TWO Oswestry cyclists are cycling from London to the Olympic Games in Paris order to highlight Shell’s controversial sponsorship of British Cycling.

Mike Bastow and Sahrah Wilding set off from the Oswestry Climate Action Hub in Bailey Street on Wednesday, July 31, before cycling from London on a 250-mile cycle to the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Paris.

They plan to arrive in time for the track cycling competition where British cyclists are taking part.

OTHER NEWS:

Mike Bastow, a chemical engineer, said the sponsorship by the oil company is "dirty money" and wanted to protest at the cycling at the Games.

He said: “British Cycling’s decision to take dirty sponsorship money from Shell is a kick in the teeth for cyclists everywhere.

“Cycling is one of the most sustainable modes of transport, while Shell is a climate-wrecking corporation that has spent decades denying the science of the climate crisis and actively lobbying to stop governments from tackling it.

“Meanwhile they target sports organisations to market themselves as doing the opposite.

“The two do not belong together.

“Air pollution from fossil fuels kills five million people a year while extreme heat kills 500,000 annually.

“While communities such as Oswestry work to develop a response to Climate Change the root cause of this problem has to be challenged.

“And one of those are lies and actions of Shell and now the leadership of British Cycling.”

The demonstration is part of ongoing action against Shell’s controversial sponsorship of British Cycling; in January 2023, activists staged a protest at the British National Track Championships in Newport.

In November, they targeted British Cycling’s AGM in Birmingham.

Sahrah, who is studying for a Masters in Sustainable Food Production, added: “Major institutions like the Science Museum are cutting their ties to fossil fuel sponsors because they know they can’t justify taking their money.

“Fossil fuel giants like Shell aren’t sponsoring British Cycling because they love the sport. They’re doing it to “greenwash” their reputations and convince the public that they’re not the bad guys.

“But they are the bad guys.

“As one senior cycling official said, the sponsorship between British Cycling and Shell is like ‘shaking hands with the devil’.

“National sports organisations need to decide whether they care more about profits or people.

“We’re cycling all the way from London to the Paris Olympics to call British Cycling out for making deals with climate criminals.”

A British Cycling spokesman said: “We fully respect the right to safe and peaceful protest, and have continued to engage with our members and clubs through the first two years of our partnership with Shell UK.

“We continue to make good progress on the shared ambitions of the partnership.

"This includes the growth of our successful Limitless disability and para-cycling programme, and support for British Cycling’s first sustainability strategy, which was published in May of this year.

Get in touch

Share your views on this story by sending a letter to the editor. To get in touch email news@bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk, or fill in the form on this section of our website.

"This strategy includes an ambitious target for British Cycling to achieve net zero by 2035 and to halve its carbon emissions by 2030.”

A spokesman for Shell said: “We respect people’s right to express their point of view and welcome any constructive engagement on our strategy and the energy transition.

"Shell UK continues to support British Cycling and the Great Britain Cycling Team’s cyclists and para-cyclists through the sharing of technology and innovation, widening access to cycling, and accelerating decarbonisation efforts.”