Cycling events in Swansea Bay area

Click 2010 Wheelrights rides programme for a summary of our monthly rides. Most are on the third Saturday of each month between March and November.

Events
Unless noted otherwise the events should be free. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult on rides.

June 2010 (Note: 19-27 June is Bike Week.)
For a table summarising CTC's June rides click CTC June rides
14.00, Saturday 5 June: Wheelrights ride: a SE Gower Exploration
This follows the formal opening of the Gower Walking Festival. Click Wheelrights rides for details.
9.30-11.30, Saturday 12 June.: Wheelrights Adults Beginners Class.
Civic Centre East car park. Fee: £5. For further information and to register phone Veronica Wood on 01792 206617.
10.00, Saturday 19 June: a cycle ride as part of the Gower Walking Festival.
Meet at the car park by the Commercial Pub. in Gowerton. This is a new venture for the Walking Festival in that the ride (a 15 mile circuit in N. Gower) will be followed by a 3 mile walk and then a 5 mile ride back to Gowerton via Upper Killay. Lunch can be had at the Wild Flower Centre café in Blackhills before the walk. Note: there is a £3 charge. Leader (of the ride): David Naylor. Phone 01792 233755.
8.00, Sunday 20 June: CTC Trivets 100 miler.
This one of several 100 milers across the UK for veterans (ie over 50). The route is almost flat following the coast east and west of Swansea. If tempted download an application form or for more information contact Jan Garvey whose contact details are given on the form.
11.00, Sunday 20 June: 43-2-C rides.
This annual event which used to go from Clydach will now start at the Pontardawe Inn (Y Gwachel). It comprises three rides: a short family ride to Coed Gwilym Park (Clydach) and back, a longer return ride to Fendrod Lake (Enterprise Zone) and the longest to Swansea Marina and back. Afterwards there will be a BBQ and live music. Watch this space (and elsewhere) for a poster giving details.
18.30, Monday 21 June: Wheelrights mid-summer ride.
Note that this is an evening ride, which follows a long standing Wheelrights tradition. Click Wheelrights rides for details.
12.30, Wednesday 23 June: a lunch time social ride.
Meet on the Sail Bridge for an easy ride round the Bay to Mumbles and back followed by a pub visit. This ride is primarily for SA1 employees but all are welcome. For details click here. For those who need their bikes checking or require parts Schmoos will be holding a Dr Bike session before the ride from 10.30 to 12.30. They will be located on the big roundabout at the junction of King's and Langdon Roads just across the Sail Bridge. (ie on the NE side.) Note: the location given on the poster is a short distance from the roundabout. Look for Schmoos on the roundabout first.
19.00, Thursday 24 June: Wheelrights public meeting.
In the Environment Centre on Pier Street. Swansea Council’s Head of Transportation, Chris Vinestock, will give a short presentation on the theme of cycle provision in Swansea and attempt to answer your questions. View or download a poster for details (or, better, print it and put it up on a notice board for others to see.)
11.00-16.00, Saturday 26 June: Margam Park Bike Festival.
A wide range of activities: stalls, bike rides for all ages, cycle training, bike maintenance, ... For an A4 poster with more info. click: here.

July 2010
For a table summarising CTC's July rides click CTC July rides
10.00, Saturday 17 July: Wheelrights ride: Crymlyn Bog circuit.
Click Wheelrights rides for details.
9.30-11.30, Saturday 24 July: Wheelrights Adults Beginners Class.
Civic Centre East car park. Fee: £5. For further information and to register phone Veronica Wood on 01792 206617.

August 2010
9.30, Saturday 14 August: Wheelrights Pontardulais ride.
Click Wheelrights rides for details.

September 2010
18-25 Sept.: Gower Cycling Festival.
A separate page: GowerCycleFest provides full information about this new Wheelrights initiative.

Providers
Wheelrights
As noted on the About us page the events which Wheelrights lay on comprise their adult beginners classes, some rides and evening meetings.
Rides. In 2010 we plan something different from the Explorer rides of the previous two years. Based on the findings of a questionnaire sent to members we now plan rides in the 10-20 mile range (2-3 hours) rather than the 5 miles typical of an Explorer ride. Most will be on Saturday mornings timed to finish in time for lunch at a café or pub. These rides should provide a stepping stone to CTC's longer rides (included in the CTC ride summaries above).
Meetings. We have decided, as from, January 2010, to hold our evening meetings to plan our activities monthly rather than bi-monthly. There will also be meetings at which a talk will be given. All meetings are open (and free), but members who feel they can play a part in helping us achieve our aims are particularly welcome at the monthly working meetings.
Sustrans
Sustrans main role is not to organise rides and events but rather to create such important things as the National Cycle Network and Safe Routes to Schools. They do however organise work days and work camps to improve and add to the NCN. They usually also lay on some national annual event; eg in the summer of 2007 they organised a ride which passed through Swansea to celebrate their 30th birthday.
CTC
On 1 January 2008 the local CTC group ceased to be a District Association and became the Swansea and West Wales CTC Member Group. The old sections disappeared so that the rides which used to be the responsibility of the sections are now organised centrally. They continue to take place on Sundays and Wednesday. They are, however, now classified as "Easy" (E), "Medium" (M) or "Hard" (H). Most of the rides are "M" but some "E" rides have been introduced with additional monthly "E" rides on Saturdays planned for 2010 in collaboration with Wheelrights.
There are two ride coordinators: John White (Phone 01792 520896) who looks after the Sunday rides and Brian Croft (Phone 07807 504495) who covers the Wednesday rides. Martin Brain (phone 01792 207800) is the Secretary.
Information about the rides can be found on their new (2009) website: www.swanseacycling.co.uk. The programme for a particular month is also summarised above on a single A4 sheet. Just click the month to view or download it.
Other
Other events gleaned from wherever are included on this page.

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Page updated on 28 June 2010.>