This September, six NRP riders will set out from Land’s End to cycle 535 kilometres — 332 miles — to Guildhall in London.

Matt Kennedy, Alex Stebbings, Dean Walker, Ryan Hicks, Joe Cowley and Richard Wightman are taking on the five-day challenge with one goal: to raise £10,000 towards increasing Bikeworks’ specialist cycle fleet for disabled children and young people.

NRP has chosen Bikeworks as its charity partner for Cycle 535. When NRP first approached us, Chief Executive Matt Kennedy explained why Bikeworks stood out:

“As we explored potential partners, Bikeworks stood out immediately. Your mission of using cycling as a tool to transform lives, tackle inequality and create stronger communities resonates strongly with both our organisation and the aims of the conference.”

Cycle 535 will take place ahead of the London Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Conference at Guildhall, which NRP sponsors. It also comes as Bikeworks marks 20 years of using cycles as a tool for good.

What are they riding for?

Disabled children and young people can cycle. Too often, it is the opportunity that is not provided.

Only 26% of disabled children and young people have consistent access to PE or school sport, despite 40% saying they want to be more active. This makes access to physical activity beyond school especially important. Inclusive cycling provides another way to take part — but only when suitable specialist cycles, knowledge and support are available.

At Bikeworks, the number of people taking part in our All Ability Clubs has grown from around 2,300 to approximately 5,600 in just three years.

That growth matters. Disabled children and young people, and children and young people with SEND, are still excluded when activities do not have the specialist equipment, knowledge or flexibility required to respond to different physical, sensory, learning and communication needs.

A standard two-wheeled cycle will not work for everyone. One specialist cycle will not work for everyone either.

At one of our All Ability sessions, access to the right specialist cycle and an experienced instructor meant one family could cycle together for the first time:

“This is the first time we’ve been able to cycle as a family. My son felt safe, supported and so proud of himself. It’s given us confidence to keep coming back and trying new things together.”

Our All Ability Clubs bring together a shared fleet of specialist cycles, experienced Inclusive Cycling Instructors and regular, free sessions in community settings. Children and young people can try different cycles, find one that works and return to build skills and confidence.

That is what Cycle 535 is riding for.

 

Where the £10,000 will go

Cycle 535 is raising £10,000 towards increasing Bikeworks’ specialist cycle fleet for disabled children and young people.

The immediate priorities are:

• A van Raam Easy Rider Compact Small, offering a stable seated position and back support.
• A van Raam Easy Rider Compact, making this type of cycling available to a wider range of riders.
• An ICE Sprint X Pixel, adding a compact recumbent trike with a different riding position and handling experience.

Each works differently. Adding these cycles to the fleet would mean more younger riders can find a cycle that works.

New cycles purchased through the campaign will join our shared All Ability fleet and be ridden across our clubs for years to come.

 

Back Cycle 535

The challenge will end at Guildhall after five days. New specialist cycles purchased through the campaign will stay in our shared fleet and be ridden session after session, for years to come.

Donate to Cycle 535 through GoFundMe and share the campaign.

Bikeworks exists to reduce barriers to cycling.

For two decades, we have used cycles as a tool for good. The work has always been practical: finding the cycle, setting, support and maintenance that make riding possible where conventional cycling provision does not reach far enough.

In our 20th year, No Child Left Behind brings that mission into sharper focus. Access to cycling should not depend on being able to ride a two-wheeler, join a mainstream session, or attend a school or community setting with its own specialist fleet.

The need is clear. Activity Alliance’s Play, Move, Belong research found only 26% of young disabled people say they can take part in sport and activity at school all the time, compared with 38% of non-disabled young people.

Cycling can bring movement, independence, skill, time outdoors and shared experience. The question is not whether cycling has value for children and young people. It does.

The question is whether the right conditions are in place: a cycle that fits, instructors who can adapt, a setting that works, and a practical plan to keep the offer active, safe and maintained.

At Victoria Park All Ability Club, Phoenix College students are showing what changes when those conditions come together.

What changes at Victoria Park

Phoenix College students have been spending Saturdays with Bikeworks at Victoria Park All Ability Club.

Each session starts with the cycle. Trained Bikeworks Cycle Instructors work with students to find the right fit, position and way to get moving. Specialist and standard cycles are available, so riding is not limited to one type of bike or one way of taking part.

The starting point is not whether a child or young person can fit into a pre-set cycling session.

The starting point is what needs to be in place so cycling becomes possible.

Students ride through Victoria Park. They spend time outdoors. They move, laugh, concentrate, try again and take part together.

The cycle is the tool. Around it, something wider opens up: movement, shared activity, social connection and time in the park.

A member of staff from Phoenix College reflected on the impact:

“Social interaction can be a challenge, but the club’s friendly and supportive atmosphere encourages positive communication and connection with others. Being able to engage in a shared activity helps them develop social skills in a natural and enjoyable way.”

That is the heart of the work.

Not asking young people to adapt to a fixed cycling offer.

Changing the offer so cycling becomes possible.

Why the right cycle matters

A specialist cycle is not an add-on.

A trike, handcycle, recumbent, wheelchair platform cycle, side-by-side or adapted cycle can open up cycling in a different way. The right choice depends on the rider, the site, storage, staff support, servicing and how often the cycle will be used.

Those decisions are hard to make from a catalogue alone.

A catalogue can show a product.

A Bikeworks session shows the product being used: how the cycle fits, how the rider is supported, how instructors adapt the session, and what needs to sit around the cycle so it can be used safely and regularly.

That matters for schools, colleges, local authorities and community organisations thinking about their own fleet, site or inclusive cycling offer.

From the right cycle to the right offer

Bikeworks can help organisations move from interest to practical delivery.

That can mean visiting an All Ability Club to see specialist cycles in use.

It can mean arranging test rides, talking through product options, choosing the right fleet, or purchasing specialist cycles through Bikeworks.

It can mean putting a maintenance package in place so specialist and standard cycles stay safe, roadworthy and ready to use.

It can also mean bringing Bikeworks into a school, college or community setting with trained instructors, specialist cycles and a delivery plan shaped around the site, the students and the outcomes wanted.

The product matters. The fit matters. The maintenance matters. The instructors matter. The setting matters.

When those pieces are planned properly, cycling becomes possible.

That is cycling equity in practice.

Talk to Bikeworks

If you are a school, college, local authority or community organisation, Bikeworks can help you explore what inclusive cycling could look like in your setting.

We can talk through specialist cycles, test rides, fleet advice, cycle sales, maintenance packages, visits to our All Ability Clubs and bespoke cycling delivery.

Email: all.ability@bikeworks.org.uk

No child should be left behind when it comes to cycling.