British Cycling, the sport’s governing body in Great Britain, has marked 100 days to go until the start of the Olympic Games by outlining how those who are inspired by what they see in London this summer can get involved themselves and enjoy the health, economic and environmental benefits that cycling has to offer.
To coincide with the countdown, British Cycling has also announced that over 100 cycling clubs have already signed up to take part in the Go Ride Games – a summer festival of Olympic style races for thousands of under 16s.
“With just 100 days until the greatest show on earth, there has never been a better time to get into cycling,” said British Cycling Chief Executive Ian Drake. “Be it riding with friends at weekends, participating in a sportive, racing or commuting to work, there are thousands of ways to get involved across the country – whatever your age or interest.
Drake added, “The cycling revolution has already started – over 1.7 million people now ride at least once a week – but we don’t want to stop there. Events like the Go Ride Games and Sky Ride present an unrivalled opportunity for us to make sure that London 2012 inspires thousands more to get into cycling.
“Our aspiration is to win medals and to ensure that we use that success to get unprecedented numbers of people riding regularly, transforming Britain into a nation of cyclists and providing a true legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Ways to get involved
- Go Ride Games – 100 Go-Ride clubs have already signed up to take part in the Go-Ride Games – a national summer festival of cycling for young people. Last year, British Cycling delivered over 100,000 opportunities for young people to get into cycling.
- Competitive racing – Participation in the sport is continuing to grow with over 20,000 people now regularly racing across all disciplines. Almost 3,500 competitive cycling events now take place each year.
- Sportives (non-competitive events that combine elements of road riding and long distance touring) are more popular than ever. Over 300 sportives have taken place in the last 12 months, involving over 90,000 participants.
- Sky Rides – Last year, over 200,000 people took part in Sky Ride events across the UK. This year the format is going to be even bigger, offering over 25,000 recreational bike riders the opportunity to take part in over 1,700 community led rides, with the support of 45 local authorities. British Cycling is training another 650 ride leaders to support local cycling, bringing the total group to over 1,200.
- Breeze – British Cycling notes that it is closing the cycling gap between men and women to create a new legacy for women’s cycling. Through its Breeze network the organisation helps over 10,000 new women get into bike riding in 2012. British Cycling is training a further 450 volunteer Breeze champions, women who help other women get started.
- Coaching – Over 2,300 coaches and ride leaders undertook a British Cycling qualification last year. Events such as Coaching 2012, British Cycling’s annual coaching conference, are key to ensuring coaches continue to receive the best ongoing support and education.
www.britishcycling.org.uk
www.goskyride.com
www.breezebikerides.com
