led by 3 female trainers from the Bike Station using their lovely step through Paper Bicycles.
For some of the women this was the first time they had ever been on a bike. The cycling sessions were tailored to the abilities of the group, ranging from those learning to ride a bike for the first time to others who just needed a little encouragement. The cycle trainers took them through elements of Bikeability Scotland Levels 1 & 2 with a mixture of on and off road activities. By the end of the 6 weeks some of the group were planning their own routes and going for short bike rides on the network of cycle paths and a slightly longer trip to Crammond along the promonade.
I joined them for some sessions and was delighted at the progress the group made over 6 weeks. They were all extremely enthusiastic, came prepared to learn and offered each other support and encouragement. It is safe to say that apart from some tired legs and sore bums everyone really enjoyed themselves and left each week with a big smile on their face. By the end of the block all the women were able to cycle and had developed a new passion for cycling with one particpant saying ‘Cycling has given me a new kind of freedom I have never experinced before’ and another thanked the cycle trainers saying ‘I cannot describe in words how happy I am to finally be able to cycle!’
The group have already organsed a visit to the Bike Station to explore options for buying their own bikes and accessories so they can continue cycling. The next stage of the project is to identify 8 women to complete Cycling Scotlands Cycle Ride Leader training. Following this they will be able to establish their own Bike Club project to get more girls and women cycling in their local communities.
Cycling Legacy in Dalmarnock! 21/03/2012
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Uncategorized.add a comment
The Dalmarnock Legacy Bike Club, one of the first Bike Club groups established in Glasgow, is set to enter a new and exciting phase in it’s development with the introduction of a dedicated cycle hub within a new Legacy Garden. Situated on the door step of the 2014 Commonwealth Games site, the garden is just a stone throw away from the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. To celebrate this and further promote cycling within the community, the Dalmarnock Center recently secured significant funding from Cycling Scotland to establish the cycle hub as a major part of the new community garden. Work on the garden started recently and is already a hub of activity, proving popular with residents of all ages. The Dalmarnock Center plan to use the garden as a social, education and also health improving space, marketing it as a ‘Green Gym’ in partnership with Glasgow Life. The cycle hub will add to this ethos and feature a welcoming environment for beginner and experienced cyclists alike. With refreshments, maintenance workshops, cycle training and bike hire available within the garden as well as a bike powered vegetable delivery service for the community, the Legacy Bike Club has an exciting year ahead. 
Backbone: from learn to ride to Ride Leader! 21/03/2012
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Uncategorized.add a comment
6 women from the Backbone learn to ride project are preparing to complete Cycling Scotland’s Ride Leader training in April. With support from Glasgow Bike Station, the group have been meeting up on Saturdays to practice their leadership skills prior to the course. I met up with them a few weeks ago at Glasgow Green for a leisurely bike ride to the Riverside Transport Museum followed by lunch and a browse of the classic bicycle collection. From complete beginners to Ride Leaders, the Backbone group are a real inspiration!
Stenhouse Primary Schools Big Bike Day 19/03/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events, Scotland.add a comment
Stenhouse Primary are continuing their efforts to get more pupils cycling to school. As part of the schools involvement in Bike Club and Sustrans I Bike project they organised a Big Bike Day on Thursday 15th March. The day included a variety of cycle themed activities including free bike fixing sessions with Dr Bike (provided by Grease Monkeys), unicycle riding workshops, classroom bike-art activities where each class made bike bunting and some mini bike racing at break time.
59 Pupils from P1-P7 cycled into school on the day. This has really helped with their ranking in the Big Pedal where the school are currently in 6th place in Scotland. Dr Bike and his helper were kept extremely busy with 30 bikes having a bike check and where appropriate repaired. Everyone that brought their bike got a 15% discount on their next service at Grease Monkeys.
The highlight of the day was Jason and Ian from Voodoo Uni cycling stunt display team (the only display team in the UK). They carried out workshops throughout the day with P5-7’s teaching the basics of getting on, sitting upright and trying to move with the help of a fence or a wall (much harder than it looks!). Miss Baillie who runs the after school Bike Club gave it a go too!
At the end of the day Jason and Ian gave a demonstration, performing skills and tricks, in front the whole school. This included Ian jumping down some stairs and Jason jumping over a row of pupils and a teacher.
Keep up the good work Stenhouse!
Liberton H.S Bike Club win opportunity to report live from Olympic venue in London 14/03/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Scotland.add a comment
You may remember Liberton H.S Bike Club received media training through Radiowaves last September as part of their involvement in Bike Club. Alison Booth of Digital Me was so impressed at the footage they produced on their training day she entered one of their short films into a national competition with the UK School Games.
The film Liberton High School Bike Club won the national prize for best Young Reporter. Two of the Bike Club members have earned the chance to work as part of the Young Media Team at the Sainsbury’s School Games taking place at the Olympic Park in London. This is the first time ever a school sport event will be held in Olympic venues prior to the Olympic Games. As part of this incredible opportunity they will be provided with behind the scenes access at the ExCEL centre and the Olympic Park and the responsibility to produce content that will be shared nationally across a range of media platforms.
The budding Bike Club reporters will spend 5 days in a media camp working alongside 30 other young people from across the UK. The training camp will be run by Supporter to Reporter and help to develop their media skills in sports reporting, presenting, broadcasting and photography so that they can report for real from the School Games at the Olympic Park on the 9th May. Their reports will be broadcast online via the S2R channel, School Games websites and feed into the BBC’s coverage of the School Games event.
This is an amazing opportunity for these young reporters to work alongside and learn from a professional media training team to experience covering a large multi-sport event in world class venues. Well done to everyone who has been involved in Liberton Bike Clubs media project and congratulations on winning this opportunity to represent Liberton High School (and Scotland). If only we could take you all!
Young Riders in Taunton 29/02/2012
Posted by nigelbikeclub in Uncategorized.add a comment
CTC’s Bike Somerset has created a Bike Club for young people.
Taunton Bike Club offers a wide range of cycle activities for young people and their families. The club aims to provide a wide range of fun sessions for all abilities which include road cycle skills, mountain 
biking, bmx, cyclocross, competitive cycling and family rides.
Taunton Bike Club is affiliated and appr
oved by CTC and British Cycling and activities are supervised by qualified coaches/ ride leaders. The club’s website www.tauntonbikeclub.org.uk gives up to date information about the activities of the club including a calendar of events.
What are you waiting for? Join-up now!
School gets new wheels thanks to YOT Bike Club 27/02/2012
Posted by andrewbikeclub in Darlington.add a comment
This Thursday (1/03/12) sees the pupils of Dodmire Primary School, Darlington, get their mitts on 15 new bikes, courtesy of the hard work of the young people from Darlington Youth Offending Team’s Bike Club.
Dodmire are the lucky recipients of the fleet of cycles after Darlington Y.O.T.’s Bike Club team have repaired and restored unclaimed bikes, donated to them from the Police. The School are going to use the fleet of bikes for pupils that currently don’t have their own, enabling even more young people to take part in the School’s new programme of cycling activities.
Watch his space for developments, as the School also have plans to get their own Bike Club up and running!
