With the Tour de France on its way, it’s safe to say that cycling in Yorkshire is really taking off. Charity Streetbikes have been raising money for wheelchair bikes, trikes and handcycles so that people of all abilities can enjoy cycling. Streetbikes is a project to boost cycling in the Kirklees area. They take unwanted bikes and refit them to give more people the chance to cycle.
A Streetbikes spokesperson, Gill Greaves said “the bikes have the potential to bring people of all abilities together for a major cycling festival she’s organising next year”.
Gill said, “Our bicycle recycle scheme is delivered by asking local residents and the council refuse sites to donate unwanted bikes to us. We gave 600 bikes away in 2012 which we donated to members of the community who are not in a financial position to buy bikes for family members. We aim to encourage families to introduce regular cycling activities into their lives which will potentially encourage younger members to continue for years to come.”
Gill is organising a Community Tour de Yorkshire ride next May. This ride will involve a ride from Spen down the Greenway, picking up people from Dewsbury Moor, Chickenley, Savile Town, Ravensthorpe, the London Park estate in Mirfield, Deighton, Fartown, Huddersfield town centre, Dalton and coming into Huddersfield and from Colne Valley, Golcar Brockholes, Honley, Netherton and Walpole. This ride will end with a true community cycling festival at Huddersfield station.
This tour is set to take place just 2 months before the Tour de France passes through Huddersfield and the surrounding West Yorkshire areas. Here at Asgard we are certainly excited about all of the cycling activity in the local and surrounding areas and we are looking forward to the legacy that Tour de France will leave behind.
