Davina McCall to attend first ever Sky Ride event in Liverpool

British Cycling and Sky, in partnership with Liverpool City Council, are today delighted to announce that Davina McCall will be attending Sky Ride Liverpool on Sunday 7 September.  In what promises to be a momentous year for cycling in the UK, much-loved TV presenter and Sky 1’s Got to Dance host is a passionate cyclist and is supporting this year’s Sky Ride campaign. Davina will join thousands of cyclists, of all ages and abilities, at Liverpool’s first ever Sky Ride Big Bike Event. Liverpudlians will get the chance to enjoy a fun day cycling a traffic-free route through their city with their friends and family. There will be huge festival atmosphere with a whole host of activities and entertainment throughout the day both on and off their bike.

Sky Ride is a national campaign between Sky and British Cycling encouraging thousands of people of all ages and abilities to get on a bike and discover the fun, freedom and health benefits cycling can offer.  There has never been a better time to be inspired to get on a bike as excitement for cycling reached fever pitch this week when an unprecedented four million fans lining the first three stages of the Tour de France.  There are even more events to look forward to with the Commonwealth Games in July and Tour of Britain also starting in Liverpool on the 7th of September.

Sky Ride Ambassador Davina McCall commented: “I’ve been a mad keen cyclist for ages and I reckon what Sky and British Cycling have done to help transform cycling in the last few years is really amazing. I’m so pleased to be supporting this year’s Sky Ride campaign... brace yourself Liverpool... my first Sky Ride event is with you in September!!”

Tricia Thompson, Sky’s Director of Cycling said: “We’re excited to have Davina on board as an ambassador and attending the first Sky Ride Big Bike Event in Liverpool. She is a huge cycling fan and it’s hard not to be inspired by her passion for the sport as she’s experienced the benefits first-hand. Cycling in the UK has transformed in the last few years with more than a million more Brits now cycling regularly as a result of Sky’s partnership with British Cycling.  Together we want to inspire people to get out on their bikes and enjoy cycling, whether for a sport, a hobby or as a way to get fit”

Liverpool’s Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for culture and tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “It’s fantastic news that such a household name like Davina is going to have her first Sky Ride experience in Liverpool.

“She is a great ambassador, and is the perfect example of someone who not only undertakes amazing sporting challenges, but also promotes the endless benefits of being fit and healthy.

“With the Tour of Britain’s Grand Depart taking place on the same day, it’s set to be an unforgettable event and we look forward to giving her a warm scouse welcome.” 

Sky Ride Big Bike Events give thousands of people the chance to ride their bikes safely on traffic-free streets in the heart of major cities and towns across the country, whilst Sky Ride Local guided rides give cyclists the chance to explore their local area through a series of rides led by British Cycling trained ride leaders. To date over 750,000 people have taking part in free Sky Ride events and guided rides across the UK in the last five years.

This year there are fourteen Sky Ride Big Bike Events taking place across the UK and 2,500 local guided rides running every Sunday across the summer. For those who want to create groups and organise their own rides completely free there’s Ride Social. There are also events tailored specially for women with Breeze, which is British Cycling’s biggest initiative ever to get more women into riding bikes for fun. There are 200 guided rides every week as well as Breeze Challenge Events taking place in October (5th  12th) which will offer a 50km and a longer 100km bike ride for women seeking an accessible introduction to riding more challenging distances.

Find a bike ride near you and sign-up for Sky Ride Liverpool www.goskyride.com

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For further information

Liverpool City Council

Sky

Tiffini Winn

BSKYB - Product & Brand PR

0207 032 2572

Tiffini.Winn@bskyb.com

Notes to Editor

SKY RIDE BIG BIKE RIDES

Newcastle - 2nd August

Manchester - 3rd August

Sheffield - 10th August

Hull - 17th August

Leicester - 24th August

Ipswich - 31st August

Liverpool - 7th September

York - 16th September

Coventry - 21st September

Bradford - 28th September

The following Sky Ride Big Bike Events have already taken place between May- June in Plymouth, Bolton, Leeds and Southampton which has seen a total of over 27,000 take part.

ABOUT BRITISH CYCLING

British Cycling is the national governing body for cycling as recognised by the UCI – the international federation for the sport. Based in Manchester at the National Cycling Centre, British Cycling works across all levels and six disciplines of the sport (BMX, Mountain Bike, Cyclo-Cross, Road, Track and Cycle Speedway), from providing the support and encouragement people need to get riding their bikes for the first time, to being home to the hugely successful Great Britain Cycling Team. Continued success at the highest level is inspiring a boom in participation across the nation. There have never been more opportunities to ride a bike, be it for fun or sport, and British Cycling is at the heart of this growth. British Cycling also works hard to represent cyclists’ interests at all levels, including campaigning on important issues including road safety. As a membership organisation, British Cycling provides a suite of benefits and support to its members who currently number over 89,000. All membership revenue is invested back into cycling. British Cycling was named Governing Body of the Year at the 2013 Sports Industry Awards. 

For more information visit www.britishcycling.org.uk

ABOUT SKY AND CYCLING

• Sky is British Cycling’s principle partner and for the last five years has transformed cycling in the UK from grassroots participation through to elite performance. 
• Over one million more people are now cycling regularly as a result of the partnership and the success of British riders and Team Sky on the global stage has helped propel the sport into the nation’s consciousness.
• At a grassroots level Sky and British Cycling’s flagship national campaign Sky Ride encourages thousands of people of all ages and abilities to get on a bike and discover the benefits cycling can offer. 
• Together our aim is to inspire the nation to become fans of cycling and get the people of Britain out on their bikes cycling regularly at least once a month.
• To find out more and register for an event visit: www.goskyride.com