10:36am Thursday 1st July 2010
MAYOR of London, Sky and British Cycling have announced the route for Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Ealing – a free family-oriented mass participation cycling event taking place across the borough.
Thousands of people of all ages and cycling abilities are expected to participate in the traffic-free mass participation bike ride on Sunday 18 July, in which cyclists can take in the sights and sounds of the borough.
Ealing will be transformed into a cyclists’ paradise complete with a festival area and roaming entertainment along an 11.4km route that takes riders from Lammas Park, up Uxbridge Road onto Sutherland Road and back again.
Hanwell Clock, Ealing Town Hall and Ealing Common are some of the sites that cyclists will be able to take in on the day. Six guided rides, led by experienced cyclists, will bring participants to the route start point from the neighbouring boroughs of Hounslow, Hillingdon, Hammersmith, Harrow, Brent and Richmond.
Lammas Park, which was used for grazing cattle during in medieval times will be the central entertainment and rest area for cyclists. Riders will also pass Pitzhanger Manor House which is now a local museum and can take time out for a break to walk among the rose garden and wildlife pond at Walpole Park behind Pitzhanger Manor House.
Sky Ride events across the country are being backed by a line-up of celebrities and pro-cyclists. British track and road rider Joanna Rowsell will be attending the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Ealing. She won gold medals in the women's team pursuit at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships.
Team Sky riders will also be attending including Pete Kennaugh, Lars Petter Nordhaug, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This is London’s year of cycling and I’m delighted that we’re going to be bringing this great event to the queen of the suburbs. Sky Ride is a fantastic opportunity for everyone – no matter what age or cycling ability - to experience the joy of cycling on a car free route and celebrate the cleanest, greenest, easiest way of getting about town. A real cycling revolution is taking place in the capital and I want to say to Ealing residents that there has never been a better time to give pedal power a punt."
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, Ealing Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “The Sky Ride is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to enjoy the best Ealing has to offer. Safe, traffic-free routes and parks a plenty will welcome thousands on this spectacular Sky Ride. I would encourage everyone to come along and join in; cycling is fun and healthy and this is a great opportunity for beginners to see how easy and enjoyable it is.”
Corin Dimopoulos Sky’s Director of Cycling said, “We hope people across London, not just from Ealing, will attend the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Ealing to enjoy a great day out for the whole family on traffic-free roads. After the success of the event last year in Hounslow which 11,000 people attended, our aim is to get even more people in London dusting off their bikes and taking part in the cycling events this summer in Ealing, Redbridge and central London.”
The event is part of a series of initiatives in London during what the Mayor has dubbed London’s ‘Year of Cycling’, including Transport for London's delivery of landmark cycle superhighways and cycle hire projects, and the return of the central London Mayor of London’s Sky Ride on 5 September, which is set to be the biggest mass participation cycling event ever held in the capital.
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