Big pedal on for school-based race

ShareThis

A great initiative by sustainable transport charity Sustrans and bicycle industry group The Bicycle Association is aiming to give children a thirst for cycling.

Sustrans, with funding from the Bicycle Association via its Bike Hub levy, is organising a bike race for children with a difference called The Big Pedal to coincide with Bike to School Week (21st – 25th March).

Stage Race

Over three weeks, children from schools all over the UK will, like the Tour de France, compete with each other on different stages including time trials, sprint stages and hill climb stages.

Children of course won’t actually be completing stage races as such but the more children that cycle in to school for their given educational establishment on any given day while The Big Pedal race is on, the quicker the time their school will get for that stage. The winning school is the one that gets the lowest time overall over the three weeks of the race.

The Big Pedal 2011 is open to any school within the UK, and it is free to take part. Schools can sign up to take part in the entire three week challenge, or register for a special one-day stage that will take place in the last week of the race. The Big Pedal starts on March 7 and ends Match 25.

Prizes

First prize for the national winners is a display from the M.A.D cycle stunt team. National runners up win a Minipod bike and scooter storage system worth over £1,000 for their school.

Last year, 408 schools from across the UK competed completing a total of 288,201 journeys with approximately 461,121 miles pedalled.

The Big Race has a website if parents, teachers and schools want to register or want more information – http://thebigpedal.org.uk/