Issued by City of York Council
York cyclists may not have the speed or stamina of winning professional athletes but those signing up to York’s Sky Ride soon will at least have the chance of looking like one.
The first 1,000 participants to sign up for the event will be entered into a free prize draw to win a Team Sky jersey signed by 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome and his supporting team. The Sky Ride takes place on Saturday 14 September and numbers are increasing quickly.
Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, Cllr Sonja Crisp, said: “Sky Ride will be in the city of York for a fantastic day of traffic-free bike riding for the whole family.
“This will be a great chance for people of all ages and abilities to get involved with cycling in York. Whether you are a regular rider or if you haven’t been on a bike in years there will be something for you to enjoy on this 5.6km route.
“We want as many people as possible to get on their bikes for this circuit, and with over 700 people already signed up you need to act quickly to be included in the draw.”
There will be three “activation zones” situated around the route of the Sky Ride – the Team Sky zone with the British Cycling cafe, the Festival of Cycling in Rowntree Park and a third area activation zone at Duncombe Place.
At the Team Sky zone, located at Clifford’s Tower, people will be able to enjoy a close up view of the actual bike that helped carry Chris Froome to overall victory in the 2013 Tour de France.
Visitors will also be able to take a seat in a custom built Team Sky Jaguar car used by the team to support riders in some of the worlds biggest bike races.
The British Cycling cafe will be on hand serving refreshments throughout the day and Jaffa will be handing out nutritious jaffa fruit, ponchos, reflectors and Tesco vouchers. Halfords will be supporting Sky Ride York with some of their experts on hand to give bikes the once over and make minor repairs and checks.
There is free cycle hire provided by York Sports Village so that those who don’t own bikes can still enjoy the Sky Ride experience. Free Disability Bike hire will also be available from Quest88, an adapted cycle specialist.
At Duncombe Place cyclists can pull over to decorate their bike outside York Minster. A professional artist will be on hand to help turn the average bicycle into a work of art.
There is also a mobile climbing wall for people to scale dizzy heights to view more of the city centre spectacle and York St John University will be offering various cycling fitness tests using state of the art technology.
Families are also invited to look in at the York Festival of Cycling at Rowntree Park where there will be a unique opportunity to enjoy a wealth of free cycling related entertainment, activities and information.
The amazing stunt show riders – The Clan – will be performing and you can try a bike of your choice in the themed try-out areas including a main track, KMX Karts zone, learner and toddler areas. The festival takes place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September from 10.30am, finishing at 5pm Saturday and 4pm Sunday.
Anyone wanting to sign up for Sky Ride York should go here.
Sky Ride is one of many cycling activities and events coming up in York, including the Grande Depart of the Tour de France next year. More information is available on the council website.
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