March 2017 | 49
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL OF CYCLING
Edinburgh is getting ready for Scotland ’ s greatest celebration of bicycle culture . The city will host the fourth edition of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling from 9 – 19 June 2016 . The city forms a stunning and dramatic backdrop for a host of challenges and opportunities for cyclists of all flavours from testing punchy climbs to gentle rolls along the prom at Portobello .
A volunteer-run social enterprise , the festival has grown year-on-year with events attended by thousands of cyclists – hipsters , hill climbers , bikepackers , cycle speedway racers , night riders , Belles on Bikes , all-ability cyclists , tourers , recumbent bikers , speedway kids , families … and last year one guy in a panda suit on a bamboo bike . The festival is about getting people involved ; getting people active ; supporting their transport , health and green activism . This year ’ s festival hears from inspirational women and men who have taken on incredible challenges . This year sees the second running of the Capital Trail bikepacking challenge with a UK-wide field riding through the Lothians and Borders ; recumbent cyclists take to the road and cycle speedway kids take to the track in come and try sessions . With events across the cultural spectrum there are workshops , talks , films , rides and family events .
Highlights this year include a talk from “ Yes ” champion and adventurer Dave Cornthwaite ; an evening with Scotland ’ s very own voice of the professional cycling scene , The Velocast and screenings of great cycling films including “ Pantani ”. We ’ ll be looking for love at Cycle Speed Dating and turning the streets red with Cycle Flaneur . The second edition of The Capital Trail ( extending the festival this year into September ) brings riders from across the UK and beyond to the city in a self-supported mountain bike timetrial starting and finishing on Portobello Beach . The 237 km trail is quintessentially Scottish : rough , rugged and scenic at the same time .
A highlight of the Festival is the Edinburgh Night Ride giving cyclists the chance to experience cycling through the night on quiet roads in East Lothian . The 60-mile ride during the summer solstice , is in groups accompanied by experienced ride leaders . There is a middle of the night feast and rest stop with mechanical support .
The festival also caters to the increasing numbers of people commuting in Edinburgh . The Spokes ’ Bike Breakfast will provide free food to all who arrive by bike and features a range of stalls , speeches , security marking and servicing for bikes at the Edinburgh City Chambers . The Brompton Fold-Fest will have prizes for the quickest in town to fold a Brompton bicycle at Biketrax and at the SEStran Commuter Challenge participants will set off from Ferrytoll , Ingliston , Straiton
and Newcraighall by car , bus , train , tram , bicycle , or jogging / walking and head for St Andrew Square , to see which mode is the fastest and causes the least environmental damage . The festival also includes rides for the whole family such as the Bike Curious Family Workshop , which gives people the chance to meet experienced cycling families to try out various solutions and get the real lowdown on cycling with kids .