City school kids joined a pedal-powered party led by a Paralympic gold medalist and cyclist DJ. Around 400 children at St Catherine’s Junior School in Belgrave rode their bikes to class to start a new national cycling initiative.

Seventeen-time Paralympic gold medalists Dame Sarah Storey and Dom Whiting, better known as Bike DJ, surprised the students at the start of the FRideDays Bike Bus. The idea is to encourage parents, guardians, teachers, volunteers and children to walk, bike or cycle to school together in scheduled ‘bike bus’ trips every Friday.

Sustrans, research conducted by the cycling organization, found that only four per cent of children in the UK cycle to school, although 50 per cent said they would prefer cycling to other modes of transport. That’s why the charity has teamed up with bike manufacturer Schwalbe Tires UK to launch the FRideDays toolkit for schools to encourage children to get on their bikes.

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Dame Sarah Storey, who joined the Leicester Cycle Bus on Friday, said: “Cycling is probably the most fun way to get around, so why should getting to school be any different? I am very excited about the FRideDays Bike Bus plans and the opportunity this will bring to more kids to have the same fun as these kids are here today.”

The rain didn’t seem to deter the hundreds of children, parents and guardians who joined the launch. And cycling DJ Dom Whiting, known for playing live sets on his bike, certainly helped lift the spirits.

“As a DJ who loves to get people moving, I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the initiative that encourages parents and children to ditch their cars and hop on a bike to get to school every Friday,” he said.