Category: Cork Cycling Festival Events

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What’s On Today – Sat 21st July

SATURDAY 21st July

13:00               Festival Opening  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Cutting the ribbon on this year’s festival – a family friendly ceremony. Come along and see some interesting people with their bicycles.

13:00               Awards – Kids luv Bikes and Bike Shorts – Youth Film Competition  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

14.00-16.00     Bike Maintenance Workshop   // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Bring your bicycle and any tools you have – if you have none you’re also welcome to attend, even without a bike.

20.00               Cycle of Lights  //  Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Discover Cork by night in a glittering nighttime parade. Time to dig out all old bike lights, torches & shiny things and get imaginative.

Check Out Events for the Rest of the Week

Cork Cycling Festival is entirely free to the public, welcoming all ages and walks of life with a special focus on family-friendly events. The festival is run by a voluntary team who just love bikes as a great way to get about and want to inspire more people to cycle.

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Picnic Lunch Deal from the Natural Foods Bakery – ALL WEEK LONG

The Natural Foods Bakery is offering a picnic lunch deal for hungry cyclists!

For just €8 you will get one of their delicious freshly made sandwiches (meat, vegetarian and vegan options available), a packet of crisps, a slice of cake and a choice of drink*. Phone before 10.00 any day during the festival and pick up a fantastic, healthy lunch! –  Blackrock: 021 4614555 | Paul Street: 021 4277244. 

Or  For Morning Cycles Order before 18.00 the day before to pick up by 10.00  – Blackrock: 021 4614555 | Paul Street: 021 4277244. 

For just €8 you will get one of their delicious freshly made sandwiches (meat, vegetarian and vegan options available), a packet of crisps, a slice of cake and a choice of drink*.

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Cycling Festival 2012 – Press Release

Cork’s biggest 100% free festival coming soon! (Download)

 The fifth Cork Cycling Festival which runs from 21-29th July is gearing up for another nine days full of reasons to get out on a bike. This year’s festival promises to be more visible than ever, with lots of day-time events, including themed city cycles and countryside tours, a shop-front art trail, a Bike Fair and three parades. Every event in the festival is free to attend – just bring your wheels!

Themed cycles around the city include: An Abhainn sa Chaithair, a tour as Gaelige guided by Pádraig Ó Duinnín of TG4’s Muintir na Mara; a tour of Cork’s street signage led by author Tom Spalding; Histories and Memories of the Lee Valley by historian and city councillor Kieran McCarthy; and a mystery tour of Hidden Cork by architect Adam D’Arcy. There will also be a Community Gardens cycle to visit a number of gardens and sample the produce and a cycle to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind centre.

If you’re up for a challenge and want to explore some of Cork’s beautiful countryside, check out some of our touring cycles. Expect castles, harbours, riversides and hidden waterfalls. While some cycling experience and moderate fitness is required our patient stewards will make sure everyone has a pleasant experience and we can take our time.. Enjoy the rich landscape with five cycles in total visiting Dungourney, Barryscourt Castle & Cobh, Mullinhassig, Blarney, and Crosshaven.

There is an emphasis on family cycling solutions this year, with Astrid Fitzpatrick of Dutch Cargo Bikes travelling to Cork to showcase the kind of practical solutions that are a way of life in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Families are welcome at all events and are the stars of the Kid luv Bikes exhibition in Cork City Library. This year also sees the first Bike Shorts competition for young film-makers, whose work will also be showcased at Cork City Library. Both these competitions are run in collaboration with Cork City Council’s SMILES project.

Three bicycle parades will enliven the city with everyone invited to come and take part. The first will be the Cycle of Lights, it’s an evening parade and an opportunity to decorate your bike for night-time that will take in Blackrock Castle Observatory for some stargazing. The Grand Bicycle Parade is an ‘anything goes’ evening parade through the city centre with music and costumes. The Vintage Velo Run invites Cork to drag your high nellies out of the turf shed and dust off your tweeds for a jolly good vintage parade around the city. Even if you don’t have skirts, tweeds or nellies come along anyway to join the craic of this rollicking ride, with music from DJ Gary Baus!

2012 sees the annual festival art exhibition move onto the streets for the first time ever. Gallery on the Go is Cork’s first ever shop front cycle art exhibition with a number of artists installing bike-themed art in shop fronts around the city. The exhibition aims to ensure a festival presence throughout the city while anyone who wants to view the whole exhibition can do so easily from the comfort of two wheels. Viewers can cast their vote for their favourite artists and the winning artist will win a €300 voucher for Kilgrews Cycle Shop.

The final event in this year’s festival is a Bike Fair which will take place on the Grand Parade on Sunday 29th July. The final festival day will include plenty of attractions, including market stalls with luscious bikes and cycling accessories; Trike Trials for smallies and Bicycle Olympics for young and old; Family cycling solutions demo and advice; Cargo Bike show, Interactive science demo ‘The Beautiful Machine’; Safety training workshops; and Live music and bike-powered refreshments. Photographer extraordinaire Marcin Lewandowski will be making complimentary Bike Portraits of visitors and their bikes at a pop-up photography studio.

To keep hungry cyclists fuelled festival-goers can avail of a special discount on packed picnic lunches from Natural Foods bakery on Paul Street and Blackrock and available options will be published on the festival website and can be ordered by phone.

This year’s Cork World Naked Bike Ride has been planned to coincide with the festival once again, on Saturday 28th July. It will include a brave world record attempt for the most body painted people ever, the current record was set in New York in 2007 at 264 people.

See www.corkcyclingfestival.com for more | Media contact: Nicki ffrench Davis 087 3900267 | Media email: [email protected]

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LISTINGS INFORMATION BELOW!

But first…

Ppsssst! Did you know?

  • The average person will lose 13lbs in their first year of cycling to work!
  • Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of ageing.
  • Studies have proved bikes are 50% faster than cars during rush hour!
  • Researchers from Illinois University found that a five percent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 percent in mental tests. That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30.
  • 20 bikes can be parked in the same space as 1 car!
  • 30 minutes daily cycling saves hundreds of euro on medical costs annually!
  • Cycling just 20 miles a week reduces your risk of heart disease to less than half that of those who take no exercise, it says.
  • The happiest cities worldwide all have a high number of cyclists according to John Helliwell, a renowned happiness expert and economist at University of British Columbia.

LISTINGS INFO

ReDiscover your city…

  • Guide Dogs Cycle: Mon 23 July,17:30-20:30, Start @ GrandParade
  • Histories & Memories of the Lee Valley: Tues 24 July,13:00-14:30, Start @ Grand Parade
  • Community Gardens Cycle: Tues 24 July,18:00, Start @ GrandParade
  • Hidden Cork Wed 25 July,13:00-14:00, Start @ GrandParade Evening City tour: Cork’s Signage Wed 25,18:00, Start @ GrandParade
  • An Oige Cycles Thurs 26 July,19:00, Start @ Cork Opera House An Abhainn Sa Chathair Fri 27 July,13:00-14:00,Grand Parade

Special Events

  • Festival Opening:  Sat 21 July,  13:00,  Grand  Parade
  • Bike maintenance workshop:    Sat 21 July,  14:00-­16:00,  Grand  Parade
  • Cycle of Lights: Sat 21 July, 20:00-Late, Start @ Grand Parade
  • Gallery on the go! Guided tour    Sun  22  July,  13:00-­15:00,  Grand  Parade
  • Grand Bike Parade: Fri 27 July,18:00, Start @ Grand Parade
  • Vintage Velo Run: Sat 28 July,13:00, Start @ Grand Parade
  • Cork World Naked Bike Ride:   Sat  28  July,  15:00-­17:00,  Grand  Parade
  • Bike Party and BBQ:   Sat  28  July,  18:30,  The  Flying  Enterprise  ,  Sullivans  Quay
  • Bike Fair:   Sun 29 July,  12:00-­18:00,  Grand  Parade

Touring Cycles

Barryscourt & Cobh touring cycle: Mon 23 July,  10:00-­17:00,  Grand  Parade

East cork longer touring cycle: Tues 24 July,  10:00-­19:00,  Grand  Parade

Mullinhassig touring cycle:    Wed 25 July,  10:00-­17:00,  Grand  Parade

Blarney Short touring cycle:    Thurs 26 July,  13:00-­17:00,  Grand  Parade

Crosshaven countryside cycle:    Fri 27 July,  10:00-­17:00,  Grand  Parade

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GALLERY ON THE GO! – Artist Call Out

Cork Cycling Festival’s first ever shop front cycle art exhibition.  Call Out for Artists Submissions – FRIDAY 13th July 

This year we’re bringing our annual of bike-inspired art to a street near you! Admire ‘The Beautiful Machine’ through artists’ eyes in shop front windows across the city. Each shop front will form a gallery space for a different artist and will be presented as part of a gallery trail from 21st-29th July 2012.

   ************** ARTIST CALL OUT **************

   Closing date for submissions: Friday 13th July

Cork Cycling Festival invites artists to submit proposals for our first ever shopfront cycle art exhibition. That’s right, this year Cork Cycling Festival is bringing its annual exhibition of bike-inspired art to a street near you! We are working with premises owners to secure a range of shopfronts and windows across the city. Each shopfront will form a gallery space for a different artist and will be presented as part of a gallery trail from 21st-29th July 2012.

 Audience award:

A voucher for Kilgrews Cycle Shop to the value of €300 will be presented to the audience favourite and decided by public vote. (Voucher is not exchangeable for cash!)

 RULES: 

  • All art/installations must have a bicycle theme, taking the 2012 festival theme of The Beautiful Machine’ as a starting point.
  • Works in any medium can be submitted.
  • Artwork should be appropriate for all ages.
  • Artists are responsible for installing and removing their own work from their      designated shopfront / window.
  • While  every effort will be made to prevent acts of god or langers, Cork Cycling      Festival Ltd. cannot be held responsible for the security of art works.
  •  The festival will provide a display for the window with artist’s name & contact details (probably a bit of card, like); these details should not also appear as part of the installation to ensure coherence and good taste.

 To submit, please provide us with the following:

  • A drawing, model, or other description of your proposed installation (back of an envelope is acceptable).
  • Dimensions of the space required.
  • Estimation of time necessary to install/remove your work.

Closing date for submissions: Friday 13th July

Email your submission to: [email protected] or deliver your entry c/o Cork Cycling Festival at Civic Trust House, 50 Pope’s Quay, Cork.

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Cycle Tours 21-29 July

Cycling Tours are a highlight of the Cork Cycling Festival and they are fun, interesting and always popular. Cycle on your lunch time, in the evening or join us for a full day. Tours cater for all abilities and they are ALL FREE

Also Check Out the Natural Foods Bakery Cyclists Deal for Sustenance on the Go

LUNCH TIME CYCLES

Sun 22nd JULY – 13.00-15.00  Gallery on the Go! Guided Tour //  Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Hop on your bike and be the first to take in the 2012 exhibition alongside some of the artists. Cast your vote for your favourite shop front.

Mon 23rd July – 13.00-14.00    Polish Cuisine Cycle  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Per4meЯ invites Cork cyclists to pedal around the city to track Polish cuisine. We’ll pay a visit to CoMix, Merkury, Pewex, Polonez, Pychotka, Taste Cafe, Wedlinka and get samples of best Polish food. As the cycle has a limited number of participants we’d like to invite first 25 cyclists who will get detailed information about the Polish Cuisine Cycle.
See you on Monday 23rd July 2012 at 1pm

Tues 24 JULY – 13.00-14.30  Histories and memories of the Lee Valley   // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Where the river meets the tide – a guided tour of the Lee Fields by historian and city councillor Kieran McCarthy. From city centre west to the Straight Road and back on the Lee Road: 90 minutes.

Wed 25 JULY – 13.00-14.00  Hidden Cork  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Whether you’ve lived here all your life or are just passing through, there’s always something new to be discovered in this quirky city. Join Adam D’Arcy, architect and quirkologist for a curious trip!

Fri 27 JULY – 13.00-14.00  An Abhainn sa Chathair  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

A tour as Gaelige of the banks of our own lovely Lee. Your guide is Pádraig Ó Duinnín, host of TG4’s Muintir na Mara and founder of the Meitheal Mara maritime organisation.

HALF DAY CYCLES

Thurs 26 JULY – 13.00-17.00  – Touring Cycle to Blarney  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

A short cycle to Blarney and surrounding countryside. Moderate fitness required.

DAY CYCLES

Mon 23 JULY – 10.00-17.00  Long Touring Cycle to Barryscourt & Cobh  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

A cycle around Cork Harbour visiting medieval Barryscourt Castle and the Quays at Cobh. Some cycling experience and moderate fitness required. *Cross River Ferry ride fare: €1.50 return

Tues 24 JULY – 10.00-19.00  East Cork Longer Touring Cycle // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

First stop Midleton and a coffee break. On to Dungourney and the seaside for ice-cream, and hanagarry for lunch. Through Cloyne to Midleton and on to Fota gate. Break at Bramble Lodge before returning to Cork. 8 hours cycling and 1 hour eating. Total distance: 92km.

Wed 25 JULY – 10.00-17.00  Long touring cycle to Mullinhassig  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Some cycling experience and moderate fitness required. Riverside cycling, castle views and a route through forest to a hidden waterfall – bring your swimming gear!

Fri 27 JULY – 10.00-17.00  Countryside Cycle to Crosshaven  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

A tour South-West to the picturesque harbour village of Crosshaven

EVENING CYCLES

Wed 25 JULY – 18.00  Evening city tour : Signage  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

This gentle guided tour will take riders through several miles and over 100 years of Cork’s built environment. It will concentrate on the architecture, history and signage of the city since 1900, and be led by local author Tom Spalding, whose new book on Cork’s street signage is due out soon.

 Mon 23 JULY – 17.30-20.30  Guide Dogs Cycle  Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Cycle out to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind centre and meet some of these four-legged heroes. ee the centre’s new puppies before returning to the city centre. Suitable for confi dent cyclists of all ages

Tues 24 July – 18.00 –   Community Gardens Cycle  // Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Cork is cultivating a growing revolution in recent years – visit some community gardens and sample the tasty produce!

Thurs 26 July – 19.00 (Sharp)  An Oige Cycles // Cork Opera House

These two regular cycles will welcome festival visitors. Long cycle leaves at 19.00 sharp, social cycle leaves 19.10.

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Cycles Tours

This Year we are inviting you to join us in any of our 13 guided tours, ranging from a visit to the Guide Dogs, or the Cork Community Gardens, learning more about the hidden parts of Cork or try a day long trip and venture outside the city. Cycle on your lunch time, in the evening or join us for a full day.

Tours cater for all abilities and they are ALL FREE See all lunchtime, evening and half/full day tours

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Bike Fair

WHEN : SUNDAY 29 JULY – 12.00-18.00  | WHERE : Festival HQ, Grand Parade

Our final festival day will include plenty of attractions… Market stalls with luscious bikes and cycling accessories; Trike Trials and Bicycle Olympics; Family cycling solutions demo and advice; Cargo Bike show, Interactive science demo ‘The Beautiful Machine’: safe-efficient-comfortable; Safety training workshops; Temporary tattoos; Live music and bike-powered refreshments.

Photographer extraordinaire Marcin Lewandowski will be doing Bike Portraits at the Bike Fair

Please check back for more updates for participants and events

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Party and BBQ

WHEN : SATURDAY 28 JULY – 18.30   |   WHERE The Quarter Deck, The Flying Enterprise, Sullivans Quay

Time to take our feet off the pedals. Festival go-ers and participants in the WNBR will gather at this iconic pub for food and fun – bicycles welcome! Entry to the party is free, food and drink is on sale.