Sky Rides return to 12 cities for final year

Redvee wrote:

Lst year I got caught up in the Bristol Sky Ride on my commute to work and had all the young kids overtaking me obviously going for Strava KoMs and it'll be the same this year.

I highly doubt there was anyone going for KoMs given the complete lack of Ms...

Nice late time to start to work though, normal commute must be pretty relaxed.

hawkinspeter wrote:

It's a shame that the Bristol Sky Ride replaced what was previously known as Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride. They reduced the length of the ride massively which effectively made it far more focussed on kids/families whereas previously there was a choice of about four different routes with the longest being around 40 miles (if memory serves). I don't mind encouraging kids/families, but it was nice to have a much wider range of abilities all cycling on the same day.

I agree with this. The original Bristol's biggest big ride showed how this type of event can be done so well if the local council try (a legacy of the cycling city project). I guess they had to cut costs and go for the cheaper sponsored option. At least this year's skyride is longer following the feedback but still not a patch on BBBR.

Rhode_Long wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

It's a shame that the Bristol Sky Ride replaced what was previously known as Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride. They reduced the length of the ride massively which effectively made it far more focussed on kids/families whereas previously there was a choice of about four different routes with the longest being around 40 miles (if memory serves). I don't mind encouraging kids/families, but it was nice to have a much wider range of abilities all cycling on the same day.

I agree with this. The original Bristol's biggest big ride showed how this type of event can be done so well if the local council try (a legacy of the cycling city project). I guess they had to cut costs and go for the cheaper sponsored option. At least this year's skyride is longer following the feedback but still not a patch on BBBR.

Apparently this year you can ride on closed roads from Millennium Square to Bridge Valley Road. And you can do it as many times as you like!

The year before it became a Sky Ride I did closed roads from Millennium Square out halfway along the Portway, then on the cycle path and up over the M5 bridge, then through Pill and Portbury and up to Tyntesfield, then out the other side and back along Festival Way. The Tyntesfield Twenty, twenty miles. Fun, even in the rain.

Hey-Ho, but now I can ride to Bridge Valley Road and back again (or, as I like to call it, the boring bit of my daily commute...).

KiwiMike wrote:

"the events’ aims were achieved"

 

Aims must have included:

1. That the only place considered suitable for cycling is a closed road, and that this will be offered to you once a year on  a Sunday morning when the important motorists aren't about

2. Giving the general public the impression that cycling on a closed road at 5MPH is such a horrifically dangerous activity that you need body armour to do so

3. Give the public the impression that sharing said closed roads with other non-motorised road users requires you to dress in garb appropriate for 70MPH highway workers

4. To further indoctrinate our children and parents that it's a dangerous world, best kept at arm's length with a pay-TV subscription from your benevolent friends at Newscorp.

 

UK cities love Skyrides. Boxes ticked: Cycling encouraged, Children active, Adults active, pollution reduced, active travel top of the agenda.

(never mind the other 364.5 days)

 

Stockholm Syndrome much eh UK?

My thoughts too.

But it's a great bit of marketing Sky for and good publicity for hi-viz and helmet manufacturers (though I see that some helmetless psychopaths have crept into the image. Can't they be photoshopped?). Look at all the yellow sheep, baaaaa!