Keown unveils special Arsenal hire bike

Five Barclays Premier League legends joined together to reveal bespoke Barclays cycle hire bikes in their former club’s colours, uniting London football teams and the capital’s celebrated cycling scheme. Ambassadors from London’s Premier League clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, QPR and Tottenham, put their former rivalries aside – at least for the day – to celebrate the cycle scheme and demonstrate the one-off bikes, which are on display in local branches of Barclays. Martin Keown, Darren Anderton, Marcel Desailly, Rufus Brevett and Ray Wilkins all rode out in London’s Regent’s Park in support of the special Barclays cycle hire bikes decked out in their former club's colours. Arsenal legend Keown, who made more than 400 appearances for the Club, said: “Having spent so much of my career in London it’s great to see these special Barclays cycle hire bikes. Football and cycling keep you fit and they also help bring people closer to their communities, and with the summer approaching, I would encourage Londoners and visitors to get on a bike to ee some of the great things this city has to offer.” Ashok Vaswani, CEO Barclays UK Retail and Business Banking, official sponsors of the Barclays Premier League and Barclays Cycle Hire, said: “This initiative successfully combines two of our key sponsorships and allows us to give something back to both football fans and cyclists in their local communities. We are dedicated to improving how people get around London and this is the perfect way to celebrate our continued support for both football and cycling in the capital.” Fans will be able to see some of the new two-wheeled mascots on display in the following Barclays branches from Thursday 29 March for a limited time.