Over 10,000 people on bikes showed their pedal power this year as they took part in Pedal for Scotland – celebrating 18 years of Scotland’s biggest bike event. Scotland’s Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP, led the charge from the Glasgow Green start line, joined by X Factor star Nicholas McDonald and a host of STV faces including weatherman Sean Batty, antiques expert Natasha Raskin and STV Glasgow presenters Jennifer Reoch and David Farrell. Heart Breakfast presenters Adele Cunningham and Robin Galloway also joined the party.
Many participants were raising money for children and young people affected by poverty by supporting the event’s official charity partner, The STV Children’s Appeal.
In 2015, on our 17th anniversary, around 10,000 riders took part over 6 rides across Scotland. Pedal for Scotland took place on 5th, 6th and 13th September with six rides to choose from catering for all ages and abilities.The event kicked off on 5th September, when Glasgow Green played host to the 6 mile Wee Jaunt Glasgow. On 6th September, Pedal for Scotland’s main event day featured the 50 mile Classic Challenge ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh, the colossal 110 mile ride Big Belter from Glasgow to Edinburgh via the stunning Southern Uplands, the 9 mile Wee Jaunt from Kirkliston to Edinburgh and the 4 mile Wee Jaunt circular route round Murrayfield. Pedal for Scotland then travelled to Aberdeen a week later on 13th September when the 6 mile Wee Jaunt Aberdeen returned to Duthie Park for a third year.
Over 10,500 riders Pedalled for Scotland in 2014. Rides took place in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen across three gloriously sunny weekends in September.Around 8,000 people on bikes showed their pedal power on 7th September as they took part in the 47 mile Challenge ride, the 110 mile Sportive and two Family rides of 9 and 4 miles. Over 6,500 riders took part in the 47 mile Challenge Ride and over 700 took the on the 110 mile Sportive, which takes a different route through the Southern Uplands and features over 2,400 metres of ascent. In addition, around 600 riders took part in family-friendly events in Edinburgh.
Round the world cycling superstar and event ambassador Mark Beaumont led the charge from the Glasgow Green start line, joined by Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Double Silver medallist Louise Haston, Capital FM breakfast DJ Jennie Cook and a host of STV faces including weatherman Sean Batty, presenter Gordon Chree and The Riverside Show presenters.
After a successful debut in 2013, the five mile Aberdeen Family ride returned on 14th September to resounding success, with over 350 riders taking part.
Starting and finishing at Duthie Park, the ride took participants on a five mile loop on completely traffic free roads.
On the final Pedal for Scotland weekend over 2,000 people and their bikes congregated at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, to saddle up for the Glasgow Family Ride on 21st September, blessed once again with a day of glorious sunshine.
Riders of all ages and abilities from across Glasgow cycled a family friendly traffic free loop starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
After the ride, participants were treated to a track cycling display from Team Scotland elite cyclists, led by Double Silver Glasgow 2014 medallists Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston.
Scottish cycling superstar Danny MacAskill also joined in the fun, appearing with his ‘Drop and Roll’ team. Danny and his team wowed the crowd with a spectacular show of flips, tricks and skills.
- 10,622 riders took part in Pedal for Scotland 2014
- Over £110,000 was raised for the STV Appeal in 2014
- Over 40,000 car trips were replaced by cycle trips by people training for the ride
- Over 10,000 cartons of milk were drunk at Pedal for Scotland- the equivalent of 133 cows producing milk all day at Murrayfield
- Since Pedal for Scotland began in 1999 over 80,000 riders have taken part- almost twice the population of Inverness!
- 427,834 miles were cycled by Pedal for Scotland participants- almost the distance to the moon and back! (477,710 miles)
- Over 8,000 bananas were eaten at PfS 2014- enough to feed the chimps at Edinburgh Zoo for 9 months
8th September, 2013: Over 12,000 cyclists took part in Scotland’s biggest bike ride to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Scotland’s largest mass participation bike ride.Transport Minister Keith Brown was joined by round the world cycling superstar Mark Beaumont, STV presenters Sean Batty and Raman Bhardwaj and The Angels’ Share star Paul Brannigan on the startline of the 2013 freshnlo Pedal for Scotland, in partnership with Decathlon
Over 12,000 cyclists of all ages and abilities tackled 5 different rides which included the 47 mile Challenge Ride between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the 110 mile timed Sportive, the Edinburgh Family Ride which allowed younger cyclists and their families to join the last nine miles of the Challenge Ride route and finish in style at Murrayfield Stadium and for the first time the Aberdeen Family Ride (15th Sep).
Many participants were raising money for children and young people in Scotland affected by poverty by supporting the event’s official charity partner, the STV Appeal.
The events followed on from the sell out Pedal for Scotland Glasgow Family Ride on the 1st of September which saw an Emirates Arena enjoy a cycling-filled day.
Over £105,000 was raised for charity partner the STV Appeal.
Awards
Received Commended certification at Scottish Event Awards for Best Sports Event 2013
9 September, 2012: A summer of cycling heroics reached its peak with over 8500 people saddling up to join Mark Beaumont and Transport Minister Keith Brown riding the Pedal for Scotland event.
Participants rode their way through a combined distance almost equivalent to the moon and back across two events. Over 7600 cyclists of all abilities tackled the 47 mile Challenge ride between Glasgow and Edinburgh while over 800 people finished the 110 mile timed Sportive ride through the Southern Uplands which this year featured 2400m of ascent to pose an even stiffer challenge.
£750,000 has been raised for 4 year official charity partner Maggies.
Awards
2012 - UK Event Awards - Nominated for Best Sports Event
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Almost 8,500 cyclists of all ages and abilities got out on their bikes and joined Pedal for Scotland Glasgow to Edinburgh ride and 6,000 people took part in the Pedal for Scotland Sky Ride Glasgow with Graeme Obree, Aggie MacKenzie and Lorraine Kelly. The Glasgow to Edinburgh ride finished at Murrayfield Stadium for the first time. freshnlo Pedal for Scotland won the Grand Prix and Best Sports Event at the UK Event Awards at Wembley Stadium.
£139,099 was raised for the main charity partner Maggies.
Awards
2011 - Marketing Society Star Awards - Gold Star - Best Use of Sponsorship
2011 - Scottish Event Awards - Best Sponsorship
2011 - UK Event Awards - Best Sports Event
2011 - UK Event Awards - Event Management Grand Prix
Over 9000 people cycled from Glasgow to Edinburgh in 2010’s record breaking event. The 51-mile ride began at Glasgow Green and finished at Victoria Park, Edinburgh and the event won Best Sports Event, Best Event in an Outdoor Space and the Event Management Grand Prix in 2010 Scottish Event Awards. Participants included round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont, Miss Scotland Nicola Mimnagh, cyclist Graeme O’Bree, Kaye Adams and Aggie MacKenzie.
A new 100 mile Sportive ride was added to the event with 683 taking the longer route to Edinburgh through the Southern Uplands and over 300 took part in the first family ride in Glasgow Green.
£231,789 was raised for the main charity partner Maggies.
Awards
2010 - Marketing Society Star Awards - Gold Star - Event Marketing
2010 - Marketing Society Star Awards - Gold Star - Best SME Marketing
2010 - UK Event Awards - Best Sports Event
2010 - National Outdoor Events Association, Best Scottish Event
2010 - Scottish Event Awards - Best Sports Event
2010 - Scottish Event Awards - Best Outdoor Event
2010 - Scottish Event Awards - Event Management Grand Prix
Pedal for Scotland 2009 attracted over 7,000 riders. Piper Andy Low piped the riders off from the starting point, with a little help from stunt bike sensation Danny McAskill. Elaine Brewer, 30, from Dennistoun, was one Glaswegian who enjoyed her day in the saddle.
She said: “This was my first Pedal for Scotland event but it won’t be my last.
It was pretty tough, especially the last ten miles as we came into Edinburgh.
But it was worth it and you get a real sense of achievement knowing you have cycled from one side of the country to the other.”
£233,633 was raised for the main charity partner Maggies.
Awards
2009 - Scottish Event Awards - Best Sports Event
2009 - Scottish Event Awards - Event Management Grand Prix
Taking place on the 14th of September the weather stayed perfect for the ride, cloudy and dry so not too hot. The event, attended by 5,700 riders, was started by Mark Beaumont who had just cycled 5000 miles around the world, “I really enjoyed taking part in the ride, talking to cyclists on route and hearing great enthusiasm about cycling from both experienced and new riders. Pedal for Scotland is a great event for the whole family and it’s fantastic to see so many people taking up the challenge.”
£145,000 was raised for Leukaemia Research.
Pedal for Scotland 2007 saw the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Alastair Campbell start the ride at a slightly wetter than wet Glasgow Green. However, it did not stop over 4000 riders from cycling the 50 mile journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh on the 16th of September.
£138,000 was raised for Leukaemia Research and finished at Victoria Park in Edinburgh for the first time.
2700 riders took part including Nell Nelson and Tony Doyle, up a staggering 1200 from the previous year, which made the event Scotland’s biggest ever mass bike ride. The cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh on Sunday, 27 August raised funds for Leukaemia Research, the official charity partner for Pedal for Scotland 2006. The event had tremendous support and was started by The First Minister. Jack McConnell commented:
“Pedal for Scotland is a great Scottish event, and it’s very encouraging to see a huge increase in participants this year. The record number of cyclists taking part proves that cycling is an increasingly popular pastime as people think more about their personal health and our environment. But it’s also good to see so many people giving up their Sunday to raise money for Leukaemia Research. I hope the fundraising will break records too.”
The event was also sponsored by the Tour of Britain, T- Mobile and Marshalls Pasta and was run in conjuntion with a criterium race in George Square and the start of the Tour of Britain with Ian Aitken taking over the management of the event.
The event finished at Roseburn Park in glorious sunshine.
£117,000 was raised for Leukaemia Research.
28th of August: Pedal for Scotland partnered with the Tour of Britain to create a cycling weekend. A criterium race took place in George Square on Friday evening with Pedal for Scotland’s slightly controversial change in direction with the ride starting in Edinburgh and finishing in Glasgow.
The ride was started at Roseburn Park by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Lesley Hinds. Unfortunately this meant the record 1500 riders were cycling into the prevailing westerly wind, and so despite a great event all round, the format was changed back to Glasgow to Edinburgh forever after.
£115,000 was raised for official charity partners Barnardos and CHILDREN 1st
The very first year that Cycling Scotland took over the event which started in George Square Glasgow and ended at Meadowbank Stadium Edinburgh on the 19th of September. The event attracted over 1060 participants and was managed by Michael Adiscott from Cycling Scotland.
£95,000 was raised for official charity partners Barnardos and CHILDREN 1st.
Nearly 950 took part in this year’s Pedal for Scotland which was held on the 14th of September.
£90,000 was raised for official charity partners CHILDREN 1st
Approximately 900 people took part in Pedal for Scotland on the 15th of September, including 29 riders from Sun Micro Systems based in Linlithgow. Official charity partners for the event were Barnardos and CHILDREN 1st events and volunteer manager, Laura Peacock, said: “We are thrilled to have raised so much money to help Scotland’s most troubled children. CHILDREN 1st are very grateful for all of the participants who helped to raise sponsorship money in the 2002 event.”
£50,000 was raised by the charity CHILDREN 1st
This was the first year that the websitepedalforscotland.org was created.
The 16th of September was the date for the Pedal for Scotland 2001 which saw 1013 riders taking part, including a 16 strong team of Dutch riders who entered while on a visit to Velo-city.
£45,000 was raised for official charity partners Barnardos and CHILDREN 1st.
470 people registered for the event on the 17th of September which ran from George Square to Meadowbank Stadium with a Pasta Party in Linlithgow. It was a bright but overcast day with a mild westerly wind. Transport services for riders and their bikes were supplied by First Bus and The Scottish Transport Regimental Army.
£40,000 was raised for Barnardo’s(Scotland) and CHILDREN 1st who were the official charity partners.
Do you have pictures from 2000? We would love you to share them.
The hard work and efforts from the team, headed up by Gareth George, Brian Curtis, George Di Ponion in association with the Scottish Cycling Development Project (SCDP), the first event took place. 425 cyclists set off from George Square in Glasgow and finished at Holyrood Park. The event raised £60,000 for 16 different charities and marked the start of the now biggest bike ride event in Scotland.
Thanks to the hard work and efforts from the team, headed up by Gareth George, who came up with the idea for the event, Brian Curtis and George Di Ponion, in association with the Scottish Cycling Development Project (SCDP), the first event took place. 425 cyclists set off from George Square in Glasgow and finished at Holyrood Park. The event raised £60,000 for 16 different charities and marked the start of the now biggest bike ride event in Scotland.
