Cyclepods are proud to support the Big Pedal 2011, powered by Sustrans and funded by the Bike Hub:

The Big Pedal 2011

Get ready to race 7 – 25 March

The Big Pedal is a humongous, fantastically brilliant race from 7 – 25 March 2011 between hundreds of schools and tens of thousands of cycling school kids. It’s sponsored by the Bike Hub, and powered by Sustrans and its school cycling officers. If you’re one of Sustrans’ Bike It schools you’ll hear all about it soon enough and if you’re not, email sustrans to register your interest.

How does The Big Pedal work?

This three-week-long event is organised a bit like the Tour de France. Each day is a different time trial, with different stages from long flat ones to hillier mountainous ones. The more people that cycle in to school on that day, the quicker the time your school will get for that stage. The winning school is the one that gets the lowest time overall. Simple! The all-singing, all-dancing website will be ready in good time for the race itself, this taster page is to tide you over until we release more news in January.

What are the prizes?

First prize for the national winners is a spectacular day with the M.A.D stunt team: see them at work in the picture above. One of Europe’s premier mountain bike display teams, they’ll bring their gravity-defying stunts and tricks to your school. National runners up prize is for your school to have a Minipod bike and scooter storage system worth over £1,000, see right. There will also be a daily prize throughout the three-week race to keep you on your toes (your pedals, more like).

What happens next?

Sit tight for now. We’re about to launch the race and registration pages, and the eye-catching posters and route maps are oh-so-almost ready. Get a teacher or school cycling champion to register your school’s interest now by email, and we’ll get in touch later next week with a link to the registration page. The materials will then arrive at your school in February so you’re ready to roll and race in March.

For now, learn more about Sustrans’ school cycling projects; see if there’s a Bike It officer near you; and read what children at Sustrans Bike It schools got up to last term.

For more information click here