Join the Cycle Winchester mass ride, Saturday May 12th

[If you are visiting to find details of our latest mass ride, on 15th December 2018, you can find them here.]

On the morning of Saturday May 12th 2018, we invite you to join us on a mass ride, in the form of a ‘bike train’, bringing riders from pick-up points around the city to converge on the central one-way system for a processional lap or two, before finishing at Abbey Gardens for a short celebratory gathering. Rides start at 10:00 and we anticipate the event finishing at around 12:00.

Why are we riding?

Our aim is to get more people cycling, more often. As part of newly-launched Cycle Winchester, we celebrate the joy of cycling: a convenient, healthy and inexpensive way to get around Winchester, which reduces congestion, pollution and makes Winchester a better place to live, work and visit. The ride will help create a vision of a better Winchester, where a critical mass of cyclists makes cycling safer and more enjoyable. Cycle Winchester will also tackle the issues that deter people from cycling, such as: lack of protected cycling routes, lack of bike parking, road layouts that don’t cater well for cyclists, shortage of training schemes to give people the skills and confidence to cycle safely.

Is anyone welcome to join the ride?

Yes! The route will be about 2-3 miles long and ridden at a very easy-pace! We welcome cyclists young and old; in fact anyone who has a roadworthy bike is welcome – just check brakes and tyres before setting off! The ride will take place on open roads, but there will be experienced cyclists marshalling the group for safety.

Our vision

• A critical mass of cyclists on the road which helps to make cycling safer by creating an environment where the city streets are genuinely shared spaces. Car drivers start to modify their driving habits as cyclists become a significant presence on the roads, not a series of frustrating minor obstructions.
• A possible ‘Bike Train’ with one or two defined routes and times into Winchester city centre at the weekend that cyclists can join for companionship, safety and fun! This is especially aimed at those who currently wouldn’t make such a journey because it is an unattractive and/or scary proposition.
• Key cycling routes into the city are regularly used by large numbers of cyclists. They become ‘development’ routes where the City Council has every incentive to direct funding to improve the cycling experience.

How do I sign up?

There’s no obligation to sign up in advance, but sign up to our Facebook event here to keep up to date with news about the ride and to give us an idea of attendance.

Where can I join the ride?

Rides will depart at 10:00 from the three locations listed below. Each will briefly stop 10-15 minutes later at a second pick-up location, before proceeding to the City Centre for two optional loops of the one-way system. Download full details here.

• Route A: Kings Worthy (Springvale Road shops) at 10:00, with pick-up stop at Headbourne Worthy (top of Bedfield Lane).
• Route B: Harestock (Prior’s Dean Road shops) at 10:00, with pick-up stop at Weeke (Stoney Lane/Stockbridge Road).
• Route C: Badger Farm (Meadow Way) at 10:00, with pick-up stop at Stanmore (Cromwell Road shops).

Follow the links for detailed route descriptions and precise location of meeting points.

Main photo by Carlo Müller under a Creative Commons licence.