What is the Big Bike Revival?

As the weather begins to brighten, many of us like to think about getting outside on our bikes. For some though, the cold and dark of winter is not the only thing stopping them from choosing to cycle. There are a number of barriers to riding a bike and some sections of society are more affected by these than others. That’s why I’m more than happy to be part of the team delivering the Big Bike Revival again in 2022.

Now into it’s ninth year, the Big Bike Revival is a behaviour change programme designed to increase the number of people cycling who wouldn’t ordinarily choose to ride a bike.

Many of us recognised the incredible benefits of cycling during the national lockdowns of the past couple of years. Cycling can be great for improving our mental and physical wellbeing, allowing us to experience our local areas in a different and more enjoyable way as well as reducing our reliance on the car.  

Cycling UK works with over 300 delivery partners to provide cycling events for the whole community that aim to reduce and remove barriers that exist to take up cycling.

Through our Fix-Learn-Ride model you should be able to find local opportunities to;

• Receive a cycle safety check on bike to make sure it’s safe to ride
• Learn something new about your bike - like how to fix a puncture or do some basic maintenance yourself
• Develop new skills like building cycling confidence or even learning to ride from scratch
• Go for a ride in your local area on an organised, led ride

Thanks to funding from the Department for Transport, Cycling UK are able to continue delivering the programme across the whole of England from Plymouth to Newcastle, from Blackpool to Lowestoft and working with delivery partners old and new that we have been able to support over recent years.

Last year we engaged over 80,000 people at over 4,500 events. We gave away over a million pounds of funding directly to community organisations and local businesses to deliver events and provide free-to-access, open-to-all, cycling activities in communities. 

2022 is an exciting year for Big Bike Revival as we offer the most sophisticated programme to date. Over the last nine years the project team have worked tirelessly to help people overcome the barriers to cycling many sectors of society experience.

This year we’re also launching our behaviour change techniques cards. These are going to be an exciting tool for Cycling UK staff to use when they work with community organisations across England delivering Big Bike Revival events.

Our in-house behavioural scientists have worked with our staff, delivery partners and programme beneficiaries to condense down what makes a good event in terms of achieving behaviour change and helping people. So if you're new to cycling, looking for motivation to get back on your bike or you know someone who is, find your closest event and come along to kick start your future journeys by pedal.