27th May 2008

Get on your bike for
DUSTY BIKE DAY!

When was the last time you rode your bike? Well if it’s longer ago than you care to admit Dusty Bike Day on Sunday 8th June is just for you. The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership and Cycling & Touring Club Farnborough are inviting people to get out their bikes and come
along to Lakeside Nature Reserve for a 7-mile led cycle ride along the Blackwater Valley Path. 

• Not sure about your bike?
  Don’t worry The Atomic Bike Company of Aldershot will be
  at the start to check bikes
  out to ensure they’re safe.
• Not sure about the distance? Don’t worry. There’s a refreshment stop at the half-way point and if anyone finds the ride too daunting there will be a trailer to take bike and rider back to the starting point.
• Not sure about the route? Don’t worry the ride will be led by an experienced  cyclist from the CTC Farnborough, part of CTC North Hampshire.
• Not sure about traffic? Don’t worry, the 7-mile route - that’s 3½ miles to the refreshment point then 3½ miles back the same way to the start - follows the Blackwater Valley Path and is Safe2Cycle, it’s virtually all off-road, although there are a couple of places where the path crosses a road and riders will need to be careful.

So why’s Dusty Bike Day? Well everyone is welcome to come along, although the ride is primarily aimed at all those people who have a bike in their garage or shed but rarely ever use it.  We hope this event  will prompt them to get out their bikes, dust them down and join us to rediscover the delights of cycling. The route follows part of an eight-mile stretch of the Blackwater Valley Path with a multi-user surface, making it particularly suitable for bikes, as well as buggies and wheelchairs. 

Interested? Then come along to Lakeside Nature Reserve car park off Lakeside Road, Ash, grid ref: SU 888 517 around 10am and get your bike checked out first. The actual ride starts at 10.30am. For more details ring 01252 331353. This event is just one of many taking place as part of Cycle Hampshire 2008, for more details visit www.hants.gov.uk/cyclehampshire

END

For more information contact: Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331353.

 NOTES

• CTC Farnborough is part of CTC North Hampshire. They organise rides and other events to suit all abilities of cyclist, both on and off road. Visitors and non-members are welcome – it costs nothing to join the majority of our rides but regular riders are expected to be members of the CTC. For more details visit their website  www.nhampshirectc.org.uk
   
• The Atomic Bike Company was born in August 2004, run by CyTech qualified staff with over 16 years experience in the cycle trade. They can be found at 8 Union Street, Aldershot GU11 1EG selling bikes and biking accessories, although most of the stuff they sell is also found on their website, www.atomicbike.co.uk. The shop is open Monday-Friday: 9am- 6 pm; Saturday: 9am-5.30pm; closed Sunday. Tel:  01252 331400.
   
• Cycle Hampshire 2008 is a festival of cycling events taking place across Hampshire over the summer. A booklet called Summer of Cycling listing all the events is available from : Access Development Officer (Cycling), Hampshire County Council, Mottisfont Court, High Street, Winchester Hants SO23 8ZF. Or visit www.hants.gov.uk/cyclehampshire