In March, thousands of children from across the UK will take part in a national bike race called ‘The Big Pedal’. The race, powered by UK charity Sustrans and funded by the bicycle industry through its Bike Hub, will last for three weeks – starting on the 7th March.
The three week race follows a similar format to the Tour de France; each day is a different time trial, with different stages, from long flat sprints to hillier mountainous climbs. The more children, parents and teachers that cycle in to school on each day, the quicker time the school is awarded for each stage. The school with the lowest time overall will be declared winner. First prize for the national winners is a spectacular day with the M.A.D cycle stunt team, who have performed for people all over the world, from Pepsi-Cola in Saudi Arabia to Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve at his birthday party. National runners up win a Minipod bike and scooter storage system worth over £1,000 for their school.
In last year’s race, organised by Sustrans, 408 schools from across the UK competed to be the first to complete a gruelling, 5,224 mile bike challenge. A total of 288,201 journeys were made by bike – approximately 461,121 miles*; the equivalent to cycling to the moon and back.**
Sustrans School Travel Director, Paul Osborne, says, “We’re delighted to be working so closely with the Bike Hub, it’s great to see how dedicated the industry is in supporting young cyclists.
“The race will act as a great way for whole school communities and cycle shops to join together, to encourage children to cycle to school. The most important part of this race will be to show pupils, parents and teachers how easy it is to choose two wheels, instead of four, for the journey to school.”
Bicycle Association's deputy president Philip Darnton OBE, adds, “Bike Hub is very committed to the future of cycling. Children are that future. Unless they learn to ride safely and without fear on their bikes at home and at school, we will create a new generation lost to cycling. Cycling is a life skill – and what better way to get going than to join The Big Pedal”.
The Big Pedal 2011 is open to any school within the UK , and it is free to take part. Schools can sign up to take part in the entire three week challenge, or register for a special one-day stage that will take place in the last week of the race – which is also Bike to School Week (21 – 25 March).
The Big Pedal, delivered by Sustrans and funded by the cycle industry, celebrates the fun that cycling brings children. Learning to ride a bike is a key milestone in children’s lives, and the thrill of getting about independently is an important part of growing up. Bikeability, backed up with other wider skills programmes, gives them the confidence to ride safely, and the Big Pedal shows that children everywhere can cycle safely to school.
For more information, and to get your school involved, please go to: http://www.thebigpedal.org.uk
*Based on children aged 5-10 years living an average of 1.6 miles away from school, according to the National Travel Survey 2008 http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/221531/223955/32274311/NTS2008.pdf
**According to McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology 7th ed., vol. 5, p. 470; The Universal Almanac 1992, p. 16. as seen on http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/space/how-far-moon-from-earth
Source: Sustrans
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