Shropshire Love Your Bike Month returns for the high-fives

October 2014 is Shropshire’s fifth annual Love Your Bike Month. A range of great free activities are planned throughout October to help people in Shropshire have fun on their bikes and prepare themselves for winter cycling.

Residents of Shropshire can sign up at the Travel Shropshire website during October 2014 to receive a free winter cycling pack from Shropshire Council*. Packs contain useful winter cycling kit including a pair of bike lights, reflective items and a seat cover.

There are a number of fantastic free family events during October. Come along to The Square in Shrewsbury on Saturday 4 October between 10am-3pm for Love Your Bike Day, which includes Dr Bike safety checks, face painting and pedal-powered artwork on the art bike. The Sustrans travel advice team and Dr Bike will also be in Oswestry town centre on 27 September, 10am-2pm in Festival Square.

On 19 October there will be a family bicycle ride along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Coalport using a mostly traffic free route.

Another highlight is the cycling Halloween party at Shrewsbury Sports Village on Friday 31 October. The party will include a sunset ride around the Sports Village cycle track, Dr Bike safety checks, face painting and lots of ghoulish games.

During half-term there are Sustrans Bike It learn to ride sessions for children who want to ride without stabilisers in Shrewsbury and Oswestry on 28 October and a family fix your bike session in Oswestry on 27 October. Book a place for these activities on the Travel Shropshire website. In addition, on Thursday 30 October there will be a Cycle Safari from Colemere with a nature guide from the Meres and Mosses landscape partnership.

For those who haven’t been on a bike for a while or can’t cycle, this is a great time to start! The Pedal for Health taster sessions at Shrewsbury Sports Village on 22 and 29 October 2014 include bicycle try-outs, short rideabouts and a cycle surgery for any questions about bikes and cycling. There will also be weekly Pedal in the Park beginners’ cycle rides in Shrewsbury every Wednesday morning from 1 October until 5 November. These are a fun, easy, social way to get back to cycling.

In addition, Shropshire Council offers free one-to-one cycle training for adults*. Request online at: http://travelshropshire.co.uk/training.

Another great opportunity to prepare cyclists and their bikes for winter cycling is the free bicycle maintenance classes in Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Oswestry. For Love Your Bike Month a couple of evening classes have been added to the programme. Book online at http://travelshropshire.co.uk/cycle-maintenance.

All the details of Love Your Bike Month events, including times and dates and booking forms, can be found by clicking here or by calling 01743 253 008.

*These offers are only open to residents of Shropshire.