HUNDREDS of people took to their bikes to enjoy a sunny cycle through a park.

Bikestock, the sponsored bike ride in aid of cycle charity Sustrans, took place on Saturday in Stanmer Park.

Around 400 families and cycling enthusiasts took part, doing laps of the 1.5km track through woodland as they tried to beat targets set by organiser Ben Sherratt,

Sustrans 'Bike It' officer for Brighton and Hove Mr Sherratt, who is also known as 'Bike It Ben,' cycled 1,000 miles during visits to more than 30 schools across the city in ten days before the event. He taught children how to repair their own bikes, encouraged them to make bike-powered smoothies for their parents and challenged them to match the length of his journey by cycling to school and doing laps of the Stanmer Park track.

He said: "The event was really good fun. We've definitely got three schools who are close to the target and we are just totting up final numbers. We are also still counting sponsorship. This was a free event which was more focussed on getting people cycling than raising money."

He said cycling was good for physical and mental health as well as building self-esteem and reducing the number of cars on the road.