Ken Talbot, Handcycling Land Speed Record holder at Parkwood Springs

I recently had the opportunity to visit Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) at Parkwood Springs as SC4A was recommended by the bike shop selling a handcycle that I was interested in purchasing and SC4A was the nearest location that had a similar handcycle. It was a mere five hours away by car but I thought it would be worth the drive before making such as big investment.

I wrote to SC4A to enquire about the possibility of a test ride as, having previously worked for a similar organisation, I wasn’t sure if it would be in their remit. Tom got back to me quickly and after a few scheduling accommodations we managed to get a day when I could pop down. Now, I had told Tom that I’d probably only need 15-20 minutes as I didn’t want to intrude on SC4A’s normal operations and being an experienced handcyclist, I wouldn’t need that much time. But, when I arrived, it seems that Tom was having none of that – he was ready for a full ride.

Now, I’d been away from Mountain handcycling for two years while I worked towards reclaiming a handcycling World Speed Record and I was itching to get back on the trails. But, mountain handcycling is quite different to what I’d been doing for the previous two years so, despite my familiarity; I thought it might take me a while to get back into the flow of trail riding.

I was greeted by a friendly, but small, group consisting of Tom, a volunteer, and another handcyclist. We had a bit of warmup banter before Tom got me situated on the bike, making adjustments to the fit rather quickly. Despite my extensive experience in handcycling, including some mountain handcycling, Tom gave me some additional tips on the nuances of the bike I was trying which I found to be very helpful not just from my aspect of testing, but also safety and enjoyment.

After a short familiarisation lap in the grassy field we set off to ride. Now, I’ve never been to Sheffield and certainly not to Parkwood Springs so I had no idea what to expect. But, having looked at maps, I was thought it was going to be a somewhat superficial ride around a big open field, the sort of thing you often see with Paracycling (or at least would’ve in the past) – something exceptionally easy, and so low risk that it’s boring and doesn’t encourage people to come back. I couldn’t have been more surprised.

The Trails at Parkwood Springs were AMAZING. Who would’ve thought that within a stone’s throw of a large city centre there were fantastic cycling trails that make you feel that you’re in the wilderness and away from all city life, yet while still being so easily accessible. There was an amazing variety of trails in such a relatively small space that it felt like it could accommodate all kinds of abilities. There were flat trails, challenging steeper climbs and descents, everything from straights to hairpins and so many loops that even when we did repeat sections they still felt fresh. And importantly from a handcyclists perspective, all the trails were accessible – there were no gates that had to be opened by an assistant, no climbs where I needed a push because they were too steep or loose, no trails that were so narrow that I couldn’t use them. All this as well as being surrounded by an amazing wee forest. Oh, and let’s not forget the best part: The mid-trail pump track! Especially fun that it was dirt and rideable by a handbike where the paved ones often can’t be.

But let’s not forget the company! Tom was a brilliant host and ride leader. As I didn’t know the area the stops and overviews of the upcoming terrain were invaluable and made the rides more fun in that I knew where I could push myself and where I needed to back off. Tom’s volunteer was great with his company and banter and even though his services were never needed, it was great to know he was there. Then, riding with another handcyclist, as I had the chance to, is always fun especially when as we talked we found a common connection though handcycling (one degree of separation!) even thought we’d never met before. And as far as getting back into the flow of the trails, the combination of the trails, the bike, and the company made it feel like I’d never been away from the trails.

All in all, my visit to Sheffield Cycling 4 All was absolutely amazing and I would not hesitate to take the five hour drive to go back. I’ve also recommended it to the folks I ride with. Despite living in Scotland where we have loads of mountain biking trails, I have yet to see something as cool as the trails at Parkwood Springs. The combination of trail types and curves, in such a small beautifully wooded area, with that brilliant pump track… it’s just amazing. And the guiding and leadership provided by Tom and his volunteers, well that’s just absolutely fantastic service from Sheffield Cycling 4 All.  

Jan 2026