The end is near…..final day of the Glasgow Cycle Festival!

The  final day of the Glasgow Cycle Festival is upon us!  We are not sure whether to be relieved or sad!  It has been a busy few weeks to say the least but we have had a ball!

Our final day – Sunday 29th June – will see two events: the second of our Storybike Rides with expert guide and storyteller Andy Hunter.  This ride will travel to Boden Boo Woods via route 7 and will include a foraging workshop in the woodlands led by Anna Canning.

The ride will leave from Glasgow Bike Station at 9.30am on Sunday 29th June.  There are still a few spaces on this ride so if you are keen, please email cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk by 10pm tonight at the latest.

Then to wrap the whole festival up we are celebrating with a BBQ at Free Wheel North from 1pm. Free Wheel North have been working super hard over the last two weeks to get their special Cycle Festival mural completed and will be unveiling it to the public at the BBQ.

Head along from 1pm to help us celebrate what has been an AMAZING two weeks.

With lots still to do before the BBQ tomorrow, we are keeping this brief but will be back with a summary and round up of all the festival action after a brief recovery next week!

Thanks for now for reading and supporting us!

All at Glasgow Cycle Festival xx

(p.s not the actual BBQ we are using but a very good idea for net year!)

The Carbon Cycle – an evening with Kate Rawles at the Glasgow Women’s Library

Kate Rawles is an outdoor philosopher, writer, lecturer and campaigner.

Her book The Carbon Cycle is the story of her 4500 mile bike ride from Texas to Alaska along the spine of the Rockies during which she explored North American responses to climate change.

Join us on Thursday 26th June at the Glasgow Women’s Library from 5.30pm to hear first hand about her trip and how it influenced her ideas on how we should tackle climate change.

You will find directions to the Women’s Library here: http://womenslibrary.org.uk/about-us/where-to-find-us/

This is sure to be a great evening in great company so make sure you secure your space by emailing cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk.

A journey through history with the Glagsow Women’s Library – Heritage Ride, Saturday 28th June.

Women’s Heritage Bike Ride

By Shaunagh Jones, images from the Glasgow Women’s Library collection. 

The Women’s Heritage Bike Ride will launch Saturday 28th June at 2pm as part of Glasgow Cycle Festival. Beginning at Riverside Museum, the ride will take participants along the Clyde, through Glasgow Green and it will end at the Velodrome.

The bicycle has been an important fixture in women’s history. The ride will stop off at Nelson’s Column which was a meeting point for suffragette rallies. The bicycle enabled suffragettes to distribute leaflets and promote events, thus playing an important role in the women’s suffrage movement. The route will also take cyclists to Anderston, where industries such as shipbuilding and engineering thrived. Many women were employed in these industries and cycling gave them a greater freedom and independence. It changed the way they dressed as the restrictive styles of the 19th Century weren’t conducive to riding a bike.

The ride will give cyclists the chance to discover more about the women, past and present, who have made their mark on Glasgow and the importance of cycling to them. You will hear about the work of anti-nuclear protestor Margaret Harrison, who along with her husband, cycled the length of the UK to campaign for nuclear disarmament. Discover where the entertainer Annie Oakley performed, whose most famous act involved shooting clay pigeons whilst riding a bicycle, and see where female athletes will competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Cycling also plays an important role in modern day Glasgow. The route will pass a cycling training centre where Free Wheel North’s classes are held; the organisation is also a partner for Glasgow Cycle Festival, and promotes physical and mental well-being through cycling. The bike ride will also take participants past the headquarters of Belles on Bikes, who organise women-only rides and bike maintenance sessions.

Join GWL for this gentle ride and discover more about these and other women and organisations that have made a difference to Glasgow and its cycling landscape. Please bring your own bike and advance booking is required – please email cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk or call 0141 248 5409.

Learn to ride with Play on Pedals!

Do you have a little one who want to get pedalling? This Sunday we have partnered up with Play on Pedals; a project designed to support all 4 year olds in Glasgow learn how to ride a bike.  From 2-4pm on Sunday 22nd June, come along to Free Wheel North on Glasgow Green and meet Professor Balance. Our Professor makes cycling super fun and can help children lean to ride a pedal bike through the power balance.

All pre-school children are welcome but the session is designed to help children aged 4 + move from a balance bike to a pedal bike.

Balance and pedal bikes available but if you have your own, bring it along.

Please RSVP by emailing Cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk

 

No break or gears sound good to you? Then you will love Cycle Speedway!

Cycle Speedway goes back to the 1920’s and was raced on bomb sites around the UK. There used to be many teams around Glasgow and Edinburgh but in recent years the only team in Scotland has been the Edinburgh Falcons.  Over the last 2 years Chic Mackie and a team of volunteers have been working hard to bring Cycle Speedway back to Glasgow. To showcase what they have been up to in the last few years and to raise the profile of their club they have offered to run two taster sessions as part of the Glasgow Cycle Festival.

Speedway races are run over 4 laps of a 70-90 meter track and last around 40 seconds. There can be between 8-24 races in a match depending on the type of match. 4 riders, normally 2 from each team, will work in pairs to win the race.  The bikes used are very simple machines. Lightweight singlespeed bikes with no brakes, brackets or quick release fittings!

Here is a great video from 1945….not much has changed since then! http://www.britishpathe.com/video/cycle-speedway-1

If you like the look of it and fancy giving it a bash 2014 style, then head to Cathkin Park on:

Friday 20th June form 4.30pm to 7pm and on Monday 23rd June from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.

Bikes are provided but bring your own helmets.  You take part at your own risk and all under 16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult!

You can find a map to the track here: http://glasgowcyclespeedway.com/location.html.  Head to Cathkin Park and enter via Myrtle Road, Crosshill.

If using public transport the easiest way is by train from Central Station to Crosshill then a 2 min walk to the track. 

Read more about this wonderful club here: http://glasgowcyclespeedway.com/rider-profiles.html

Read, Relax and Recharge Cycle Festival Special – Glasgow Women’s Library

Are you a book lover and a bike lover?   If yes, then this is the event for you!

Bring along a bite to eat, grab a cuppa, sit back and listen to live readings of selected short stories, novel extracts and poems all inspired by the bike.

Whether you’re an avid reader, or just wanting to explore writers you may not have heard of before, Read, Relax, Recharge provides a wonderful opportunity to dip into the wealth and variety of women’s literature world-wide, and in particular the amazing books in Glasgow Women’s Library inspired by the bicycle.

We are running two sessions with the Library  this Thursday 19th June: 12.30pm and 5.30pm.

Find the Glasgow Women’s Library here: http://womenslibrary.org.uk/about-us/where-to-find-us/

Please book your space at either session in advance by emailing cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk

De-mystify bike maintenance with the Glasgow Bike Station

This evening (Wednesday 18th June) we are hosting a Bike Maintenance class, squeezing in all you need to know about basic maintenance in 60 minutes.    Next week we will be doing this all over again, same time, same place!  At the moment both classes are full up but do get in touch and we can add you to the waiting list should anyone pull out.

In addition we will be running a special Fix Your Own Bike session on Thursday 19th and Thursday 26th June from 4-8pm.  FYOB gives you the chance to hire a work-stand, tools, bench, cleaning products etc and get some help from a mechanic (but they won’t do the work for you!).

As a treat to you, if you bring a Glasgow Cycle Festival flyer, the first hour is FREE (£4 per hour thereafter).  A work-stand is available on a first come, first serve basis so no need to book in advance for this.

For more info on FYOB see: http://www.thebikestation.org.uk/glasgow-fix-your-own-bike/

 

Coffee, cake, creating writing and a bike ride….could there be a better combination?!

In partnership with Free Wheel North and Glasgow Women’s Library, we are running four easy paced group bike rides suitable for those new or returning to cycling including a tea/coffee, cake and creative writing “pit stop” at Glasgow Women’s Library inspired by your ride.

The rides will leave Free Wheel North on Glasgow Green (Tempelton Street, next to the main play area) on the following dates and times:

Tuesday 17th and Tuesday 24th June, 10.30am to 1.30pm (note: slightly different to the advertised time)
Friday 20th and Friday 27th June, 10am to 1pm

If you don’t have your own bike, ask us about how you can borrow one on the day.

Please confirm you attendance by emailing: cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk or call the Bike Station to book on 0141 248 5409.

Celebrate Bike Week this weekend: Pollok Park and Alexandra Park

Glasgow City Council are pulling out all the stops this weekend to celebrate Bike Week!  Bike Week is an annual opportunity to promote cycling, and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life by encouraging ‘everyday cycling for everyone’.   To do just this, Glasgow City Council have two big events coming up:

Saturday 14th June: Pollok Park (the Glade) from 11-4pm

Sunday 14th June: Alexandra Park (next to the large pond) from 11-4pm

Both events will be clearly signposted at all park entrances.

At each event will be:

• Timed challenge on the mountain bike circuit – open to all. Leader board and prizes
• Air Bag – popular crowd puller suitable for BMX, Mountain Bikes and Scooters
• Mountain Bike Demo
• Dr Bike provided by Bike Station
• Skills area – Cycling Scotland
• Cycle information – Glasgow City Council, Sustrans, Go Bike
• Led rides around the park and area.

The Glasgow Cycle Festival will be there next to the Bike Station’s Dr Bike with our ‘Bike Curious’ stall.  If you have a family to think about but would like to start cycling with your wee one on board why not come along and try out some of our solutions? We have:

• Tandems
• Tag alongs
• Bikes with baby seats
• Burley trailers
• Cargo Bikes

If you already cycle regularly with your baby or child on board, why not come along to chat to others and pass on your wisdom?

Glasgow City Council will also be hosting a number of additional events all week in the city centre, including a Bike Breakfast on Wednesday 18th June from 7.30am to 2pm.  Glasgow Cycle Festival will be there with a Dr Bike to give your humble steed a check over.   Find us on the Broomielaw near the north side of the Squiggly Bridge.

Check out the full GCC Bike Week programme here: GCC Bike Week events

 

Ride with Glasgow Road Cycle Meet-Up!

Fancy a tour of Glasgow’s parks and gardens this weekend? Well you are in luck!  As part of the Glasgow Cycle Festival, Glasgow Road Cycle Meet-Up are leading a ride this Sunday at 10am which will take you on a tour of our ‘dear green city’.  The ride will last around 4 hours and will finish in Alexandra Park for Glasgow City Council’s Bike Week event: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11904  This ride will include some sections of busy roads.  Please note a change to the published programme….this ride will now start and finish at the gates of Alexandra Park on Alexandra Parade and NOT at Pollok Park as previously advertised.

If cycling in the city isn’t your thing, why not join them for ride along the Strathkelvin Railway path on Friday 20th June? Meeting at the entrance to the Botanics, this ride will travel along to the Forth and Clyde Canal and onto the Strathkelvin Railway path – a disused railway line now ideal for cycling and walking.  With the Campsie Glen as your backdrop the ride will head to Strathblane,  Milngavie and then back towards Glasgow. This is a really pleasant, mostly off road route, perfect for all abilities.

For more of a challenge, why not join them for a Speedy Ride! On Sunday 22nd June, GRCM will lead a fast paced ride over some of the hills to the south west of Glasgow.  They will aim to maintain a pace of around 14 mph.

Meeting points and times below:

• Parks of Glasgow Showcase Ride: meet at Alexandra Park gated entrance on Alexandra Parade 10am Sunday 15th June
• Strathkelvin Railway Path: meet at Botanic Gardens, Great Western Road 10am Friday 10th June
• Speedy Ride: meet at the Science Centre, 10am Sunday 22nd June

For more info and to book your place on the above rides, email: cyclefest@thebikestation.org.uk

Join Glasgow Road Cycling Meet-Up here:

Glasgow Road Cycling Meetup

Glasgow, GB
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Glasgow Road Cycling Meetup is funded by Free Wheel North a cycling development charity based in Glasgow.Glasgow Road Cycling Meetup has been set-up to provide road cycling …

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