On Yer Bike: Cycling in the Northwest

Whether you mingle in cycling circles or not, it’s hard to ignore that 2014 is a big year for the sport: as the Tour de France takes over our Northern towns, bicycle cafés are cropping up in cities, and there are even festivals positioning the beautiful bike as their raison d’etre. So what’s propelled the growth of interest, and how do we make the move to mountain biking extraordinaire?

Eliza-Lee Farrington, of bicycle café MaryMary in Liverpool, believes the increase in cyclists on the road in recent years is a response to the social climate: "People needed to be smarter with their money," she comments. "It’s become necessary.” The cafe opened earlier this year and Farrington sees its presence as part of the movement to grow cycling in Liverpool: “Working alongside local communities we want to make the public/motorists aware of cycling,” she says, and cites other “big cycling cities” such as Berlin, London and Amsterdam as inspiration.

Andy Tucker from BikeRight! similarly sees Europe as inspiration: “While the UK government has started to invest more heavily in cycling and cycling infrastructure it's a drop in the ocean to what other European governments invest.” According to British Cycling, the national governing body for cycling, countries like the Netherlands invest the equivalent of £23 per person into the activity, while ‘England outside the capital still spends less than £2 per head.’

---

"The freedom you can get combined with the exercise is unrivalled" – James Dillon

---

Schemes like BikeRight! – partially funded by local councils – with centres in Manchester, Merseyside and Warrington go some way towards addressing this imbalance and have helped nearly 4000 people over four years get back on their bikes. Tucker is keen to stress, however, that if you’re to make the transition to competitive racing, you’ll have work ahead of you: “Road racing is about endurance, muscle memory and conditioning, whereas mountain biking requires these plus strength, fast reactions and technical skills to help overcome trail obstacles,” he says.

A middle ground is perhaps presented in the inaugural L’Eroica Britannia, a ‘vintage cycle and lifestyle festival’ taking place 20-22 June across the Peak District. The festival, founded in Italy, offers attendees a choice of three routes, ranging between 30 and 100 miles. Tim Hubbard, one of the organisers, sees it as an opportunity "to tell... the incredible stories of British cycling that many may not know.”

But you don’t have to rely on new-wave festivals to experience our lush countryside by bike: in the Northwest we're ideally placed to venture into the rocky highs of the Lake District. Will Lake, a regular mountain biker, moved from York to Hebden Bridge so that he could be closer to a better selection of biking trails: “The Pennines and Lake District both offer a great range of challenging terrain criss-crossed with natural trails offering stunning views,” he says. The Lakes can offer something for the more hardcore among us, though Lake warns that it might not be for everyone: “The high mountain passes make excellent trails, but you need to be able to navigate and be prepared for unpredictable weather and the chance of punctures or technical problems.” He notes that popular areas in this neck of the woods include the man-made trails at Grizedale and Whinlatter Forests, though his preference is to “ride natural trails on the big mountains, stringing together loops in areas like Helvellyn, Buttermere, Borrowdale and Grasmere. The Borrowdale Bash is a popular ‘classic’ route featuring rocky trails, big climbs and beautiful Lakeland scenery.”

If the isolation of riding doesn’t appeal, there are plenty of sportives that offer the safety of your fellow cyclist. The Manchester 100 Bike Ride (31 August), setting off from the National Cycling Centre, takes you through either 100 kilometres or 100 miles of Cheshire countryside. James Dillon, past – and future – participant, loves the adventure the rides offer: “The freedom you can get combined with the exercise is unrivalled.”

If you’d prefer to take part in something a little more DIY, Dillon recommends a trip to Macclesfield via Poynton. (Liverpool-based readers might want to catch a train to Poynton, rather than cycle all the way!) “I’d say this is a must-do on most cyclists' lists. It’s long, but a steady gradient so not too bad, and 50 miles per hour is no problem on the descent. The Climb from Alderley Edge Village up to the Wizard pub is another popular challenge too. There's a side road leading on to this climb called Swiss Hill, which is a nasty little cobbled climb. This is very popular and seen as a real test with it being the closest you can get to the cobbled climbs of Flanders.”

It would appear, then, that while we may look to our European neighbours for inspiration, here in the Northwest we can pedal smug in the knowledge that we’ve an enviable array of rides to choose from.