On yer bike! Sky Ride returns to Plymouth this Sunday

Plymouth is once again kicking off the cycling season with its second big Sky Ride city event taking place in Central Park. Last year 7,000 people took to their bikes to enjoy the sunny extravaganza on Plymouth Hoe and we hope as many will join us again.

Sky Ride Plymouth is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy traffic free paths by bike with family and friends. At 10am the two mile circular off road route will be opened by Plymouth Lord Mayor and local pro cyclist Jonathan Tiernan-Locke of Team Sky.

Jonathan headed up the Great Britain cycling team at the 2012 World Championships and has a number of high profile wins under his belt, including the 2012 Tour Mediterraneen, Tour du Haut Var, Tour Alsace and Tour of Britain.

There’s more than just a bike ride to enjoy at Plymouth’s second Sky Ride. A whole host of free activities and entertainment will be on offer in beautiful Central Park, so don’t miss it!

The ride will start at the Clock Tower, Central Park before heading off past the Plymouth Argyle grounds. The route will then pass near the Plymouth Life Centre before heading through the park past the pitch and putt green and returning to the Clock Tower.

The route

The route will be open from 10am to 4pm and you can join the route at any point and ride it as many times as you like, don’t forget to pick up your free Sky Ride bib and route map.

Entertainment

Once you’ve enjoyed riding the Sky Ride route or if you’ve just come to soak up the atmosphere check out some of the day’s amazing free entertainment.

There will be world class professional stunt cyclists performing unique displays and tricks on BMX which will amaze and inspire all who watch. For the more energetic try your hand at Rollapaluza, a unique cycle sport where contestants battle it out on a pair of custom-built rollers reaching speeds in excess of 50mph!

Want to know more about your bike? Take part in one of the days hands on workshops, or if you don’t fancy getting dirty technicians will be on hand with tips and advice leaving Dr Bike to fix your bike for you.

Under-16s can test their cycling skills with Go-Ride racing. There’s no need to register in advance and you don't need any special kit – just turn up on the day and look for the Go-Ride area!

There’s fun for all the family with ‘Bling your Bike’, bike Jousting and crazy bike tryouts.

The entertainments programme is available to download below for you to read more about the other exciting free activities and to help plan your Sky Ride experience, it also tells you where you’ll find Jonathan Tiernan-Locke throughout the day

There are several ways to get to the biggest cycling event in Plymouth this weekend including a guided bike ride.

Getting there

People are encouraged to plan their journeys due to the closure of a section of Outland Road.

Social cycling groups have been set up to guide groups of cyclists to the event for those who want to leave the car at home.

These rides are graded easy and suitable for all ages and abilities. They are led by qualified British Cycling group ride leaders and a PCSO.

Each ride will leave at 9.15am to get to Central Park in time for the 10am start of Sky Ride. They will leave from Royal William Yard, Coypool Park and Ride and the children’s play area on the corner of the Marine Academy Trevithick Road and Newton Avenue.

To ensure there are enough ride leaders it is recommended that people book onto the social rides by visiting www.goskyride.com/plymouth and clicking on the ‘Find a Ride’ tab.

For those travelling to the event by car, free car parking will be available at the Milehouse Park and Ride. Public transport routes can be planned by visiting www.travelinesw.com.

For more information about Sky Ride or to book onto the event go to www.plymouth.gov.uk/skyride or www.goskyride.com/plymouth.