How to get involved as Southampton closes to traffic tomorrow

That is the rallying cry from cycling campaigners across the south as Southampton gears up to host its third Sky Ride |tomorrow.

Around 12,000 cyclists |saddled up for the event last year, which saw the city centre closed to traffic as pedal power ruled the roads.

The scheme, which aims to get one million riders back in the saddle by 2013, has been backed by a host of celebrities, including this year’s local ride ambassador, TV presenter Gethin Jones.

And campaigners have now joined them in throwing their weight behind the ride, which is the second major cycling event to be hosted in Southampton within the past month.

It comes after 150 riders bared all to take part in the Naked Bike Ride on June 8.

Dilys Gartside, from the Southampton Cycling Campaign, hopes Sky Ride will help to improve safety for cyclists in the city.

“Sky Ride gets more people thinking about cycling,” she said. “One of the biggest problems we have is that most people’s mentality is not fixed on cycling.

“Getting more people cycling will get more people to ‘think bike’ and that can only be good for the safety of cyclists.”

She added: “Sky Ride is a big, fun event. If you haven’t been out on your bike for a month or ten, this is the time to do it. It does not matter what stage of life you are at, whether you are an experienced cyclist or not, just get on your bikes and get yourself down to the Sky Ride on Sunday and catch the cycling bug.”

How to get involved: The city will be closed to traffic between 10.30am and 4pm tomorrow, as thousands of riders tackle a 7.8km route around Southampton.

Cyclists of all ages and abilities can register for the ride free of charge, by visiting goskyride.com/SouthamptonSkyRide, or simply turn up on the day to take part.

There is no official start or finish line along the route, allowing riders to turn up with their bikes at any part of the course, at any time of the day.

And participants are under no pressure to cycle the entire route - they can cycle as much or as little as they like.