Welcome to Leicester
Leicester is a great place to cycle, and now there are even more opportunities to get out and about on your bike in the area.
This year Leicester is hosting a big Sky Ride City event, a series of friendly neighbourhood Sky Ride Local rides, Breeze bike rides for women, and more. They’re all free to join, and it’s easy to register.
Join us for a fantastic traffic-free ride through Leicester where everyone's invited.
Sky Ride Local rides are fun, free community bike rides that offer a great way of getting out and exploring your local area and meeting like-minded people.
The Breeze network from British Cycling is looking for more inspirational Breeze champions. You don't have to be an expert cyclist, just enthusiastic and enjoy riding your bike! Our one day course will provide you with all the leadership skills you need to help get more women on a bike!
Clubs
British Cycling can help you find a club that’s right for you. Use the club finder to find a club near you. There are some great cycling clubs in Leicester who will be happy for you to come along and ride with them.
Leicester Cycle Speedway Club
Contact: Tim Jarvis
01530 813741
crusher@webleicester.co.uk
Leicester Forest Cycling Club
Contact: Ian Nutt
07970 911638
yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah@gmail.com
Leicester Road Club
Contact: Mat Ryder
07971 505075
Mat.ryder@live.com
Leicester Hand Cycle Club
Contact: Jig Vaidya
Jignesh.vaidya@bbc.co.uk
Welland Valley Cycle Club
Contact: Dean Barnett
01858 434821
Deanbarnettuk@yahoo.com
Western Park Freeriders
Contact: Matt Hassell
info@westernparkfreeriders.co.uk
Facilities
The Leicester Bike Park provides free, secure indoor cycle parking along with showers, changing facilities and lockers. Information is available on a variety of cycling-related topics including cycle maintenance sessions, touring maps, training sessions and local clubs. Check out the Bike Park website.
Leicester City Council offers fantastic training opportunities to help you to get more cycle confidence. Find out more.
Support
Ride Leicester is a partnership led by Leicester City Council which aims to get more people cycling safely more often. It’s a partnership of projects and organisations supporting cycling across the city and currently includes British Cycling, Cyclist Touring Club, Sustrans, Groundwork, Future Cycles, Cyclemagic, Spokes and cycling clubs across Leicester.
Ride Leicester promotes and supports a range of Leicester's festivals and events by providing services aimed at increasing the numbers of cyclists, while helping to make Leicester greener and more sustainable. In 2011 the Ride Leicester team provided secure bike parking, bike tryouts, BMX displays, rickshaw services and a mobile bike workshop at some of the city’s most popular festivals.
For more information contact cycle-city@leicester.gov.uk or call 0116 252 7000.
Where to ride
There's a wealth of brilliant cycling routes both in the city and further afield. Leicester and Leicestershire are covered by a series of six cycling maps which link together and which are available free from the Bike Park in Town Hall Square. They can also be downloaded here.
Rutland Water: a circular 25 mile route around the reservoir. Cycle hire available. Mainly off-road trails, ideal for families.
Bradgate Park: an historic park ideal for families, with largely flat terrain through the centre of the park.
Watermead County Park: beauty spot close to city centre with secluded spots, lake and wooded paths.
National Forest: a 60-hectare former open-cast coal site which has been transformed with extensive tree planting and the creation of lakes, interlinked with a series of paths which forms part of the National Forest. There's also a newly created BMX trail and cycle centre for special needs.
National Cycle Network
Leicestershire is blessed with no fewer than four National Cycle Network routes, Brampton Valley Way being perhaps its most well known family cycling trail. The city of Leicester itself is well served by a comprehensive network of signposted routes. In addition there are BMX opportunities at the recently completed Rally Park or for the more adventurous, check out the trail at Western Park.
