Bike It Events
The Virtual Bike Race: Over 27,000 journeys logged in four days!
Bike It's Virtual Bike Race (an epic 8,408km race around the UK on Sustrans' National Cycle Network) kicked off on March 1. Over 440 schools (that's thousands of children) are racing after some fantastic prizes, donated by the M.A.D bike display team, Madison, Park Tool and Nutcase helmets. Pupils, parents, and teachers earn 'virtual kilometres' each time they cycle in, and can see which school's winning by checking the VBR website. Over 27,000 journeys to school by bike have been logged already and we're still in Week One of the race!
Bike It School Mark success
The Bike It School Mark scheme is a support framework designed to ensure that Bike It's positive effects continue long after a school's Bike It officer has moved on. There are Bronze, Silver and Gold awards, and several schools in London and Reigate are already proudly displaying their Bronze plaques. Many schools are hot on their heels! To get involved, giving your school the recognition it deserves for developing a durable and healthy cycle culture, get the ball rolling by talking to your Bike It officer.
Brand new World Champ gives Bike It the thumbs up
Every year, UCI World Champion biker Steve Peat stages the ‘Wharncliffe Weekender' mountain bike event in Sheffield, with a course to challenge the bike champions of the future. This year, Bike It got in on the action, too, thanks to local Bike It officers Henry and Ruth.
Peaty wanted to provide skills and confidence-building sessions for everyone. He said: "It was great to have Sustrans' Bike It at the event. We made an effort to have more things for kids to do and it just worked out perfectly with the little skills area. It was good to see the kids doing lap after lap all day long with big smiles on their faces."
This charity event has raised over £30,000 for teenagers at a Sheffield hospital, and 2010's Wharncliffe Weekender will be bigger than ever.
PS: Congratulations on your world championship success, Peaty!
School Mark helps Bike It go on... and on... and on!
Parents and teachers at three Bike It schools enjoyed a bike maintenance training day at London's Rotherfield Primary as part of the successful Bike It School Mark pilot. The Bike It School Mark is now being offered to existing and former Bike It schools across the UK. It lets schools certify their level of commitment to nurturing a healthy, active cycle culture in their pupils, with Bronze, Silver and Gold levels of achievement to work towards.
Everyone felt they really benefited from the training, which will help them to run bike-based activities once their Bike It officer moves on to support other schools. One parent from Stroud Green Primary said: "I can't wait to check bikes at school - we can now decide what's roadworthy, what's fixable, and what's for the skip!"
Famous round-the-world cyclist visits Bike It school
80 enthusiastic children arrived by bike at Buckingham's Farnham Common Junior school this term to listen to bike adventurer Alastair Humphreys talk about his four-year cycle around the world. Every single child was captivated by his sometimes gruesome tales, including how at one point he couldn't wash for a month and had to eat boiled mice.
Organised by Clare Robinson, Bike It officer for Slough and South Bucks, such unique events help to stimulate and inspire children at Bike It schools. They also demonstrate the lengths that Bike It officers will go to, to develop a genuine and long-term interest in cycling in as many children as possible.
High-flying BMX riders wow Bike It crowds
In July, delighted pupils at Bristol's Staple Hill Primary were awestruck at the aerial antics of two medal-winning BMX stunt riders. Bike It officer Ryan Evans arranged for experts Rob and Craig to visit the school to reward the children for all their cycling efforts over the year.
Bunny-hopping sessions, speed trials on a limited-edition BMX (the same model that won Gold at the 2008 Olympics) and other activities followed a nail-biting display from Rob and Craig - they even cleared a rather nervous-looking Ryan!
Questions such as 'When did you start cycling?', 'How high can you jump?' and 'Do you always wear knee pads?' were answered by the pair, who thoroughly enjoyed their day with this enthusiastic Bike It school.
Hundreds of cyclists support 'Battle of the Bike It officers'
To encourage more students than ever to cycle to school, two Bike It officers staged an epic, 101-mile long 'Battle of the Bike It officers' race between their two schools. Ben (from Brighton and Hove) narrowly beat Jason (from Bournemouth and Poole), averaging almost 17mph over his six hour journey.
The real contest was between pupils of Bournemouth's St Katharine's C of E Primary and Brighton's St Paul's C of E Primary, hundreds of whom joined in a Cycle to School day to support their trusty Bike It officers' quest.
Linda Dupret, Head Teacher of St Paul's said: "Since Bike It started in our school, cycling levels have gone from virtually nil, to 40% on a regular basis. The Bike It officers have provided real support with great events throughout the school year," Last year, Bike It at least doubled cycling levels in over 400 schools nationwide.