More than 50 people jumped on their bikes and joined Great British Bake Off winner Sophie Faldo at Lee Valley VeloPark for a morning of cycling and cake on Saturday.

The event, which coincided with the launch of Bike Week 2018, aimed to inspire groups of friendsto try their hand at road cycling as a way of staying both fit and social.

During the morning, riders joined Sophie at the London 2012 Legacy venue where they pedalled the one mile outdoor road circuit and participated in a host of fitness sessions before refuelling with a variety of classic bakes. Seven lucky competition winners also joined Sophie on the Velodrome track for a taster session.

Throughout the day riders heard from guest speakers including Sophie herself and representatives from the HSBC UK Breeze programme - an initiative set up to get more women riding bikes for fun - on why cycling is a great way to stay fit and healthy and make new friends.

Sophie Faldo is best known for winning the 2017 series of Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off, however what many people don’t know about her is that she is a keen cyclist and a national master’s track cycling champion.

“Cycling is a social sport,” Faldo said.

“There is nothing better than sharing the road or track with a group of friends who will spur you on to reach new goals.

“I jumped at the chance to get involved in Lee Valley VeloPark’s Bikes and Bakes event which successfully combined two of my favourite things – cycling and cake.

“It was brilliant to see so many new cyclists at the event today trying their hand at cycling and enjoying some tasty cake. Thankfully there were only sore bums and no soggy bottoms by the end of the day.”

According to research commissioned by YouGov for British Cycling, one in three (35%) of people polled believe their best chance of meeting new friends would come from taking part in a sporting activity.

Brian Daley, Director of Venues at Vibrant Partnerships who manage Lee Valley VeloPark, said: “Cycling is not only a great way to stay fit, it’s also a brilliant way to make new friends.

“Here at Lee Valley VeloPark we’re keen to inspire groups of friends, who perhaps haven’t considered cycling before, to give it a go and what better way to encourage them then with some delicious cake.

He added: “We want to inspire more riders to come and make the most of this iconic venue so throughout Bike Week 2018 we will be running a range of special sessions and offering exclusive discounts to those who sign up for a free Bike Week membership. Check out our website for more details.”

To receive exclusive Bike Week offers including free child sessions and the chance to win Six Day London tickets go to visitleevalley.org.uk/bikeweek.