• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

38,000 Cyclists Join Hovis London Freewheel

September 23, 2007 - Staff

More than 38,000 cyclists took part in the Hovis London Freewheel cycling event in London today in a massive show of pedal power.

Described by organisers as the largest mass participation cycle ride the capital has ever seen, tens of thousands of riders passed some of London’s most iconic sights including the London Eye and Buckingham Palace on a 14km route free of other traffic.

A Freewheel Festival in St James’s Park also saw tens of thousands of people gather for a celebration of cycling which included a Hovis picnic, cycling acrobatics, a cycling circus and BMX, mountain and trail bike stunts.

Mayor Ken Livingstone and Transport for London have expressed the hope that the event will encourage more Londoners to cycle in the capital especially those who have a bike but use it infrequently.

According to the Mayor’s office he number of cyclists on London’s major roads has grown by 83 per cent over the past seven years however Mr Livingstone wants to increase this even further. It is estimated that 40 per cent of Londoners have access to a bike, but only five per cent use one regularly.

Mr Livingstone described the event as “an incredible success, with more than 38,000 cyclists taking over the capital.”
“Today has been a highly visible endorsement for the growth of cycling in London. Record investment in training and facilities has seen cycling soar by 83 per cent since 2000 – more than any other city in Europe.”

:”ycling is good for you and good for the environment. Having taken part in the Hovis London Freewheel, I hope people will find that cycling regularly in London is easier than they thought. I have asked my staff to bring me an analysis of what worked this year and a proposal on a bigger event for next year.”

The Mayor’s Green Transport Advisor and Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones said “this is the biggest celebration by London cyclists we have ever seen. It has been such a success that we will have to think seriously about making it much bigger next year, just to keep up with demand. This kind of event shows how London could become a healthier, less polluted city if this number of cyclists took to the streets in their local  area on daily basis.”

Tim Dewey of Hovis said his company were “delighted to be the lead sponsor of the first Hovis London Freewheel. At Hovis we are passionate about great tasting, wholesome food and an active lifestyle, which is why we are excited to be part of this event. People today have clearly had a great day.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Tagged With: Cycling

RECENT UPDATES

Tube and rail users to benefit from Oyster weekly fares cap

Mayor and TfL call on ministers to help plug funding gap

Tube to get full mobile phone coverage from 2024

TfL says Direct Vision Standard is already making HGVs safer for London road users




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.