Pupils at a London primary school had a special guest teacher for the day as an Olympic legend led a British Cycling HSBC UK Go-Ride session with Evans Cycles.
Sir Chris Hoy led the session at Herne Hill Velodrome with Evans Cycles on Friday 20 April to show children the benefits of cycling and to encourage them to take to the saddle. The development programme focuses on fun, local cycling coaching sessions delivered in schools and communities for riders under-18. The sessions always take place in traffic-free areas and the emphasis is on regular, local and affordable activities to make it easy to keep coming back and create a hobby and passion for life.
Evans Cycles have been a partner of the scheme since it launched in 2015 and have recently donated a new fleet of bikes to the initiative - bringing the total of bikes donated to 1,500. Amongst the donated bikes, are a large number of HOY Bikes, which Evans Cycles developed with six-time Olympic Champion, Sir Chris Hoy.
Sir Chris said: “It’s great to be here with St Francis Primary School. I started out racing BMX at just seven years old and never looked back, I feel so lucky to be able to be pass on my skills and hope that British Cycling’s HSBC UK Go-Ride programme can help inspire young people across the country to take to the saddle.
"It’s great to see that the range of HOY bikes that I developed alongside Evans Cycles are being used by HSBC UK Go-Ride coaches across the country. Riding on a heavy bike as a child can be really tough. HOY bikes have been designed to be both lightweight, comfortable and made with child-friendly components, making the experience of riding a bike as easy as possible for a child.”
Claire Neillands, head of marketing at Evans Cycles added: “We are proud to be a partner of British Cycling’s HSBC Go-Ride programme, it’s a fantastic and important programme that is making cycling more accessible for children. With childhood obesity on the rise and more kids becoming hooked to screens, getting kids outside and riding has never been more relevant.
“We have worked closely with Sir Chris to develop a fantastic range of lightweight bikes for children to make riding easier. These are currently being used by British Cycling Go-Ride coaches round the country.”
Dave Ryan, HSBC UK Go-Ride coach for Greater London, said: “Through HSBC UK Go-Ride we provide coaching in schools, communities and clubs, helping thousands of children to enjoy the freedom of cycling and develop lifelong skills. What’s more, the programme provides an important stepping stone onto the Great Britain Cycling Team, with 85% of the current team starting out at a Go-Ride club. We’re thankful for the support of Evans Cycles, and the provision of HOY bikes, to help us take the HSBC UK Go-Ride programme from strength to strength.”
