A MASS cycle ride aims to help promote cycling in Winchester.

Organisers are inviting people to join the ‘bike train’ at pick-up points across the city centre on the morning of Saturday May 12.

There will be a circuit or two around the one-way system before a gathering in Abbey Gardens at The Broadway.

From 10am the pick-up points will be in Kings Worthy, Headbourne Worthy, Harestock, Weeke, Badger Farm and Stanmore.

Route A: Kings Worthy (Springvale Road shops) at 10am, with pick-up stop at Headbourne Worthy (top of Bedfield Lane);

Route B: Harestock (Priors Dean Road shops) at 10am, with pick-up stop at Weeke (Stoney Lane/Stockbridge Road);

Route C: Badger Farm (Meadow Way) at 10am, with pick-up stop at Stanmore (Cromwell Road shops).

At around 10.45am there will be a lap or two of the city centre on the one-way system including St George’s Street, Jewry Street and North Walls.

From 11am, the cyclist will gather in Abbey Gardens for guest speakers, bike doctor courtesy of Bespoke Biking and a celebratory photograph.

The organisers said: “The ride will help create a vision of a better Winchester, where a critical mass of cyclists makes cycling safer and more enjoyable. Our aim is to get more people cycling, more often.”

It is part of newly-launched Cycle Winchester, promoting cycling as a convenient, healthy and inexpensive way to get around Winchester, which reduces congestion, pollution and makes Winchester a better place to live, work and visit.

Cycle Winchester is an initiative by the Winchester Cycle Working Group, backed by Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC), Bespoke Biking, Friends of the Earth Winchester, the City of Winchester Trust and Winchester CTC (part of Cycling UK, the national cycling charity).

Cycling is on the up across the country with increasing membership of clubs such as VC Venta, sales in bike shops and business for Bespoke Biking. An ongoing issue in Winchester is the large number of hills, with the city centre lying in the Itchen valley.