Whaley Bridge pupils saddle up for day of cycling

Whaley Bridge Primary School held a bike day with activites and coaching, pictured with Year 2 pupils are teacher Sam Emsley, cyclocross coach Matt Ellis and lead coach of GB MTB cycling team Simon Watts

The Buxton Road school was swamped with around 150 bikes as the youngsters took part in a series of practical tasks and competed on a mini race course.

The cycling theme continued throughout lessons, with pupils creating bike-themed artwork and learning about the Tour de France and its riders.

Teacher Sam Emsley, who organised the day, said: “I’m a really keen cyclist and have been running a bike club throughout the year. A couple of the dads work for British Cycling as high-level coaches, so I pitched the idea to them of organising a whole day centred around cycling.

Whaley Bridge Primary School held a bike day with activites and coaching, winning a goodie bag are Connor, five and Rocco, six with teacher Sam Emsley

“We had around 150 children bringing in their bikes. It was really good fun and you could see the big smiles on their faces.

“We were hoping some of the pupils would be inspired to take up cycling and just get out and about this summer and keep fit.”

Earlier in the day, para-cyclist Katie Toft talked to the children about her achievements and showed off her medals.

Money raised by the pupils towards Katie’s participation at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Italy next month was also handed over.