On Your Bike’s back in the saddle

A MAN rode 12 miles on a unicycle at this year’s On Your Bike.

Darrell Butler, from Mapledurham, was one of 300 people who took part in the 15th annual charity event on Sunday.

It raised around £2,300 for Sonning Common Primary School, Sonning Common First Responders and Sport in Mind.

This was the first time the event, which starts and finishes at the school in Grove Road, has been held since 2022 as it was cancelled last year due to a lack of volunteer race marshals.

Participants could choose to ride six, 12 or 20 miles around the village, with the longer routes going out to Stoke Row, Checkendon and Nuffield.

Mr Butler, who works for bicycle shop A W Cycles in Caversham, a sponsor, said he chose to take on the 12-mile route at the last minute as he had planned to only ride six miles.

He said: “I got to the crossroads between the routes and everyone went along the 12, so I did too and lived to tell the tale.

“I like to unicycle as it’s more fun. I’ve been riding for more than 10 years. I work with bikes so it’s a bit of a busman’s holiday. You can’t freewheel on it, so it’s faster uphill because you don’t lose anything through the drive chain but it’s slower downhill.

“It was a really nice course, out in the country, with lovely trees, bluebells… and terrible roads.”

Cyclists set off from the school playground from 10.30am following a safety briefing from event founder and organiser Penny Snowden.

They left in staggered groups to avoid congestion and were directed by signposts sponsored by village estate agent Beville.

Richard Beville, who owns the business and is a founding member of the organising committee, got up early to place the signs along the routes.

Harry Westlake, 12, was one of the first riders to return to the school after completing the six-mile route with his younger brother Alexander, seven, and father Jonathan.

He said: “I really enjoyed it. I’ve done it multiple times now. Alex did an amazing job and was really fast. He nearly tripped on a pothole but kept going.

“It was great fun and a nice family thing to do.”

Mr Westlake said: “It was lovely to see such a great turnout. It was good fun and we are really happy.”

Phoebe Hopson, seven, completed the six-mile route with her mother Ellie, brother Sam, nine, and grandmother Gaye. Her father Matt and brother Jake, 11, were marshals.

This was furthest she had ever ridden since she learned how to ride a bike last year.

“She did really well,” said Mrs Hopson. “It’s a great way to teach kids, especially about being near traffic and other people.

“It was nice to be with all the other bikes and it was a really nice route.”

Phoebe said her favourite bit was getting a biscuit at the hydration station halfway around. She plans to try the 12-mile route next year.

Richard Blyth, of Wood Lane, Sonning Common, completed the six-mile route with his daughter Bailey, six, while his eight-year-old son Noah completed the
12-mile ride with friends. Mr Blyth said: “It was really good. I do a quite a lot of cycling — about 40, 50 miles on the weekends — and wanted to do the longer route but I conceded I would do the shorter one with Bailey. It was brilliant.

“I think the kids were both a little cold and there was quite a lot of potholes and loose gravel but overall it was a really good route.”

Rob Bowen, who runs A W Cycles, set up a makeshift repair shop in the playground to fix any faulty bikes before the race began.

He said: “It’s great to see all the kids on the bikes and I must say most of the bikes have been ready to do the ride this year, which is very good.

“Sometimes it does look like they’ve just been pulled out of the shed, but these ones were all good.”

To encourage entries the shop donated a new bike to a participant whose name was drawn at random and a helmet to a pupil at the school.

Headteacher Chris Hirst called the atmosphere “fantastic”.

He said: “It’s an amazing event that brings the community together. Past, present and prospective parents all come together as well as people from other villages.

“We had nearly 300 riders, which is just great, and the funds are all going to good causes, not just the school. It’s a good community event.”

Mrs Snowden said she was glad to see the return of the event.

She said: “It’s magnificent because a lot of things stopped during covid and never restarted and there was always a risk that that would be the situation with this.

“But 300 started, which is incredible. There’s this kind of energy that it’s a village occasion.

“It’s a ride for the whole family and you get children who have just learned to cycle on two wheels or who have physical disabilities and are on tricycles and so on, right up to 80-year-olds.

“A couple of the parish councillors were either cycling or helping to marshal.

“It’s a fantastic model of a way that community events can run.”

Fellow organiser Claire Birkett said: “We were blessed by the weather and the local people who stepped up to volunteer as marshals and the first aid team and the police giving up their time as well as teachers and parents. It’s lovely that there are so many options for people.

“Six miles on a bike for people who aren’t regular cyclists is a challenge. My six-year old was doing six miles, which was huge.

“We know that it’s had a positive impact on pupils and parents who have been getting out to do a bit of training, so children have been out in the fresh air.

“It gets people cycling and it helps other road users to be aware of young cyclists.”

Ben Grey, of Sport in Mind, ran a stall handing out reusable water bottles and providing more information about the charity, which offers mental health support by facilitating access to sporting activities.

He said: “Today has been brilliant. As a charity, our lifeblood is fundraising but this is more about raising awareness and being part of the community

“It’s aligning ourselves with something that echoes our values, which are getting people out, getting kids and adults out together and moving.”

Other sponsors included Peppard Building Supplies and Sonning Common Health Centre.