Britain’s elite mountain bike trials rider features in a campaign by Devon’s road safety team to promote the county’s Bikeability scheme.
Andrei Burton, from Exeter, features in a new promotional film launched yesterday (19 May) to inspire children in Devon to take up cycling and improve their skills through the three levels of Bikeability training. In the film he describes Bikeability as the “start of your journey”.
Last year, nearly 9,000 children took part in Bikeability training in Devon, a record for the county. Among them were 2,000 Year 3 and 4 children who benefited from additional funding from the DfT for basic skills training.
Devon County Council has secured £264,000 of funding from the DfT to provide cycle training for a further 6,600 children in 2015/16. Bikeability and adult cycle training is provided throughout the county by The Plymouth School Sports Partnership on behalf of Devon County Council.
Andrei Burton said: “Cycling is my passion; being on my bike gives me a sense of freedom and is also great fun. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I never imagined I’d be where I am today, but all the practice was worth it.
“Learning the basics, through Bikeability, is so important, and learning to ride your bike confidently can take you anywhere, there’s no limit to the possibilities.
“There are so many different types of rider out there but I hope tomorrow’s cyclists will all have one thing in common – a lifetime of safe riding that begins with Bikeability.”
Councillor Stuart Hughes, cabinet member with responsibility for cycling, said: “It’s great to have Andrei on board to support such a positive scheme for children in our county.
“He’s a great ambassador for cycling, and can help inspire more people to take to two wheels. With Andrei’s help we want to help the next generation of cyclists gain the skills, confidence and road safety awareness to cycle more safely, more often.”
Comment on this story