BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The Bike Show RIDE was launched yesterday at the London Hilton, Park Lane by Lord Heseltine and sports presenters Sasha Upton and Diana Binks, Ison rep (and newspaper bike icon) Kelli Salone, and page three model Leilani Dowding, Miss Great Britain in 1998.
The first ride takes place on 27 April 2003 with six different starting points – London, Oxford, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Birmingham City centre. All routes end at the NEC, Birmingham.
20 000 entrants are expected in year one, each paying £21, with proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. The rides will be coordinated by Cycle Rides Ltd. of Bath, the same company that organises the London to Brighton mass-participation ride which gets 27 000 riders a year.
There is no expectation that the riders on the new rides will enter Haymarket’s show but many of those meeting the cyclists at the NEC may do so.
Haymarket’s The Bike Show takes place between 25th and 27th April.
Gavin Brown, MD of Haymarket Exhibitions, organisers of The Bike Show RIDE and The Bike Show said:
“The Bike Show RIDE is intended to become the world’s biggest charity bike ride with 60,000 riders and twelve start points by spring 2007 with a target of raising £5m per annum for the British Heart Foundation. We are particularly grateful to the British Heart Foundation for their support and expertise in this area and we look forward in return to raising a lot of money for the charity.”
The Bike Show RIDE will start from:
Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham – 45 miles
Markeaton Park, Derby – 65 miles
Oxpens Meadow, Oxford – 70 miles
Wythenshawe Park, Manchester – 106 miles
Norfolk Heritage Park, Sheffield – 90 miles
Gunnersbury Park, London – 120 miles
TARZAN AND JANE = Lord Heseltine and Kelli Salone.
