Edinburgh Festival of Cycling
Thursday 7th – Sunday 24th June
The Edinburgh Festival of Cycling (EdFoC) is back for its sixth year and will be the biggest yet, not only extended to 18 days, but also going on tour, taking events to Glasgow and Dundee. The simple act of cycling can change lives and transform places, and urbanism and health are among this year’s themes.
Highlights include Peter Walker talking about his book Bike Nation: How Cycling Can Save the World, and Morten Kabell, the former transport mayor of Copenhagen, on how we can ‘Copenhagenize’ Scotland. There will also be a screening of the Dutch documentary film Why we cycle, think you know why the Dutch cycle so much? Think again.
The Festival will feature inspiring tales of physical and mental recovery through cycling as well as adventures.
The Adventure Syndicate’s Divided – the film is back by popular demand – documenting the attempt by Lee Craigie (Commonwealth Games mountain biker) & Rickie Cotter (24 hr champion) to ride the Tour Divide Race from Banff (Canada) to the Mexican border along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. Another Adventure Syndicate member, Kate Rawles, will talk about her amazing biodiversity ride along the spine of South America on a bamboo bike she built herself. And Andrew Sykes will be talking about Cycling Europe and Michelle Brideau will reveal the three things you need to know for riding across a continent.
Lorena Jones discusses recovery from breaking her pelvis and spine, to riding the Trafalgar Way from Falmouth to London (500km with 6,795m of climbing) in under 24 hours. Gabriella Gratrix talks about how cycling is helping her recovery from Breast Cancer and her plans to cycle around the world.
There will also Richard Lord’s workshop exploring how cycling can help treat depression, as well as a screening of the award-winning film “Riding through the Darkness” about a mental health project in the Scottish Highlands.
There will be lots of opportunities to get on yer bike, with a range of guided rides, including the ever-popular Original Edinburgh Night Ride, a magical mystery tour of East Lothian, and the Ride to the Sun which sees riders set off in the evening from Carlisle with aim of arriving at Cramond for the sunrise.
For families, there will be “bike curious” family events in Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow. There will also be the chance to ride on closed roads in Edinburgh city centre with the HSBC/British Cycling Let’s Ride event, and you can challenge yourself to see how many laps around Edinburgh’s famous volcano, Arthur’s Seat, you can fit into 12 hours, and whether you can “Beat the Seat” while raising funds for St. Columba’s Hospice.
There will also be a range of other events, from stand up comedy to photographic exhibitions, offering something for everyone. Last year the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling was listed as one of the top ten cycling festivals in Europe, and the sixth Edinburgh Festival of Cycling promises to be the best yet.
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