Commonwealth champ creates 'Parkride' for cyclists

Kerry MacPhee had a vision of a cycling version of a popular running event

A Commonwealth Games cyclist is taking the spirit of a popular running movement and putting it on wheels.

Kerry MacPhee was inspired by the global phenomenon of Parkrun, where people run, jog or walk a 3.1 mile (5km) route in a designated park every Saturday morning.

She has set up a free event in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park that she hopes will prove as popular.

The village of Aberfoyle in Stirling has adopted the name Gravelfoyle, following the creation of what were believed to be the UK’s first way-marked gravel trails in the nearby forest in 2022.

Families can cycle together on the way-marked paths

Cyclists who sign-up to the ParkRide can choose to ride one of the 6.1 mile (10km) or 12.4 mile (20km) loops which sit in the shadow of Ben Lomond.

Participants are emailed their time after the event and cyclists can try to better their performance each week.

They can also enjoy the experience knowing there is a sweeper rider who can offer mechanical support.

Ms MacPhee is a cycling development officer with Bike Trossachs. She has won multiple bike races, is a former Scottish Mountain Bike champion and holds the record for cycling the 210 mile off-road route between Glasgow and Inverness called the Badger Divide.

She says she was motivated to help parents who enjoy riding gravel trails but are unable to do so because of childcare responsibilities.

Alongside the event, parents can drop off their children at "Bairns on Bikes", where children aged five to 12 are given basic and more advanced cycling coaching.

She says: “There are no cars, it’s really safe, and you can ride ten abreast if you like, and we’ve seen a huge, huge upsurge of people coming to Aberfoyle because of the way-marked trails.”

Eilidh Moyer has improved her skills going over bumps after some cycle coaching

Eilidh Moyer, 5, regularly cycles with her parents on the trails in Aberfoyle and was one of the youngsters taking part in the coaching sessions.

The young cyclist has already been on a "pump track", a purpose-built track with banked turns and features designed to be ridden by riders generating momentum by up-and-down body movements instead of pedalling.

At "Bairns on Bikes" she has advanced her skills by “going over bumps,” but she admitted “I needed lots of help because it was quite a spiky one.”

Judith McVinnie from Balfron has found her times have improved over the weeks attending ParkRide

Coach Sarah Cairns says the young cyclists have made new friends, benefited from being outside in the fresh air, got fitter and gained in confidence.

“One of the girls' mums said her daughter had improved in confidence over the last few weeks just from coming along to this and you can kind of watch them coming out of their shells... and again that fitness thing becoming routine.”

Mum-of-two Judith McVinnie from Balfron has been regularly attending ParkRide over the course of the six-week pilot and describes the experience as “absolutely brilliant.”

“Over the last three weeks I’ve seen my time get faster, which is really encouraging. I am definitely not an expert cyclist or anything like that, but half of it is just showing up with your stuff on and doing your best.

"The bacon roll afterwards has been the best thing of my week.”