Cycle show organisers hope for thousands of visitors

As man as 10,000 visitors are expected to descend on the York Cycle Show when it is held in the city later this month to coincide with national Bike Week.

The organisers of the event, which was first staged 65 years ago, are hoping to highlight both the economic and health benefits of taking up cycling.

The chairman of the York Cycle Show committee, Paul Hepworth, said: "The show is one of the biggest national events for cyclists. Since it started in 1945, it has encouraged thousands to pedal for pleasure.

"If you are a cyclist or you want start cycling it is a great place to get information, advice and a bike plus accessories and clothing at bargain prices. There's also a range of guided rides around York to suit every cyclist.

"We hope that by taking part in our Bike Week event, families will beat the credit crunch plus the health crunch, rediscover how much fun cycling is and will be encouraged to keep cycling the whole year round."

The show will be staged on Saturday June 19 and Sunday June 20.

The vast range of activities on show over the weekend for novice cyclists to experts include mountain bike stunt shows, arena displays and exhibitions.

Residents from York will also be able to bring their cycles along to the event to be security coded by officers from North Yorkshire Police, as part of the force's crackdown on bike theft, called Operation Spoke.

There will be a bike parade through the city from York Minster, following a special service for cyclists on the Sunday.

York was selected by the Government in 2008 to take part in the 90m nationwide Cycling City project, which has already seen a seven per cent increase in the number of people using bikes in the city.