Cuningar Loop is a new 15 hectare woodland park in Rutherglen, funded from legacy money from the 2014 Commonwealth Games and developed by Forestry Commission Scotland, it opened full-time to the public in March 2016. In addition to an extensive network of paths, adventure play facilities and an outdoor bouldering park, the community greenspace also contains a bike skills area, with a balance bike track, pump track and mountain bike skills course.

Prior to its full-time opening CamGlen Bike Town collaborated with Forestry Commission Scotland to deliver cycle taster sessions to invited guests, community groups and the local public in August and September 2015. A total of four sessions were delivered, with CamGlen Bike Town providing loan bikes and staff support to enable both adults and children to try out the cycling facilities on offer.

A range of bikes of different sizes were on offer, adult and children’s, and could be borrowed for up to twenty minutes. Bikes were loaned on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and most people had to queue to wait for a bike. Bike Town staff and volunteers ensured bikes sizes matched their borrowers, adjusting saddle heights when necessary, and made sure helmets, were borrowed, were fitted correctly. Some people borrowed bikes for the full twenty minutes allocated to them; others borrowed a bike for as little as five minutes. All bikes were returned in the same condition as they had been lent out, and most people returned with a smile on their face, describing the experience as “fun”, “exhilarating” and “brilliant”.

Over the four weekend dates a total of 327 bikes were loaned, of which approximately half were children’s bikes. From these engagements we received 74 e-newsletter sign ups, although only 39 were translated into actual new newsletter subscribers. Due to the high demand for loan bikes our mechanics were kept very busy over the four dates. However we were also able to safety check 23 of patrons’ own bikes, 14 adult and 9 child; fixing any remedial issues and ensuring the bikes were safe to ride.

CamGlen Bike Town held its official launch at a festival of cycling in Cambuslang Park in June 2014. In 2015 a second festival of cycling was organised, this time in Overtoun Park in Rutherglen. Bike Town were joined by Go Bike, Overtoun Community Growing Project, Healthy n Happy Info Station and South Lanarkshire Council, to provide a range of stalls with information on a variety of community matters, not just cycling.

Early visitors were rewarded with refreshments and cycling goodies, including a Bike Town branded water bottle. Music was provided by pedal powered means, ‘Sound in a Field’ and visitors to the festival took turns pedalling the bikes that powered the sound system. People could also get on their bikes and try out the mountain bike skills track provided by Cycling Scotland, which proved especially popular with children.

Dr Bike provided free safety checks and minor repairs and was kept busy for the duration of the event. A total of 24 bikes were checked; 8 adult and 16 child bikes. People were also invited to complete a cycling survey and provide their email address to become an e-newsletter subscriber; 92 surveys were completed and 61 new newsletter subscribers gained.

Throughout the day Radworx offered BMX workshops at the park’s BMX track, assisting complete beginners to learn to ride BMX-style and BMX-riders to improve their skills. Participants’ skills were tested in a series of races at the end of the day, enabling competitors of similar skills to race against each other. Unfortunately none of the Bike Town staff were winners in their individual races!

Pedal for Scotland, managed by Cycling Scotland, is an annual cycling event held each year in September. First organised in 1999 with 400 cyclists, the event now attracts thousands of participants , who can choose to cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh via the 46 mile Classic Challenge or 112 mile Big Belter, or bring smaller kids along for the much shorter Wee Jaunt.

For the past two years CamGlen Bike Town has supported people to participate by offering monthly training rides. This year rides ran on the second Saturday of every month, departing at 10am from our Bike Shop in a Box on Downiebrae Road. Led by qualified and experienced ride leaders, each month the distance increased by five miles, enabling participants to gradually increase how far they cycle, to prepare for the Classic Challenge route.

The training rides explored Glasgow and surrounding areas, covering a total of 209 miles. Places visited included The Transport Museum, Kirkintilloch, Bridge of Weir and Lennoxtown, each destination providing the opportunity to enjoy the ubiquitous café stop. Overall there were seven training rides with a total of 26 unique participants and a sum attendance of 59. An average of eight people attended each training ride. To our knowledge least eight of the participants went on to complete the 2016 Pedal for Scotland Classic Challenge on Sunday 11th September, cycling 46 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Feedback from the training rides included the following:

“Enjoyed the ride despite the cold and even snow. Great to see everyone enthusiastic about cycling”

“Good ride today covering 20 miles and new routes for me”

“What a fabulous ride. The weather and company were both great. Thanks Mel for a lovely route”

“Excellent ride and a very good pace”