Manchester Cycling in the Rain

On Sunday it was all about cycling and escaping downpours. First off we went to The National Cycling Centre in Manchester where Aunty Bird was having a taster session riding the velodrome track.

For a tenner you have an hour's adrenaline rush of riding around, gathering speed and getting as high up the banked cycle track as you can. I thought it looked pretty scary and an ashen Aunty Bird informed us that the bikes have no brakes as she whizzed around! Thankfully she did eventually come to a stop and we carried on to take a look at the Manchester Sky Ride event - a nationwide campaign to get more people cycling.



An 11km stretch of Manchester was traffic-free so the cyclists had the all the fun of the roads. There were all sorts of people and their trusty bikes - dogs sat in front baskets, bikes were decorated with flowers, children sat in bike trailers or alongside mum and dad on their first ever bicycle.

 Sir Chris Hoy the champion track cyclist was there signing Sky Ride bibs.

The main hub with cafes and entertainment was set in Manchester's Castlefield area, full of trendy eateries, old converted warehouses, waterways and the Museum of Science and Industry.

Whilst here I found out about a new biking network for women called Breeze who organise social rides for making new friends and having a cup of coffee afterwards. You can search on the website for your nearest meet up.