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British Cycling has announced Trek as the organisation’s new community bike partner, which will see 500 new bikes provided to grow and diversify community participation across the country.
The organisation expects that the bikes will benefit more than 40,000 riders each year, with the majority supporting activity for children and young people, providing opportunities for them to learn new skills and build up their confidence.
Jon Dutton, British Cycling CEO, said: “Our Community Coaches do brilliant work to help people from all different backgrounds to build up their confidence, develop new skills and discover the joy of cycling.
“We’re incredibly thankful to Trek for their support over the next three years and look forward to working with them to widen access to the sport in communities across the country.”
The partnership announcement follows a pilot project delivered by British Cycling and Trek in Sheffield in 2022, which saw the two organisations deliver mountain bike skills sessions across eight schools in the city.
The pilot reached more than 3,000 young people, with five teachers receiving training to continue delivering sessions in the future.
This three-year partnership will support the work of British Cycling’s network of community coaches, and the growth of the city academies programme, which launched in 2021 with the Rapha Foundation to create new pathways into the sport for riders from diverse ethnic communities and lower socio-economic groups.
Following the launch in London, with the support of Sport England the programme was this year extended to the West Midlands, with city hubs now operational in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley.
Helen Guesford, Trek’s UK marketing manager, added: “This programme and the Community Coaches network reduces boundaries to accessing bikes whilst developing cycling skills and confidence to open the world of cycling to everyone, whatever the background or skill level.
“We are excited to join forces with British Cycling to help this initiative grow, and ultimately inspire children, young people and communities to cycle and discover the countless benefits it has to offer.”
British Cycling’s community coaches are based across local partnerships in Colchester, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield and the West Midlands.
The partnerships are a key part of British Cycling’s work to tackle inequalities in cycling and get more people on bikes, in tandem with support of Sport England.
