Nearly 60 French students aged 14 and 15 came to the Isle of Wight for a bike ride last week.
Accompanied by five teachers the students, from the College Jean Papon near Lyon in Southern France, were visiting Britain as part of their language studies.
Students began their ride at Shide and went to Godshill along the Sandown cycle track and the Sunshine Trail. The bikes were provided by Wight Cycle Hire of Yarmouth. The business has organised many such rides on a regular basis for groups of young people before but not one so large.
John Allen, the owner of Wight Cycle said:
“The students were brilliant and were very well motivated.
“It would be fair to say that there were some pretty surprised riders on the track when they were faced by such a large group but the students had great fun greeting them in their best English.”
Students rode to Godshill in around an hour and then had lunch. The teacher leading the group Mlle Anne Wallays, commented on it being a memorable day because of the scenery of the country side and the ride going so smoothly.
In the past other groups of French students have been taken on the Downs and along the cycletrack in West Wight. For many of the students there was the novelty of wearing a cycle helmet for the first time. The bikes were brought from company’s base in West Wight to Shide using a cycle trailer.
Tom Ransom of Visit Isle of Wight added:
“The Isle of Wight’s reputation as one of the world’s top cycling destinations is hitting home out there. It’s great to see Wight Cycle Hire offering such a high quality bespoke service to visitors”.
