Cyclists from across London and beyond came together on Saturday 5 August for the fourth instalment of the Black Unity Bike Ride (BUBR). This year’s ride continued the drive for positive change, and encouraged unity and empowerment amongst the Black community. Dubbed London’s ‘Carnival on Bikes’, the event was led by an alliance of more than 17 Black–led, London – based cycling collectives, and welcomed novices and experienced riders alike to join the peloton through the streets of London.
The ride began at Leyton Sports Ground, followed by pit stops in Hackney and Holborn before crossing the river and continuing south into Dulwich Park, where the event concluded with a celebration entitled BUBRFest, which featured music and food. For the second year, BUBR partnered with Black Eats LDN, whose vendors sold a variety of food and drinks celebrating Black culture.
BUBR founder Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, told Soca News, “Black Unity Bike Ride 2023 was simply magical, a true epitome of Carnival on Bikes! We had over 1,000 registered participants, and at least 800 turned up – even in torrential rain. Each year the event gets better and better; it is such a wonderful sight to see such a spectrum from our community come together in unity and joy.
I rode the entire 17-mile route on a classic Chopper bike and loved the fact I was surrounded by riders as young as 6 and as old as 70. One of my highlights was crossing Westminster Bridge to the sounds of soca: it was blaring from the speakers of one of the 10 ‘vibe makers we had on the ride, who kept our energy high all the way with music coming from giant speakers!”.
To find more about BUBR, see blackunitybikeride.com.
