Hundreds hit the road for BIG Sunderland bike ride

The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight, waved off the riders from the starting line at the University of Sunderland's Sir Tom Cowie Campus on St Peter’s Riverside.Starting at 9.30am, cyclists of all abilities had the choice of two distances, 20 or 35 mile on routes throughout the city.

All those taking part and returning to the finishing line at St Peter’s Riverside, received Active Sunderland commemorative medals as reminders of their sporting achievement.Using the city's extensive cycle path network, Sunderland’s BIG Bike Ride was designed to cover a variety of distances to make sure that everyone, regardless of experience or ability, could join in.Coun MacKnight said: “I was delighted to be invited to support this fantastic annual event and ‘start’ the ride.“It was great to see so many people of all ages taking part, riding alone or with their friends and family.“We have many sporting, leisure and recreational facilities across our city, and events like this are a great way of encouraging more people to use them and get involved in some healthy, fun activities.”