Bike week brings group rides and funding workshops
Cyclists experienced and new have been invited to take part in a programme of events for Bike Week starting this Monday.
Organised by nationwide charity Cycling UK, the plans in Shetland include guided rides, a bike maintenance session and funding workshops for businesses and organisations hoping to access grants for bikes and storage.
Cycling UK’s development officer for Shetland, Andrew Campbell, said the week was primarily planned “to share the joy of cycling”.
“Cycling has loads of physical and mental health benefits, is an affordable way to travel and ultimately it’s great fun” he said.
“We want to support communities to become cleaner and greener and achieve that goal by helping more people walk, wheel and cycle for short everyday journeys.”
The week begins with a North Ness at noon on Monday that offers free bike safety checks provided by the Shetland Community Bike Project, a short guided ride and the chance to find out more about the range of free support available.
On Tuesday, cyclists can meet at Market House in the afternoon with two cycling advocates travelling up to the isles to kickstart a community effort to advance the conversation about cycling.
They will be discussing the Cycle Access Fund – a grant available in Shetland to support organisations interested in getting their members onto bikes. Mr Campbell also offers free e-bike loans for a month at a time.
“The idea is to bring together people who are interested affecting change in the local area,” said Mr Campbell, “better understanding what local issues are and addressing barriers to participation.”
A free bike maintenance session is available at the Clickimin Leisure Centre on Wednesday at noon. Another group ride is planned from Brae on Thursday.
Cycling reached a peak UK-wide during the pandemic and has gradually declined since then, according to statistics compiled by Cycling UK. The isles also come with their own challenges for would-be wheelers.
“Obviously, Shetland is windy and a wee bit hilly, so e-bikes can really enable more frequent cycling,” he said. “Anyone that tries an e-bike becomes an instant convert.”
Frequent cyclists will also know that Shetland is not rich in bike paths.
Under its active travel strategy Shetland Islands’ Council has promised a “pipeline of projects”, from a broader cycling strategy, to a feasibility study for a cycle path linking Lerwick to Scalloway.
“I feel as if the council are doing the best job that they can when it comes to developing routes,” said Mr Campbell.
“There is a lot of development work involved in the process and it can take a lot of time before building can happen.”
“Ultimately we want to help more people discover that cycling for short local journeys can not only be practical, but fun and good for you.”
A full programme for next week can be found here.
