For 2024, we’re excited to be partnering with The Bike Drop, a Community Interest Company (CIC) currently operating out of Brimscombe Mill in the Cotswolds. In the New Year, they will be opening a new location in Cirencester, my hometown, and this is where the start and/or finish checkpoints will be located for all our events in 2024.
We’re incredibly grateful to Performance Cycles for their support and generosity in hosting us last year. But not only have we outgrown the space available, but this opportunity to partner with an innovative cycling enterprise that benefits the community is too good to overlook.
The Bike Drop was founded during the pandemic and was initially focused on providing a low-carbon, active alternative to deliveries within the local area. However, it has now evolved into a bike shop, workshop and training centre, providing affordable bikes and maintenance, whilst also providing a pathway into work within the bike industry.
For those who aren’t familiar with CICs, they differ from charities in that they are run like companies and must generate income. However, rather than serving the interests of shareholders, they exist to benefit the local community, meaning success is measured in positive impact not profit.
The Bike Drop is part of a collective of several CICs, with three others joining them at the new location in Cirencester. This is a huge boost for the local community and we will be supporting another of these enterprises, The Long Table, as well. This CIC focuses on food equality and every rider’s entry will help pay forward a meal to benefit a member of the local community who needs it.
For more information on all these CICs and their work, please have a read of their recent impact report.
