Sky Rides have started across South Yorkshire this year
(We have been posting about this since January)
Don’t know where to find them?
Well google <Sky Ride Sheffield> or go here and follow the links and instructions http://www.goskyride.com/
There are also Sky Rides in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham and these will come up in yr choices
When are they?
All on Sundays (and lots of them)
What are they?
Planned, risk-assessed, led and marshalled rides that basically mean you sign up & turn up and just enjoy the ride. Ride leaders have recce’d the ride, have been trained, have 1st Aid certs, have some mechanics’ skills and yr bike is checked to make sure it is roadworthy
Under 18s have to wear a cycle helmet and under 16s must be accompanied by an adult
Do we have to sign up for a ride?
It really helps. If a ride does not have enough people signed up then it may be cancelled and you won’t know as nobody has your contact details and then when you turn up at the last minute and its not on and you’re really cheesed off because you came all this way for a Sky Ride that is now cancelled and aren’t they rubbish and why don’t they have a system for signing up ….
Are we fit enough?
Various grades of ride, some totally off road to some that go out for miles – your choice but the rides are marshalled so you will not be left on yr own
Your responsibility is to choose the level
Where do they go from?
All over the place: Sheffield has ‘hubs’, like Concord Leisure Centre, SCC offices at Carbrook and a couple more places like that
Rides finish where they started.
The realistic assumption is that many people will drive to the hub (because all that public transport is either not running before the start time and you can’t get a bike on a bus or a tram …)
What’s the motivation?
Yrs ago Sky asked British Cycling what was needed to bring on athletes for GB Cycling (and now Team Sky as well)
British Cycling said more people must cycle so get more people cycling up and down the country on the basis that, say, a 100,00 people cycling may produce a handful of Olympic cyclists of the future.
Hence Sky Rides and they have been going and growing since 2009.
They are run and managed by British Cycling and branded and supported by Sky
Sheffield and the rest of S Yorkshire is in the third wave of Sky Rides.
The Move More! Sheffield partnership has entered into a 3yr (2014-2016) contract with BC to provide Sky Rides to get more Sheffielders active through cycling
NB these are not uncontroversial, some CycleSheffield members object to supporting Sky as they are another tax-averse corporation as well being part of News Corp who employed people guilty of criminal behaviour in their work and so on
