European Capital of Cycling Newsletter – September 2024
Flurry of Olympic & Paralympic Medals ‘Made in Manchester’
Cycling was, unsurprisingly, the crown jewel in Manchester’s Olympic & Paralympic success. The National Cycling Centre, home to the GB cycling team, has become a beacon for elite cyclists from around the world, providing cutting-edge facilities that have directly contributed to this year’s remarkable medal haul. The city’s world-class cycling facilities and coaching programs yielded 13 gold medals across both Games, and a remarkable 35 in total. Some highlights include:
– GB set the world record and earned gold in the Women’s Olympic Team sprint, with team member Emma Finucane going on to attain a further two bronze medals.
– Dame Sarah Storey remained undefeated at her 9th Paralympics with 2 golds. Her successes marked her 19th medal in a row in cycling and 29th medal overall.
– Sophie Unwin, a cyclist with roots in Manchester, added to the city’s glory with two golds, a silver, and a bronze. Unwin’s versatility and tenacity on the track were pivotal to Team GB’s cycling dominance.
– Fellow cyclists Lora Fachie and Jaco Van Gass brought further accolades to Manchester. Van Gass brought home two golds, while Fachie secured three silver medals.
The National Cycling Centre in Manchester has long been a breeding ground for Olympic success, and its athletes once again delivered on the biggest stage, underlining and cementing the city’s status as the ‘Capital of Cycling’. These athletes are proven examples of what sets Manchester apart from the rest. With the world famous ‘medal factory’ marking it’s 30th birthday this year, these recent successes are testament to the on-going legacy and foresight by city leaders 3 decades ago.
TfGM Family Fun Day
In September, TfGM delivered a family fun day to raise awareness of and celebrate the versatility of cargo bikes.
Families accessed a variety of free activities and workshops – all pedal powered.
There was something for everyone, from circus and skateboard skills to dance and theatre workshops and cargo bike try-outs.
The event celebrated the TfGM funded cargo and adapted bikes fund, which has funded 26 such bikes in Manchester alone.
Manchester groups at the event included Prokekts MCR who offered skateboarding tasters, plus Lentils and Lather Wholefood store, Bird Box MCR and Stitched Up Manchester.
‘Spend Smart’ – Students Learn to Ride More to Save Money
Last week, Cycling UK and Manchester Active took part in a ‘Spend Smart’ event on Oxford Road, Manchester.
The event encouraged students, some of whom are living independently in the city for the first time at university, to cycle more in an effort to save money.
The event had fantastic engagement, with over 200 students visiting the stall on the day, thanks in part to the new multi-partner ‘Cycling in Manchester’ leaflets we produced and shared.
Better yet, 33 bikes were fixed as part of the ‘Dr Bike’ offer.
Learn more about Cycling UK, and view the ‘Cycling in Manchester’ leaflet below.
Share Your Views to Improve Journeys in Manchester
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is working with Manchester City Council (MCC) to improve journeys for people around Manchester, including to and from the city centre, with a focus on catching the bus, walking, wheeling and cycling.
Manchester wants to make journeys better and easier by making them more reliable, safer and more sustainable and to do this we need to make changes and improvements to streets in the city.
Through funding from the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) we are looking at a range of options to do this
It’s Never too Late to ‘Learn to Ride’!
British Cycling have been working with a group of Muslim women whom they met at a recent Pedal Party.
The group shared that many of them had never learned to ride or bike or had the opportunity to.
However the women showed a keen interest in taking the steps to learn, so they could take part with their children in future pedal parties and activities.
British Cycling now deliver a free weekly session for almost 20 women at the National Cycling Centre. This has initially been for 4 weeks, with a positive reaction from the group.
British Cycling are now planning to continue the sessions to increase confidence and then feed learning into other groups and activities going forward.
All Aboard the ‘Bike Bus’!
Cycle to school week took place Monday 23 to Friday 27 September at Station South in Levenshulme.
The facility has been working with two local schools to celebrate the week and also encourage cycling to school.
Station South provided the schools with bike passports, which get stamped for each day that children cycle. Prizes were available at the end of the week, with more stamps equalling a better chance of winning prizes!
Anna Smith from Station South has been chatting to the children about the benefits of cycling to school. Prior to the week, one school estimated that around 5% of journeys are made by bike.
The week was a great success with the number of bikes in the storage sheds increasing by 50 – 70%!
As part of the week, a Levenshulme school’s bike bus featured on BBC Newsround, with a trip to Station South where the children interviewed mechanic Mary about how to look after their bikes and heard from Emily about cycling on the road to maximise safety. Watch the news clip it via the link below!
European Capital of Cycling Newsletter – August 2024
Flurry of Olympic & Paralympic Medals ‘Made in Manchester’
Cycling was, unsurprisingly, the crown jewel in Manchester’s Olympic & Paralympic success. The National Cycling Centre, home to the GB cycling team, has become a beacon for elite cyclists from around the world, providing cutting-edge facilities that have directly contributed to this year’s remarkable medal haul. The city’s world-class cycling facilities and coaching programs yielded 13 gold medals across both Games, and a remarkable 35 in total. Some highlights include:
– GB set the world record and earned gold in the Women’s Olympic Team sprint, with team member Emma Finucane going on to attain a further two bronze medals.
– Dame Sarah Storey remained undefeated at her 9th Paralympics with 2 golds. Her successes marked her 19th medal in a row in cycling and 29th medal overall.
– Sophie Unwin, a cyclist with roots in Manchester, added to the city’s glory with two golds, a silver, and a bronze. Unwin’s versatility and tenacity on the track were pivotal to Team GB’s cycling dominance.
– Fellow cyclists Lora Fachie and Jaco Van Gass brought further accolades to Manchester. Van Gass brought home two golds, while Fachie secured three silver medals.
The National Cycling Centre in Manchester has long been a breeding ground for Olympic success, and its athletes once again delivered on the biggest stage, underlining and cementing the city’s status as the ‘Capital of Cycling’. These athletes are proven examples of what sets Manchester apart from the rest. With the world famous ‘medal factory’ marking it’s 30th birthday this year, these recent successes are testament to the on-going legacy and foresight by city leaders 3 decades ago.
TfGM Family Fun Day
In September, TfGM delivered a family fun day to raise awareness of and celebrate the versatility of cargo bikes.
Families accessed a variety of free activities and workshops – all pedal powered.
There was something for everyone, from circus and skateboard skills to dance and theatre workshops and cargo bike try-outs.
The event celebrated the TfGM funded cargo and adapted bikes fund, which has funded 26 such bikes in Manchester alone.
Manchester groups at the event included Prokekts MCR who offered skateboarding tasters, plus Lentils and Lather Wholefood store, Bird Box MCR and Stitched Up Manchester.
‘Spend Smart’ – Students Learn to Ride More to Save Money
Last week, Cycling UK and Manchester Active took part in a ‘Spend Smart’ event on Oxford Road, Manchester.
The event encouraged students, some of whom are living independently in the city for the first time at university, to cycle more in an effort to save money.
The event had fantastic engagement, with over 200 students visiting the stall on the day, thanks in part to the new multi-partner ‘Cycling in Manchester’ leaflets we produced and shared.
Better yet, 33 bikes were fixed as part of the ‘Dr Bike’ offer.
Learn more about Cycling UK, and view the ‘Cycling in Manchester’ leaflet below.
Share Your Views to Improve Journeys in Manchester
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is working with Manchester City Council (MCC) to improve journeys for people around Manchester, including to and from the city centre, with a focus on catching the bus, walking, wheeling and cycling.
Manchester wants to make journeys better and easier by making them more reliable, safer and more sustainable and to do this we need to make changes and improvements to streets in the city.
Through funding from the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), the city is looking at a range of options to do this. Find out more information, and complete the online survey via the link below.
It’s Never too Late to ‘Learn to Ride’!
British Cycling have been working with a group of Muslim women whom they met at a recent Pedal Party.
The group shared that many of them had never learned to ride or bike or had the opportunity to.
However the women showed a keen interest in taking the steps to learn, so they could take part with their children in future pedal parties and activities.
British Cycling now deliver a free weekly session for almost 20 women at the National Cycling Centre. This has initially been for 4 weeks, with a positive reaction from the group.
British Cycling are now planning to continue the sessions to increase confidence and then feed learning into other groups and activities going forward.
All Aboard the ‘Bike Bus’!
Cycle to school week took place Monday 23 to Friday 27 September at Station South in Levenshulme.
The facility has been working with two local schools to celebrate the week and also encourage cycling to school.
Station South provided the schools with bike passports, which get stamped for each day that children cycle. Prizes were available at the end of the week, with more stamps equalling a better chance of winning prizes!
Anna Smith from Station South has been chatting to the children about the benefits of cycling to school. Prior to the week, one school estimated that around 5% of journeys are made by bike.
The week was a great success with the number of bikes in the storage sheds increasing by 50 – 70%!
As part of the week, a Levenshulme school’s bike bus featured on BBC Newsround, with a trip to Station South where the children interviewed mechanic Mary about how to look after their bikes and heard from Emily about cycling on the road to maximise safety. Watch the news clip it via the link below!
