A social cycling group set up in Urmston celebrated the fifth anniversary of their bike ride meet-ups last week.

Urmston Social Cycling (USC) honoured the occasion by recreating their first ride with a short off-road pedal to The Wharf in Castlefield.

Organised by Sarah Wheeldon and husband Andrew, the group now boasts more than 1,200 members on their Facebook group, with over 300 people having joined along for rides so far.

The aim of the informal cycling group was to encourage any new or returning riders from the community to join the pastime in a comfortable environment.

Sarah said: “It’s as much social as it is about cycling and that model’s proven popular.

“We’re not fast, we’re not lycra, we potter around.”

It was inspired by Sarah’s own cycling journey, after a 30-year hiatus she came back to the pedals in 2013 to commute to her city centre job.

Wanting to join a social cycling group, she found that the only suitable offering was some distance away in Prestwich, which led her to set up her own group.

In 2018, the year Sarah set the group up, she also earned a spot in Cycling UK’s ‘100 Women in Cycling’ which celebrates inspiring women in their enhancement of cycling.

Sarah said: “Everyone is very supportive of each other, and I think that’s how it’s become so successful.”

Initially launching USC in the Facebook group ‘Urmston M41’ers’, Sarah expected roughly 50 people to join the group, with just a few joining along for the rides, so she was taken aback when the group accrued 200 members in two hours.

“It’s very much a community group. We’re well known in the area because of the number of people who join the rides, 20-odd people going down the road, they know it’s us,” the 56-year-old said.

The community focus of the group was in full view on the anniversary ride, when the cyclists encountered an elderly lady who had taken a fall near Salford Quays.

They had nurse Ruth Mulholland along for the ride, who was able to help until the emergency services arrived.

USC organises bike rides every one or two weeks, with rides anywhere between eight and 30 miles in distance.

Most of USC’s communications occur on the dedicated Facebook group.