RPM riding high With Sky Ride and British Cycling
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Creative marketing agency, RPM has teamed up with Sky and British Cycling for the seventh consecutive year to deliver their annual series of Sky Ride events.
A cornerstone of the award-winning partnership between Sky and British Cycling, who along with local authorities, have delivered Sky Ride Big Bike events and a host of other cycling initiatives which have transformed cycling as a sport and pastime in the UK, including Sky’s sponsorship of the Great Britain Cycling Team and the creation of Team Sky. As a result of their combined efforts, over 1.7 million more people are now cycling regularly. Since the inception of Sky Ride, RPM have helped to deliver 82 Sky Ride events, attracting a massive 858,000 participants.
This year Sky and British Cycling hope to see 110,000 participants attend 15 events around the UK, starting in Plymouth on Sunday 31st May and the last in Coventry on Sunday 27th September.
Sky Ride sees Sky and British Cycling working with local authorities to open up the streets of their towns and cities to cyclists for a day, creating a rare opportunity for thousands of cyclists to take in the iconic parts of their hometown on traffic-free streets.
Sky Ride Ambassador Sir Chris Hoy said: ‘Sky Rides close towns and cities for big bike events so you can ride safely on traffic-free streets, with a huge festival atmosphere and loads to do both on and off the bike. They are great fun and a great way to get on your bike.’
The events are a free day out with family and friends, designed to inspire and rekindle the joy and the fun of riding a bike whilst providing the confidence, information and support to continue cycling more regularly in future.
Sky Ride showcases the best of cycling on and off your bike. Riders can challenge friends to head-to-head races in the Sprint Zone, cycle through a giant multi-sensory inflatable tunnel and take in the sights of their city on traffic-free streets. Whilst off the bike, they can enjoy a packed programme of activities for the day, from extreme mountain bike shows, skills workshops, fitness and cycle skills sessions to outdoor games.
This year to support the continued growth of cycling across the UK, RPM have designed a new area to visit on the day called “Keep Pedalling” which will offer information on how to keep cycling in your local area with lots of information about Sky Ride Local guided rides, Breeze women’s rides, British Cycling, and Ride Social – which helps people ride to together and discover more.
Ensuring the experience lives on long after the event RPM have built are helping to register participants’ interest in ongoing cycling opportunities in their area via a custom-built app. Participants can check-in at various points around the event, registering their interest to find out about more free bike rides in their area and collecting tips, offers and prizes along the way.
Official partner Halfords will be on hand offering free bike safety checks for everyone who registers for a Sky Ride event. They’ll also receive a 20% discount voucher to spend on cycling products in store.
Dom Robertson, managing director of RPM said: “RPM is immensely proud to continue its long association with Sky and British Cycling in helping to transform the face of cycling in Britain. There are few better examples of a purposeful brand experience than Sky Ride – two great brands coming together to change the behaviour of millions of people around Britain.”
Fiona Morgan, head of brand, cycling and team Sky said: “We’re thrilled that Sky Ride has returned for 2015 and that RPM are once again supporting us to give so many people across the UK chance to enjoy cycling through their town or city on traffic-free streets. Over 1.7 million Brits now cycle regularly as a result of our partnership with British Cycling and we can’t wait for this summer’s events to inspire even more people to get out on their bikes”
British Cycling’s director of recreation and partnerships, Stewart Kellett, said:
“We are delighted to once again bring traffic-free cycling to so many cities across the country with Sky Ride. 2015 promises even better and more exciting events, and we want to see more people than ever riding their bikes on streets. We had such a great year in 2014 – the Tour de France, Commonwealth Games and Tour of Britain made cycling even more accessible in Britain – and we are excited to continue that with a packed summer of events in 2015. RPM have been with us every step of the way and their contribution to achieving these successes has been massive.”
