Community’s cyclists get on their bikes
Jewish cycling enthusiasts had a one-track mind on Sunday as Maccabi GB made its debut at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Velodrome, to host the Community Cycle Day.
The event in Stratford was a unique opportunity for participants to ride on one of the finest cycle arenas in the world, following in the tyre tracks of Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Laura Trott and the rest of Team GB’s multi-medal-winning Olympic team.
Many of those involved had never ridden in an indoor cycle venue before and their day began under the tutelage of a professional cycle coach, learning the specific skills that separate track cycling to the road variety, whilst getting acclimatised to the track. The second part of the day involved the cyclists putting their newly-acquired techniques into practice – including how to mount the slopping track and how to overtake – until they finished the day looking like seasoned ‘track stars’.
Jeremy Gubbay, from Mill Hill, attended the event with his son, Daniel, and said: “It was a fantastic day out that I’d recommend to anyone who can ride a bike. You really didn’t need to be a serious rider to have a great time, and I think that’s what’s so great about all of Maccabi GB’s Community events. To ride on the same track as the Olympic greats was a real treat – The [Olympic] Velodrome is amazing! Riding with, and racing against, my 17 year-old-son was brilliant. I’d definitely do it again and recommend it as a superb day out.”
MGB’s Event Coordinator Janice Aarons, said: “It was really exciting to host a Maccabi GB event in such unique surroundings. We always aim to provide the Community with a variety of different sporting occasions, in different settings, but our ability to do so [at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park] shows our ambition for the ‘Sport, Health and Wellbeing’ Programme. By hosting events such as this we hope to encourage more people to stay active on a weekly basis, by perhaps taking up cycling with other like-minded members of the Community.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
