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Report: Sky Ride Southampton

Event: 25th July 2010, Southampton

Photography By Luke Webber

Thousands of cyclists took over the boulevards and parklands of Southampton in the second weekend of the 2010 Sky Ride events.

With a mixture of traffic-free roads and sun-drenched parks, a near ten kilometre route skirted the city centre with plenty of opportunities to use the bike as a tool of discovery; from celebrity appearances by chef Jean Christophe Novelli and Olympic Gold Medallist Victoria Pendleton, to live music and performance.

Hoglands Park was the location of the entertainment village; the main starting point where riders could collect bibs, fuel up for the route and get their first taste for traffic free cycling.

And judging by the number of riders across the city there was a real taste developing! Mountain bikes, road bikes, commuters and even a unicycle rode out wheel to wheel across the day, with others joining from a variety of Skyride hubs situated in nearby suburbs.

As the ride moved seamlessly from one park to the next, there was a brief urban interlude along London Road, with cafes steadily filling up before riders passed onto the Avenue.

The main feeder-road into Southampton, the Avenue was taken over by cyclists who are normally served by the excellent dedicated cyclepaths on either side of the road and while continuing on the open tarmac would have been a novelty, the route was wisely diverted to Southampton Common - the biggest park of all in Southampton.

Above: Check out GoSkyRide's video from Southampton

A great place to relax on the expansive greens, or even explore off road beneath the trees, with play parks for the kids who still had energy to burn, the Common was the outer-reach of Sky Ride Southampton, before snaking back to the Avenue for more closed-road entertainment.

                       

At this point the route was all downhill, the whirring of freehubs in the summer air testament to that, and a second passing through the parks left many amazed at the amount of green space Southampton had, hidden between the usual urban fixtures.

With one lap complete, there was still time for more; although most chose to relax in their chosen park with an ice cream and while away an afternoon under the sun. Which was more than a good idea.

And here's what some of them had to say...

Luis Arnold - Southampton
"I really enjoyed it, was great to see so many cyclists surface on a Sunday! I thought the organisation was brilliant and I hope this is the start of many Sky Rides in and around Southampton!"

Alissa Knight - Southampton
"As someone who has not ridden properly for well over 10 years, the Sky Ride event in Southampton was perfect for building the confidence to get back on a bike again. It gave me the opportunity to get used to my new bike and riding on the roads without the added pressure of being surrounded by traffic. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was impressed with myself that I managed to make it twice round the 10k route; I think seeing the mix of people having a go really encourages you on. Great fun!"

Dan Beckett - Southampton
"I thought the Skyride event was a good idea, it got people out and about in a location they wouldn't normally ride. There was a big focus on family riding, which i've not really seen anywhere before. There wasn't any
pressure to race round, or a long registration process. It was all about cycling."