Sport and leisure

Cycling is an enjoyable activity and can help you get and stay in shape. It's a low-impact exercise, so is easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities. Being a form of transport, cycling is also one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine.

Cycle lanes and routes

Cycle lanes are dedicated lanes along the road, designed to give cyclists the space to travel safely without getting in the way of other traffic. Cycle routes include cycle lanes on roads as well as off-road tracks often shared with pedestrians.

Find cycle lanes and routes in Barnsley, including a map of the National Cycle Network.

Hire a bike

If you're not sure if cycling's for you, why not borrow a bike and give it a try?

You can loan an e-bike from Barnsley Bike Works at the transport interchange on Eldon Street in Barnsley town centre. Loaned bikes come with a helmet, bike bag and lock.

If you have a disability or additional needs, the national charity Charlotte's Tandems lend tandems and tag-along bikes free of charge to people who aren't able to ride a bike safely on their own.

Learn to ride a bike

It's never too late to learn to cycle, with tuition and training available for young people and adults.

Learn to ride sessions for children and adults

Barnsley Bike Works offer learn to ride sessions for children and adults. These are perfect if you're starting out and want to learn to ride a bike, or if you haven’t cycled for a long time and are feeling a bit rusty.

Find out more and how to sign up on the Barnsley Bike Works webpage.

Cycle proficiency for young people

Bikeability is the cycle proficiency programme for young people. It gives them the skills and confidence to ride a bike safely, especially on roads. There are three Bikeability levels, each designed to improve cycling skills to meet the national standards for cycle training.

Bikeability runs alongside the school calendar from September to July. Contact Active Barnsley to book a school Bikeability session.

Adult cycle training

Our adult cycle training sessions cover three levels:

Learn to ride sessions are suitable for anyone who can't ride a bike, those with low confidence, or people who haven't cycled for a while. These sessions are held in quiet, private areas.
Cycle plus sessions give people the chance to ride in traffic-free environments. This could be in parks or on cycle tracks. These sessions enable people to build bike control, practice changing gears, and include riding on different gradients.
Level 3 training helps build on-road cycling confidence. These sessions take riders out onto busy roads and focus on route planning. They also help riders deal with traffic lights, dual carriageways and roundabouts.

Cycle clubs

If you enjoy cycling and want to take your interest further, you could join a cycle club. You'll get support from other members and can join a range of cycle events during the year. Most clubs run events for junior members too.

Barnsley Road Club

Barnsley Road Club was set up in 1924 to promote cycling in the Barnsley area. Members regularly take part in time trials, road races and reliability rides.

Regular events include:

ten mile evening time trial - weekly during the summer months
50 to 100 mile club run - Sunday mornings throughout the year
steady Sunday ride - around 30 miles, including a cafe stop. Riding at an average of 12 to 15mph, this ride is suitable for cyclists of moderate riding ability and reasonable road awareness.

For more details and other events see the Barnsley Road Club Facebook page.

Birdwell Wheelers

Birdwell Wheelers was set up in 1949 and has members from Barnsley, Sheffield and Rotherham. They run time trials, road races, triathlon and social events.