Second City Divide | Steve Bate & Jon Gildea
Bike Packing from Manchester to Glasgow
British Cycling team mates Steve Bate MBE and Jon Gildea set off to cycle from Manchester to Glasgow in three days.
Second City Divide is a bike-packing route between Glasgow and Manchester – two proud second cities linked by some of the UK’s best all-road riding.
Bike-packing is inspired by a desire to ride more off the beaten track, to get away from cars, deeper into the UK’s wilder places. Glasgow and Manchester are Second Cities of their respective countries, both have the good vibes, creativity, industrial heritage, commonwealth velodromes; gritty, grand and gregarious in equal measure. Between them is a load of food, culture, wildlife and history for exploring on two wheels. While this route can’t compete with the grandeur of the Alps, Central Asia or the Americas, it involves a lot less planning, supports local economies and makes you think twice about needing to travel far before riding your bike – most of the UK can get a train to Glasgow within a few hours.
