Bookings to open in Harrogate this Bank Holiday weekend for free cycling sessions

Kate Auld, founder of Harrogate-based firm The Personal Cyclist, said there would be blocks of three free sessions for beginners and improvers from early June.

"We want to help people make cycling part of their everyday lives,” said Kate who once appeared in Cycling UK's top100 Women in Cycling list.

"Working with local organisations, we can support people who might otherwise not have access to a working bike or feel intimidated a free opportunity to get their bikes checked over, build road confidence and meet like-minded people in a really relaxed, friendly atmosphere."

The initiative follows a new Cycling UK report showing that barriers to cycling have widened between men and women across every measure in the past seven years.

According to new research from Cycling UK, over half of women, 58%, believe their cycle journeys are limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure.

A successful writer and occasional triathlete, Kate Auld has made it her mission to break down the barriers to people taking up cycling.

The free sessions will take place in Leeds, as well as Harrogate.

In Harrogate, the courses will run on Friday mornings on June 5, 13 and 20.

The team will help everyone learn essential skills, become more bike confident and learn how and where to cycle.

There will also be two workshops in Harrogate on Saturday, June 21 to help parents and children ride together and more confidently together.

For adults in the wider Yorkshire area with suspected or diagnosed ADHD, there will be a three-week course on the traffic-free tarmac of the Brownlee Centre in North Leeds from 7-8pm on June 5,12 and 26.

The initiative is supported by bike brand Specialized, whose pioneering Founder Mike Sinyard runs a cycling programme in schools across the United States to help children with ADHD.

Bikes can be borrowed but booking for all sessions is essential. To book contact [email protected]/ 07779 152750.

Information: https://www.thepersonalcyclist.com/