Mostafa is one of Cycling UK’s ten Real Yellow Jersey winners. Image: Cycling UK
Ten individuals, including a Muslim woman who broke cultural barriers to bring cycling to her community and a refugee who found purpose and connection through cycling, have been awarded a ‘Real Yellow Jersey’ for embodying the spirit of Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival.
Launched in 2015, Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival began as a short-term campaign aimed at restoring old cycles and encouraging more people to cycle. Over the past ten years, it has evolved to reshape perceptions of cycling safety, break down social and cultural barriers, and inspire hundreds of thousands of individuals to cycle for shorter journeys.
In that time, Cycling UK says the project has delivered 24 million cycle trips, helped over 600,000 people get back on their bikes, and replaced nearly 10 million car journeys — easing traffic and cutting congestion in towns and cities across the UK.
Cycling UK adds the Big Bike Revival has helped reshape local transport across communities demonstrating the huge health benefits of active travel. The evidence-led, national programme has seen 72% of participants say they would keep cycling, while 86% said it boosted their mental wellbeing and 61% said they feel fitter and healthier.
Marking these significant milestones during Bike Week (9-15 June), Cycling UK has awarded ten jerseys, handknitted in Tour de France yellow, to ten people who have used cycling to change their lives and inspire more of us to ride our bikes.
In the Tour de France, the yellow jersey has been worn by the overall leader since its introduction to the race over 100 years ago in 1919. It is an iconic sporting symbol recognised throughout the world and held by only nine British riders in the tour’s 120-year history.
To further honour their achievements, all ten Real Yellow Jersey recipients were invited to the Houses of Parliament (9 June), where they were photographed and formally recognised by MPs and supporters, including Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander for their contributions to cycling and their communities.
One of ten inspiring winners of Cycling UK’s Real Yellow Jersey award, Mostafa (pictured above), a refugee from Iran who arrived in Halifax in 2024, has been recognised for how cycling has transformed his life.
After struggling to access education, exercise, and his community due to lack of transport, Mostafa received a donated bike through St. Augustine’s Charity, supported by Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival. Since then, cycling has become a powerful tool for freedom, fitness, and connection—relieving his back pain, reigniting a childhood passion, and helping him explore Halifax’s streets and green spaces.
James Scott, director of behaviour change at Cycling UK, said: “The Big Bike Revival has been the biggest show of force for how cycling can make our communities safer, healthier, and more prosperous. Cycling is often underestimated for its impacts, but ten years of The Big Bike Revival has proven that for every £1 spent, cycling can deliver over four times the return.
“It’s exactly why we’ve revived the Real Yellow Jersey campaign, to recognise the people who are using bikes to connect communities, get fit, overcome their mental health challenges, lessen their climate impact and so much more. The Real Yellow Jersey is also a symbol of celebration for everyday cycling, how transformational it can be and a siren to encourage more people to get in the saddle.”
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