British Cycling are obviously looking to improve their offer to members and potentially provide grass roots level cyclists with information on how to access cycling – this is all well and good and should be applauded. However opinion on this has already caused a bit of fuss. I seem to sit in the middle but have two main worries:
1) why is this more important than sorting out Premier Calendar races, calendar clashes and a healthy ROAD racing policy? And 2) Isn’t there enough people already looking after the Audax/Challenge/Leisure markets?
So I find myself agreeing with some people who have stated clearly that they can’t really see how this is the remit of a predominantly racing body, however I personally think that it just highlights the bureaucratic nonsense that is behind all the organising bodies – really all of this should (as in other countries) come under one umbrella – this way we would be far more powerful and be taken far more seriously by people outside of cycling.
Everyday Cycling is British Cycling’s brand new initiative that aims to appeal to the broad spectrum of leisure cyclists, from commuters and family cyclists through to mountain bikers and sportive riders. The initiative has been developed as part of British Cycling’s Vision to increase participation in cycling as a Sport, as Active Recreation and as Active Living and has been made possible with the support of Tesco, Sport England, Everyday Sport, and the newly launched National Sports Foundation.
Everyday Cycling is about getting the nation active on bikes by providing fun, inspiring and exciting cycling opportunities and incentives for people of all ages and abilities. It is also an integral part of the Tesco ambition to help get two million people active in events whichthey will organise or support in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. Peter King, British Cycling CEO, said, This is a fantastic opportunity to replicate our ‘more medals’ success with ‘more people’ and ultimately for cycling to make the single biggest contribution to the government’s 2020 target of 70% of the population active 5 times per week. At the heart of Everyday Cycling are people of all ages and abilities just having a great time on their bikes, whether that is riding to work or school, at the weekend with the family or participating in organised cycling events.
Everyday Cycling also has a crucial role in underpinning and strengthening Competitive Cycle Sport in the UK. Peter King, British Cycling CEO, said, We want to provide a structured pathway of opportunities from leisure and recreational riding right the way through to competitive cycle sport which will introduce more people to the sport. By having more people connected with, and belonging to, British Cycling we will be able to do so much more in the future to lever support to develop Cycle Sport in the UK.
Everyday Cycling is being rolled out in two phases, right now, to the existing cycling community and secondly on a national level, with an official launch which will take place early in July.
The project’s online portal, www.everydaycycling.com incorporates a comprehensive routes and rides section, with everything from family-friendly routes to challenging on and off-road routes. It also has an exclusive registered users area, where users can access exciting interactive features, including a calendar function which allows users to search for and enter a broad range of leisure cycling events. An Activity Log allows users to record all of their riding times, from the daily commute right through to long distance challenge events.The site also incorporates information and resources on commuting, training for challenges, maintenance and family cycling, as well as a dynamic news hub, with all the latest leisure cycling news, views, events and features.
Ian Drake, British Cycling’s Director of Operations, who led the team which pulled together the initiative said, “We hope that Everyday Cycling will become the one stop shop for all things leisure cycling. Our aim is to bring the best routes, rides and events together on one site, encouraging new riders to get into cycling and existing riders to try new routes and set themselves new challenges.
Key to Everyday Cycling is a series of family cycling events throughout the summer, delivered through partnerships working with a number of high profile organisations including Tesco, GlaxoSmithKline (www.gskroutesandrides.com) and Center Parcs. These events will be great opportunities to get the whole family on two wheels this summer.
Look out for details on the Everyday Cycling website, as well as forthcoming exciting announcements of other major sponsored events being made very soon.
Everyday Cycling supported by Tesco, Sport England, Everyday Sport, the National Sports Foundation and the Forestry Commission through their Active Woods programme.
British Cycling Members:
Your British Cycling Website username and password will allow you to access the exciting interactive features of the site, including the Activity Log, Buddy Groups and Challenges.
All other users:
Go to www.everydaycycling.com and register for free.
For further details, please contact: [email protected]
Everyday Cycling web portal and events www.everydaycycling.com
