My day at Sky Ride Manchester

In our guest blog this month Nina McArthur describes her journey from elite athlete to Sunday rider at Sky Ride Manchester.

Helmet and sunglasses on, bike at the ready, body poised for the start. Three, two, one and the horn sounded. My bike crossed the start line with thousands of others as we set off on the first lap. No, this wasn’t the Tour de France - this was Sky Ride Manchester. It wasn't full of ‘athletes’ in team kit on snazzy carbon racing bikes, there were tiny tots with stabilisers, regular commuters on fixies, bikes with baskets and BMXers all around, setting off for a morning of pedalling with family and friends.

Previously I was one of those 'athletes' often labelled as a ‘lycra lout’. Competing as a Junior Elite Triathlete until the age of seventeen, I had all the top quality gear, trained hard and had an impressive number of bikes. Now, I have Belle, a beautiful basic road bike and I like to pootle past nice scenery in my pink jersey for pure enjoyment. It just shows you don’t have to be a sportsman or women to cycle, you just need to own (or borrow!) a bike and pedal to your heart's content.

Sky Ride Manchester offered just that, the chance to have a stress free Sunday morning of cycling on a traffic-free route, for free. If anything can encourage people to get on a bike and ride, I thought this most definitely would. After having to give up elite sport due to ill health, I very much lost the love for exercise. Until realising earlier this year that it can just be as much fun to exercise in a social way without the pressure of needing to have a certain amount of fitness, costing a lot or committing to it every day.

'It was fantastic to see families enjoying an afternoon of exploring the city streets, without the usual Manchester mayhem.'

As I wandered over to the Manchester Velodrome, the home of British Cycling, I was amazed at what I saw. Hundreds of yellow Sky Ride vests waiting to set off around the 6 mile route. After picking up some free oranges for a pre-ride sugar boost, getting my bike serviced by Halfords, having a quick nosy at the BBQ (planning lunch already), I joined the back of the snaking line of bodies on bikes. I was surrounded by ladies on pink vintage bikes, BMX-ing youngsters, men on mountain bikes, hybrid commuters, road bikes like Belle, baby bikes and trikes. People from all walks of life giving Sky Ride a go! 

From the Velodrome, the route took us past Philips Park and onto the usually busy Alan Turing Way. Volunteers and Community Police were ensuring traffic didn't interfere with the ride, whilst reminding cyclists that they should obey the rules of the road too. Sky Ride clearly aims to give cyclists the chance to be free from worrying about traffic, whilst also trying to educate the young, old, amateur and experienced bike rider on looking and listening to ensure they can make the most of being on a bike.

The route then snaked down to Manchester Piccadilly Station across the tram lines on the edge of the city and back up towards the Etihad Stadium, where I didn't quite realise what awaited me. Entering the stadium I was overcome by an awesome atmosphere, groups gathering around picnic tables, ladies perusing the sports apparel on sale, whilst others enjoyed a coffee and some bike maintanence from Pop Up Bikes. I also got the chance to try out a hybrid bike with a basket on the front! Since getting back on my bike for fun I've been pondering the purchase of a more relaxed hybrid style bike. So for the grand sum of £5 I hired it out from Manchester Bike Hire for the rest of the day to ensure I got the full experience. What more encouragement could anyone without two wheels wish for?

It was fantastic to see families enjoying an afternoon of exploring the city streets without the usual Manchester mayhem, showing that all ages and abilities are able to jump on two wheels and ride. Whether it's commuting to work, a day out down the canal with the kids, pushing your skills or pootling around a park with friends, take these opportunities and get out into the fresh air. Sky Ride Manchester has certainly reinforced to me how positive a thing like riding a bike can be.

Nina started writing a blog to chart her return to the social side of triathlon. Along with expressing her own thoughts and feelings, she hopes the blog inspires and motivates people to take up a sport they love. Read more at Sink or swim...Nina's notes.

If you like the sound of Sky Ride Manchester check out where we're heading next:

Bradford – Sunday 11 August
Hull – Sunday 18 August
Torbay – Sunday 18 August
Leicester – Sunday 25 August