REPORT ON BIKE WEEK FESTIVAL 2015 ACTIVITIES IN SLIGO

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1 REPORT ON BIKE WEEK FESTIVAL 2015 ACTIVITIES IN SLIGO Bike Week 2015 was a fantastic success in Sligo. Sligo was delighted to host the National Launch of Bike Week 2015 which followed an Opening Launch Bicycle Festival at Cleveragh Regional Park. The weeklong Festival of events was very diverse and catered for all levels of ability, with well over 1,000 participants throughout. All of Sligo s cycling clubs and organisations got involved in this year s Festival ensuring the success of events and activities across a very broad spectrum. There was a great atmosphere in Sligo throughout the week and the visibility of the events ensured a great awareness of Bike Week among the general population. Opening Launch Bicycle Festival & National Launch Sligo Bike Week Festival was launched with a Bicycle Festival at Cleveragh Regional Park. This is a public Park approximately 3km from Sligo Town Centre with looped cycle and jogging tracks and plenty of green open space. It is an ideal venue for safe off-road family 1

2 centred activities. This was a fantastic event with great range of family entertainment available free of charge to celebrate the week of cycling events to come. There were plenty of bicycle themed activities organised including kids MiniDrome Cycle Race & Skills event; obstacle courses for children; unicyclist (and tiny cyclist); Penny Farthing; puppets on bikes; bubble-bicycle clowns; Dr. Bike; face painting; bicycle repair workshop; bicycle tips for adults. Lisa and Áine from Green Schools provided advice on helmet fitting and how to ride safely with your children - We were delighted to see so many of the children working with us on Green-Schools Travel at the event and would like to thank Jesse Mooney from Zero Gravity Skate Park for making sure the bikes were all road worthy! There was great visibility of cycling with bicycle themed entertainment on show for the afternoon. Refreshments were also served for all involved. This Opening Day event was organised again this year by Sligo s Cairde Festival in conjunction with SSRP, Green Schools and Sligo County Council. Children and parents clearly enjoyed the day and it provided the perfect opportunity to further publicise the many events which would be taking place during Sligo's Bike Week Festival The following pictures capture the fun that was being had by all involved! 2

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8 The Opening Day Festival culminated with a Mass Cycle from Cleveragh Regional Park into City Hall for the National Launch of Bike Week This cycle took place along off road cycle paths and trails into the centre of Sligo Town. Bike Week Launch day coincided with Yeats Day, the 150 th Anniversary of the birth of W.B. Yeats, which brought crowds of people into Sligo Town Centre for festivities. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the Town centre and the Mass Cycle was very visible passing through the Streets on route to City Hall! 8

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10 National Bike Week was officially launched at City Hall by Major of Sligo Cllr. Tom McSharry with Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys TD in attendance, along with Tony McLoughlin TD, John Perry TD, Senator Imelda Henry, local politicians and Sligo County Council CEO Ciaran Hayes. 10

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12 Bike Photo Competition Sligo Cycling Campaign organised a number of exciting and fun filled events as part of Sligo s Bike Week Festival. The first of those was a Bike Photo Competition, the theme of the competition being Cycling in Sligo in all its variety. Photos were either black and white or in colour, taken during the day or at night. Cash prizes for the best photos 1st prize: 150, 2nd prize 75, 3rd prize 50. The top 20 photos were selected and exhibited in Sligo City Hall. Our thanks to Mark Capilitan, local professional photographer who kindly agreed to judge this completion. There was a wonderful response to this event and just under one hundred photo entries were submitted with great diversity in the subject matter. The prize giving ceremony took place in the town hall which was presided over by Cathaoirleach Cllr Rosaline O' Grady. First, second and third prize winning entries received their prizes and all photos were on exhibition in the City Hall for two weeks. Bike Photo Competition winning entries on exhibition in City Hall 12

13 Bike Photo Competition 1st prize winner John Carver, 2nd prize winner North West Adventures (photo held by Cathaoirleach Cllr Rosaline O' Grady) and 3rd prize winner Laura Kavanagh (photo held by Gemma Woods, Sligo Cycling Campaign) Visiting Photo Exhibition Thanks to Dublin Cycling Campaign for lending Sligo Cycling Campaign a collection of bike photos which were previously shown in a bike photo exhibition in Dublin. These photos were placed on exhibition at City Hall, Sligo a week in advance and during bike week. This exhibition undoubtedly helped to generate interest in both the photo competition and bike week in general. 13

14 Collecting Photos from Dublin Cycling Campaign for Visiting Photo Exhibition for Sligo Bike Week 2015 Try-a-Cycle 40km & 60km Leisure Cycle around Lough Gill On 14 June 2015, local cycling club Innisfree Wheelers once again hosted its annual Bike Week Try-a-Cycle event, which is aimed at beginner and re-starter cyclists. On this beautiful sunny day, Club members led a group of participants from the event HQ, the Sligo Park Hotel, down to Carraroe Church, taking a left turn for the scenic spin around Lough Gill through Aghamore, Slish Wood, Dromahair, past Parkes Castle, up the hills at Colga, and back through Sligo town to the hotel via the Pearse Road. An impressive distance of 40km was completed (some completed 60km) by all participants. This was a great easy paced leisure spin on a perfect cycling day. Low wind and blue skies for the duration of the spin very much added to the enjoyment of all participants. As the spin progressed, Club members provided on-the-road coaching to participants on efficient cycling and gearing techniques, and got all to practice the loud safety calls needed for group cycling spins on open roads. 14

15 A welcome break, with refreshments for all, was provided by the Club at the Blue Devon pub in Dromahair. Lazing in the sun on the benches outside the pub in the lovely Dromahair Village, it was hard to rise again for the return trip to Sligo, but we were soon on our way and Lough Gill looked spectacular in the sunshine on the way home. This surely was leisure cycling at its finest! Ox Mountains Sportive Not to be outdone by their Sligo Town colleagues, Ox Mountains Cycling Club from South Sligo opened up their weekly cycle to non-club members on this beautiful Sunday also. This is the second year that the Ox Mountains Cycling Club has got involved in Bike Week and they make a very valuable contribution to events, enabling a wider participation in events. This was an extremely successful event with over 80 cyclists participating. There were two routes to choose from on the day - 55k and 120k depending on ability. Both routes had with beautiful scenery and excellent cycling conditions on the day. Some of the participants in the Ox Mountains Sportive Open Cycle 15

16 Beautiful Scenery along the route of the Ox Mountains Sportive Open Cycle Bicycle Film Festival Eire Og Cycling Club once again organised a Bicycle Firm Festival which commenced on Sunday evening 14 th June with a showing of "A Sunday In Hell", a documentary on the 1976 Paris Roubaix bicycle race from the perspective of participants, organizers and spectators. Further bicycle based films were shown throughout the week in various bike stores and the newly opened Skate Park in Cleveragh with the final event in Connollys Bar on the last night of Bike Week attracting a large crowd of cycling enthusiasts. Ladies Cycling Workshop On Tuesday June 16 th a Ladies Cycling Workshop took place in Gary s Cycles Cycling Shop, which was organised by Eire Og Cycling Club. Gary demonstrated all the basics in maintaining a bicycle with particular emphasis on efficient use of gearing and instruction on puncture repair. Cycle Training for Adults Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership undertook a work place cycle training with Abbott Laboratory in Finisklin, Sligo. A qualified cycling coach supported a meet and train programme for 6 after work sessions which began during Bike Week. Developing the skills 16

17 of cycling, road safety and Bike maintenance all formed part of the programme. 10 cyclists took part is this workplace cycle programme. Cycling Skills Leaflet In an effort to support and encourage more adults to cycle on a regular basis Sligo Cycling Campaign organised to have 1000 copies of 'Cycling Skills' leaflet printed and circulated for bike week The Cycling Skills leaflets were produced with the permission of Galway Cycling Campaign, who developed the original leaflet. The leaflet is a comprehensive guide comprising rules, regulations and advice to enable cyclists to be safe on our roads. The response to the leaflet, from both experienced and beginner cyclists, is very positive. Leaflets were distributed to locations such as the library, bike shops, public buildings and cycling events the most recent being an all women's cycle event which included 150 participants. Considering the positive response and continued interest in cycling skills information Sligo Cycling Campaign believe this event made an important contribution in which cyclists can increase their safety and confidence and the roads providing. Cycling Skills Leaflet a basic guide to adult cycling 17

18 Lunchtime Cycle for National Cycle to Work Day Sligo County Council again organised a lunchtime cycle to coincide with Cycle to Work Day on Wednesday 17 th June. This year the cycle began in the Stephen Street Car Park, in the center of town, for maximum visibility. A garda escort (on bicycles!) was organised to guide the participants on a loop of the Town Centre followed by a cycle through Doorly Park and Cleveragh Regional Park, via an off-road cycle track. The participants enjoyed a picnic by the river on a beautiful sunny day! The turnout this year was similar to last year with approx 40 people participating in the full cycle. Now I m ready for lunch! Evening Cycle to Strandhill Village & back On Wednesday 17 th June, Sligo County Council, in Partnership with Sligo Cycling Club Innisfree Wheelers and Engineers Ireland North West Region, once again organised an evening cycle to Strandhill village along the 8km cycle track, from Sligo City to Strandhill Village. This event was again one of the great successes of the Bike Week Festival. Again there were a lot of newcomers which was fantastic. Cycling with a group in an organised and leisurely fashion gave the cyclists confidence which hopefully encouraged them to cycle the route on their own afterwards. Refreshments were had in Strandhill village which set the group up for the cycle back to Sligo against the wind! 18

19 Getting Ready for Cycle to Strandhill! At the Beach from in Strandhill 19

20 "Twice Is Easy" Time Trial Wednesday the 17th saw a new concept event organised by Eire Og Cycling Club. This is where riders must ride a given distance twice, with the winner being the rider with the lowest combined times. A combination of experienced racers and beginners turned up for novel this event and it attracted a large group of interested spectators. Winners of the novel "Twice Is Easy" Time Trial! Mountain Bike Events The participation in Mountain Biking is increasing in Sligo, and the events organised during Bike Week give opportunities to people who may not otherwise get the chance, to try the sport of mountain biking, in particular teenagers. A number of Mountain Bile Events were organised during Bike Week 2015 including the following: Taste of Mountain Biking for Teenagers Two sessions of Teenage Mountain biking took place with Northwest Adventure Tours in Union Wood with 30 teenagers taking part. All participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience so much so that a number of these teenagers have followed on from this taster 20

21 session to attend the Northwest Mountain Bike Club beginner sessions held on Wednesday evenings. Teenagers getting Ready for their Mountain Bike Session Adult Mountain Bike Lessons North West Adventure Tours in conjunction with Sligo Mountain Bike Club organised an evening of Adult Mountain Bike lessons. There are a large number of trails in Sligo in particularly in the woods which are suitable for mountain biking. It is a great way to get adults on the bike completely off road and a bit of a challenge to get the adrenalin going! 21

22 Adults gathered for their mountain bike lesson Night Mountain Biking & Bike to Barbeque For those cyclists looking for a greater challenge, North West Adventure Tours again in conjunction with Sligo Mountain Bike Club organised a night mountain bike session followed by a barbeque in the woods! These novel events are a great attraction and give people the opportunity of experiencing an event they haven t done before and it is also very sociable. The idea of all the mountain bike events is to encourage people to take up the sport at whatever level they are comfortable with. 22

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24 Pedal to Paddle The Pedal to Paddle was one again oneof the most successful events of the Bike Week Festival It was so popular this year that six sessions were organised, with over 100 participants in all. Participants ranged in age from 12 to over 65, with some participants not having cycled in over 20 years. It involved a cycle along Sligo s off road cycle trail at Doorly Park and Cleveragh Regional Park followed by a taster of Stand Up Paddling (SUPPing) in the Garvogue River at Doorly Park. This was a real novel event and the novelty factor was a real draw. The sessions were organised by Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership who engaged North West Adventure Tours to supply the equipment and run the event. This will definitely be an annual Bike Week event for sure! 24

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26 Criterium Cycle Race in Sligo Town Centre Markievicz Cup Eire Og Cycling Club once again organised the Mooney Trophy criterium bicycle race held on a short circuit in Finisklin. The event attracted a field of 50 riders from Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal, Galway and beyond with up and coming Irish International rider Daire Feeley of the ITAP team taking the win. Markievicz Cup in full swing Sofa to Saddle 15 beginners took cycling took part in this cycling programme based at the off-road cycleway at Cleveragh Regional Park and Doorly Park. Two cycling coaches from Innisfree Wheelers cycling club facilitated the programme. Significantly, some members of the group went on to join Innisfree Wheelers Cycling Club while a number of ladies involved took part in the Ladies Tour of Lough Gill 40k cycle in September. National Cycle to School Day Families throughout County Sligo cycled to school to celebrate National Bike Week and Green-Schools National Cycle on Wednesday/Weekdays (COW) which took place on Wednesday 17 th June. Green-Schools Travel schools were encouraged to hold Cycle to School days in order to get 5,000 pupils cycling to school on June 17 th. South Sligo s Ox Mountains Cycling Club organised a cycle to school with Castlerock National School. This was a cycle to school of approx 5km, from Aclare village to Castlerock School and included all age groups. 26

27 Cycling to School on National Cycle to School day with Ox Mountains Cycling Club Bicycle Shelter full on National Cycle to School Day 27

28 Cycle Proficiency Training in National Schools & Sprocket Rocket Cycle Training, Primary Schools Skills & Drills and Bicycle Repair Workshops In the lead up to the week schools throughout County Sligo got ready to get in the saddle by participating in a variety of different activities and events. Coolbock NS participated in a refresher cycle workshop, covering cycle skills, helmet fitting and bike maintenance, while parents at Dromore West Central NS took part in an adult cycling workshop, delivered by An Taisce. A recent survey in St Brendan s National School had highlighted that students could not cycle to school as their bikes were in bad repair. With the help of Daire Mooney of Eire Og Cycling 24 bikes got a bike check and many of them were made road worthy. Pupils also learned how to adjust their helmets and look after their bikes. During Bike Week children working on the Green-Schools programme in Dromore West CNS, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Ballymote, Leaffoney NS and St John s NS, Ballisodare took part in cycle proficiency training delivered by Mary Kelly of Pedal Right Safe Cycling School. Bike Week continues to be a great opportunity for pupils to avail of this expert tuition. Many other schools throughout the county received cycle skills workshops kindly provided by Teresa Kilgannon of Youth Sports West, Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership. 10 primary schools took part in this cycle training during bike week with over 400 children receiving training. Ballinlig N.S, Rockfield N.S, Castlerock N.S, Banada N.S, Kilmactranny N.S, St. Paul s N.S, St. Brendan s N.S, St. Edwards N.S, St. Teresa s N.S and Sooey N.S. A number of these schools organized cycle to school days on the day they were participating in the workshops. Gearing Up for Cycle Training 28

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31 Happy that my bikes are repaired! 31

32 Getting my helmet checked! 32

33 Cycling Training for Parents Parents on the road! 33

34 Bicycle Film Screening A night of bicycle-themed short films took place on Thursday 18th June at 8pm in the Garvogue Bar. This was a free event open to the public. Short films from around the world curated by the annual Filmed by Bike festival in Portland, Oregon, as well as the award winning Irish film Two Wheels Good featured. The night proved to be a relaxing enjoyable night with a group of cycling enthusiasts enthralled by variety of films shown. Thanks to the Garvogue for providing the venue. Sligo Cycling Campaign members distributing posters to advertise the Photo Competition and Film Night 34

35 Connacht Road Cycling Championships On Saturday June 20th Éire Óg hosted the Connacht Road Cycling Championships on a hilly circuit based at Carraroe. A turnout of 90 plus riders from all the main racing clubs in Connacht put on a great show of racing with Team ITAP rider Daire Feeley, taking a well deserved victory in the tough uphill sprint to the finish. Midsummer Night Cycle Eire Og Cycling Club again organised a midsummer night cycle along the off-road cycling Smarter Travel Trail at Cleveragh Regional Park on Saturday June 20 th, the night before midsummer s night. Approx. 30 cyclists took part in this event which is an annual event on the Bike Week calendar. Early Evening Family Cycle To wrap up Bike Week 2015 in South Sligo, the Ox Mountains Cycling Club were out again on the final Sunday organising an early evening Family Cycle. This was a 10km Family cycle event, open to all, but was very much geared towards parents and children. The cycling club took the willing participants on a 10km circular route starting and finishing at the Ox Mountain Centre. 35

36 BMX Jam & Youth BMX Races For Eire Og Cycling Club, closing out Bike Week on Sunday 21st of June was a BMX Jam and youth BMX races for young riders which took place at the fantastic facilities in the Zero gravity park at Cleveragh. Reaching new heights in the BMX Race! 36

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