Sport

A giant ‘carnival on bikes’ championing Black culture is coming to Manchester

The big cycling social and cultural event is making it's northern debut.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 22nd July 2025

One of the biggest bike ride events in the country, dubbed a ‘carnival on wheels’, is coming to Manchester this year.

The Black Unity Bike Ride (BUBR) was set up in London following the murder of George Floyd, which took place on 25 May 2020 and set shockwaves around the world.

Now, as the event is looking to reach across the UK, the event celebrating Black culture, joy, empowerment and unity is coming to our city region and its surrounding areas for the first time ever.

It’s set to be a truly brilliant and inspiring event.

Teaming up with London Marathon Events (LME) once again, the mass participation veterans have been lending expertise since 2021, and now they’ve reached a new five-year agreement to help continue strengthening BUBR and, hopefully, create a national movement by setting up in two new cities.

ADVERTISEMENT

Manchester marks the first stage of the Black Unity Bike Ride expansion, which will see thousands take to cycling from Alexandra Park in Moss Side on a 12-mile route through the city and back to the beautiful outdoor space.

Aiming to mirror the success of the flagship BUBR event down in the capital, Manc participants and supporters can expect a vibrant, ‘festival feel’ with pumping music throughout.

ADVERTISEMENT

Back at Alexandra Park, there’ll be even a huge pop-up home base for the event, bringing together Greater Manchester’s Black community with a big food and vendor village, more music and an uplifting atmosphere all day long.

The inaugural Manchester event will come just a fortnight after the sixth annual edition of the founding Black Unity Bike Ride in London, which sees waves of cyclists take on 17 miles, starting at Leyton Sports Ground and finishing in Dulwich Park.

black unity bike ride manchester 2025
BUBR London
Credit: Black Unity Bike Ride Manchester (supplied)

Promising route leaders, cheer zones and pitstops on the route, plenty of music, not to mention various indie food and drink traders pulling from a wide range of different ethnicities and cuisines, it’s this kind of full-on festival energy that BUBR Manchester is striving to capture.

ADVERTISEMENT

Once again, it’s a ‘carnival on wheels’.

BUBR MCR 2025 will take place on Sunday, 17 August, the birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a key political activist – the forefather of the ‘Garveyism ideology – as well as publisher, journalist and orator who has his own national day named after him in his home country of Jamaica.

He advocated for the empowerment and rights of African descendants and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), in addition to organising America’s first-ever Black nationalist movement.

You can see the event documentary film, which chronicles last year’s Black Unity Bike Ride in full down below. It really is a moving watch – pardon the pun.

Read more:

It’s also worth noting that the Black Unity Bike Ride Fest is completely FREE, as the goal is to get as many people as possible. You can sign up

ADVERTISEMENT

BUBR founder, Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, said of the upcoming event: “What began as a bold idea on London’s streets has grown into a national movement. We are very excited to bring the event to Manchester, it has been an aspiration for a few years so we can’t wait until Sunday, 17 August.”

“BUBR has valued London Marathon Events’ support since 2021, and we are very proud to extend this relationship with a new five-year commitment. The partnership is a true statement of intent when it comes to community, inclusion and inspiring active lives.”

BUBR has been to Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana and more; Manchester is up next and there’ll be another new home in 2026.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)

Sport

‘The United Strand’ shares update after video of assault at Old Trafford goes viral

Danny Jones Danny Jones The United Strand shares update after Old Trafford attack

Viral Manchester United fan Frank Ilett, more commonly known online as ‘The United Strand’, has now spoken out in a video update after a clip of him being attacked by another man at Old Trafford was shared across social media.

The 29-year-old Man United supporter was in attendance for the Red Devils’ rainy win against Chelsea in the Premier League this past weekend, and proved a popular figure around the majority of the stadium.

However, despite being previously preoccupied with meeting, greeting and taking selfies with other United fans, his time at Theatre of the Dreams took a more nightmarish turn as one individual began pulling him by the hair before being separated by Reds in the vicinity.

The supporter who assaulted Ilett has yet to be identified, but Frank himself has now opened up on the incident in his latest video.

Sharing a lengthy update across all of The United Strand accounts,

It’s worth noting that Frank didn’t take a break from his daily posting challenge either, as his streak of not cutting hair and recording its now internet-famous growth every day until Man United win five games in a row continues.

But as for the ordeal itself, as you can see, Frank genuinely thought his aggressor was just joking at first.

Just like those around him, it only clicked that the man meant to do him harm when he “properly started yanking my hair”, detailing that he also called him an “attention-seeking [undisclosed expletive]” at the same time.

Sadly, Frank – who not only started this challenge as a silly bit of fun but also to help raise money for charity – went on to reveal that, unfortunately, this wasn’t the only less-than-warm reception he received from fans in and around the stadium.

In addition to the unprovoked attack, Frank says he also received some verbal abuse.

Manchester United are yet to issue any kind of public statement regarding the matter, but subsequent reports have claimed that United officials have been made aware of the footage and are now investigating the incident internally, and will “impose strong sanctions” if/when caught.

You can read more on the altercation down below.

Fellow fan account Stretford Paddock (formerly Full Time Devils) responded in the comments: ‘Keep it up, Frank. You’re giving us all a smile at a difficult time as United fans and doing some brilliant things along the way!

Even JD Sports offered their support with a reply, with their social media admin writing, “Keep doing your thing, broski.”

As for Frank Ilett, besides thanking those who helped him in the inexcusable moment of violence, he reiterated that not only did he never expect to still be doing this challenge, but that it was only ever meant to be “something to laugh at in a difficult time as fans.”

His goal was simply to “spread positivity and humour”; we can only hope that he faces nothing but more of the many “positive interactions” that he did in fact enjoy on the day, the next time he visits the ground.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The United Strand (screenshot via YouTube/Instagram)

Sport

Salford City ‘extremely disappointed’ in Yorkshire Police’s investigation after racist abuse

Danny Jones Danny Jones Salford City statement on Yorkshire Police racist incident investigation

Salford City FC have issued a statement expressing their disappointment with Yorkshire Police and the force’s final decision regarding a racist incident earlier this year.

Local authorities in the region opened an investigation into allegations of racism and verbal abuse during a pre-season game between Salford and York City FC back in July.

The game itself was ultimately abandoned with just five minutes left to play after new signing, Adebola Oluwo, was unfortunately subjected to deeply offensive and discriminatory behaviour by a member of the opposition fan base.

Now, just over a month later, North Yorkshire Police have concluded their investigation and decided not to pursue charges against the accused individual – an outcome that SCFC have not taken lightly.

Issuing an extensive and frustrated response online, they wrote: “Salford City Football Club is extremely disappointed with the findings of the investigation by North Yorkshire Police (NYP), and the subsequent decision not to charge the individual responsible for the racist abuse aimed at Adebola Oluwo.”

“It is particularly concerning how the investigation concludes that there is no evidence to corroborate the report of abuse, despite a number of first-hand accounts of the abuse from those present at the fixture.

“This includes [by] the match officials, who we know, through discussions with the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), gave verbal statements on the night and provided their details for the investigating team to follow up, but have not been contacted.”

Oluwo signed for Salford this summer from Barnet FC on a two-year deal, but sadly faced racist abuse before his debut season with the club had even begun.

The 25-year-old explained how “monkey noises” were made in his direction; sitting down with various other senior figures from within the club and around the administration, he and the likes of head coach Karl Robinson made it clear that this kind of treatment is simply unacceptable.

We urge you to watch this in full.

The club statement continues: “Having spoken with Adebola and sought further advice on the matter, including legal, we will be exercising the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme to request an independent review to reconsider this outcome.

“Our players, coaching staff, members and everybody at our Club stand united with Adebola, and we have also engaged the English Football League (EFL), the Professional Footballers ‘ Association (the players’ union), and Kick It Out, who have all offered their full and unequivocal support for the review application.

“The match officials, supported by their governing body PGMO, remain available to be contacted to provide their impartial accounts of events that evening. We will pursue every available avenue to ensure accountability, and together send a clear message that racism has no place in our sport.”

SCFC sign off by insisting that they will be adding no further comment, but supporters, both local and beyond, have certainly had plenty to say online.

York City themselves made it clear at the time that everyone assosciated with the fellow Northern side categorically “condemns racism in all forms” and assured they would cooperate with Salford and the police service on the investigation.

While it is distressing to learn that NYP won’t be proceeding with the hate crime that was so openly and emotionally acknowledged by both teams, ‘The Minstermen’ did reiterate that the 23-year-old arrested at the time “will face the strongest possible sanctions from the club.”

In terms of the update from ‘The Ammies’, one user replied: “North Yorkshire police? Failure to bring charges? Suggesting [a] lack of evidence? Nooooooo, never. They don’t seem the type.”

Another added: “Was this case referred to the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service], who decided not to charge; or did North Yorkshire Police not refer it to them for a decision? Tough to know who to be p***ed-off with until that is clear.”

We can only echo the post shared by Salford City FC and stress how disheartening it is to still see situations like this arising. It also goes without saying that we send our support to Adebola Oluwo and everyone at the club during this difficult time.

Not only is ‘the beautiful game’ for everyone, but the only way we can ever even hope for racism to be completely kicked out of football is for decisive, consistent and punitive action to be taken in moments like this and more often, as we know the number of incidents that occur is far higher than those reported.

Read

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Emessem T/Salford City FC (screenshot via YouTube)

More Sport

Ernst van Rhyn new Sale Sharks club captain

Salford

Sale name Ernst van Rhyn as new Sharks skipper following contract extension

Manchester United extending safe standing

Property

Manchester United confirm extension of rail seating and safe standing options

Salford Red Devils points deduction

Salford

Salford Red Devils deducted points for breaching ‘RFL operational rules’

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches