bike friday

30 Days of Revolution as BikeMonthMcr gets rolling !

news
release

Greater Manchester is being invited to celebrate “30 Days of Revolution” throughout June as BikeMonthMcr swings into gear. The bike-tastic month of cycling events starts rolling with the Sky Ride in Bolton on Sunday 1st June and ends with the GM Cycle Ride on Sunday 29th June with a traffic-free route including the Mancunian Way. [1]

Co-ordinated by Love Your Bike, and supported by Manchester City Council, the BikeMonthMcr website provides details of 300+ cycling events across every Greater Manchester area. [2]

Events include bike jumble sales, free adult cycle training and bike maintenance sessions, great bike rides and a giant bike in the Manchester Day parade. There are bike events suitable for all ages and all abilities.

Love Your Bike are also encouraging people to ‘Take the Pedal Power Pledge’ and cycle throughout June. The Pledge has one simple aim: to encourage people to cycle somewhere in Greater Manchester as much as they can during the 30 days of June. Cycle in the park, to your local shops, 5 miles to work, whatever suits you. Everyone signing the pledge will have a chance of winning some great prizes in the weekly prize draws.[3]

Cllr Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “More people in Manchester and beyond are waking up to the fact that cycling is a healthy, cheap and environmentally friendly way of getting around, and a great alternative to being stuck in traffic behind the wheel of a car. Bike Month is an excellent series of events which demonstrates how simple it now is to cycle around the city, and I’d urge anyone who’s thinking of getting on the saddle to take the pedal power pledge and find out for themselves.”

The Big Commute Challenge will see some well-known Mancunians find out which makes for the quickest, cheapest and cleanest commute journey – Bike, Bus, Car or Tram.

Catherine Thomson from Manchester Friends of the Earth, Love Your Bike campaign said: “We advocate regular cycling because we believe it is good for you, your local community and the environment. With over 300 cycling events across Greater Manchester there has never been a better time to give cycling a go.”

ENDS

CONTACTS FOR COMMENTS

Pete Abel, Love Your Bike campaign. Mobile: 07951 642858

Graeme Sherriff, Manchester Friends of the Earth, transport campaign co-ordinator. Mobile: 07948 405071

Notes to Editors:

[1] See www.bikemonthmcr.org

[2] For the full list of 300+ BikeMonthMcr events see the calendar section at www.bikemonthmcr.org People can search by postcodes for events near them.

[3] Sign the Pedal Power Pledge at www.bikemonthmcr.org

[4] Love Your Bike is an award winning Manchester based campaign aiming to promote cycling and help make it an even more attractive, accessible and fun way to get around. Co-ordinated by Manchester Friends of the Earth, the campaign works in partnership with other like-minded organisations. See www.loveyourbike.org