Manchester - Eat, Drink, Ride - 9 Miler

Starting from the cycling facility in central Manchester you quickly reach the Ashton canal and travel along the towpath passing a multitude of developments including the Etihad Sports Campus.  After about 2.5 miles you reach the National Cycling Centre, home to British Cycling, the indoor Velodrome and BMX tracks. You then leave the NCC and ride past the Skills Zone Pump track in Philips Park the into and around Medlock Vale Country Park where a series of mountain bike trails have been constructed, this route stays on the main path.  After leaving the park, in less than a mile you'll be back on a towpath, this time it's the Rochdale canal which has a section designated as a Site of Biological Importance due to the unique and thriving plants.  This canal isn't as developed as the Ashton canal other than a new housing estate with some interesting shapes. 

City Tower Bike Hub: Hubs are the ideal place to lock up your bike with confidence. Join our scheme and you can park your bike under full cover, with other security measures that include constant CCTV coverage and swipe card entry. They are somewhere to keep your bike safe, secure and dry while you're at work. Find out more at http://cycling.tfgm.com/join-a-hub.htm

You can view the location of the Hub at http://cycling.tfgm.com/pdfs/City-Tower-Cycle-Hub-location.pdf

Please note cycle access is only from New York Street not the Piccadilly Gardens entrance.