Cycling for transportation and leisure enjoys popularity in Manchester, and the city also plays a major role in British cycle racing. The University of Manchester is home to the Manchester Cycling Lab.
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Utility cycling
Cycling is a significant mode of transportation for people commuting to work. In 2011, the UK Census revealed that 2.1% of residents travelled to work by bike in Greater Manchester, up from 1.9% in 2001.
Transport for Greater Manchester aspire to "achieve at least a 300% increase in the levels of cycling across the city region by 2025" and have produced a corresponding cycling strategy.
Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign is a volunteer-run group that works to make cycling quicker, safer and more enjoyable.
The Manchester Cycle Forum enables people with an interest in cycling to meet councillors and council staff from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester staff, and representatives from various cycling and transport organisations to discuss cycling-related issues in the city. Meetings take place quarterly.
Manchester Friends of the Earth coordinate the 'Love Your Bike' campaign, which promotes cycling as an environmentally friendly mode of transport. One of its activities is the 'Bike Friday' scheme, monthly rides from outer districts into the city centre. These are aimed at encouraging commuters to cycle in to work, benefiting from the added safety and sociability of riding in a group.
There is no bicycle sharing system in Manchester, but the city was the first to get a "Brompton Bike Hire" facility, at Piccadilly station. A 2013 study by TfGM into the possibility of a bike hire scheme suggested that an initial scheme should focus on a concentrated portion at the centre of the conurbation, including Manchester city centre, Salford Quays, Oxford Road and Hulme. No further progress has been announced since the study.
In 2015, Manchester was described as a "terrible cycling city" by Helen Pidd, the North of England editor of the Guardian newspaper.
Cycle routes
Major dedicated cycle routes in Greater Manchester or passing through areas of the city include the Trans Pennine Trail, National Cycle Route 6, National Cycle Route 55, National Cycle Route 66, the Fallowfield Loop and Regional Cycle Route 86.
Significant work to improve cycle lanes on Oxford Road and its continuation Wilmslow Road is taking place as of early 2016. The route is a major artery for buses between the residential areas of south Manchester and the city centre, and bisects the main Manchester University campus.
Regular events
The Manchester Sky Ride, a mass participation bike ride, is held in August every year, and the Great Manchester Cycle is a similar large-scale event held during the summer in recent years. A Critical Mass event takes place on the last Friday of every month, starting by Manchester Central Library. A naked bike ride is held annually early in the summer.
There are nearly 50 cycle clubs in Greater Manchester, catering to many styles of cycling, with Manchester Wheelers' Club being one of the most well-known.
Cycle racing
Manchester is prominent in elite cycling, being home to British Cycling, the governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain, and the National Cycling Centre. The centre was built in 1994 and contains Britain's first indoor cycling track, which has hosted three UCI Track Cycling World Championships, among many other events. The National Indoor BMX Arena is situated alongside the velodrome. The country's foremost professional cycling team, Team Sky, is also headquartered at the National Cycling Centre.
History
A combined velodrome and athletics stadium, Fallowfield Stadium opened in 1892. The cycling track was 509 yards in circumference and was used for the 1934 British Empire Games. It was demolished in 1994.