22 June 2019
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Now in its 10th year, Cork Bike Week is going from strength to strength with almost 100 events taking place all over Cork City and County from Saturday 22nd June to Sunday 30th June. There is a fantastic line-up of events with family fun cycles, social cycles for the adults, a bike anti-theft stall, lunchtime cycle, bike films, history cycles, road safety awareness and many, many more. In brief there is something for everyone during Bike Week, whether your age is 3 or 93.
Cork Bike Week is the product of coordination between Cork City and County Councils, Cork Sports Partnership and Cork Transport & Mobility Forum. With Bike Week the emphasis is on fun and freedom and this year we are all more aware of climate change too so what better way to travel than hop on a bike and feel the wind in your hair. More and more people realise than cycling is fantastic fun, a great way to get around, good for your health and kinder to the environment.
Bike Week 2019 has many of the long standing favourites and lots of new entries too. The annual Passage West to Blackrock Castle Observatory cycle is a perennial favourite with some parents telling me that their children look forward to this Family Fun Cycle year after year and would never miss it. The Wednesday lunchtime cycle to Fitzgerald’s Park is another favourite, with cyclists spurred on by the promise of a free lunch! The shout out to cyclists is no matter where you are in Cork, cycle to Fitzgerald’s Park at lunchtime, enjoy a free concert and lots of giveaways.
Cycling on your own can be daunting for some and last year saw the launch of Bike Buddies, where experienced cyclists accompanied newcomers on the morning and evening commute from Ballincollig to Cork city centre. Due to popular demand it’s back again for 2019, this time on the commute from Passage West, Rochestown and Douglas.
A new addition this year is the Be Safe, Be Seen Tune Trail where cyclists are encouraged to dress up in their most colourful outfits with lots of lights on their bikes. Popular in Australia, this fun cycle will include a number of stops en route from Fitzgerald’s Park to Blackrock for a break, a chat, music and dance.
Another newcomer is the Bike Anti-Theft stall. Having a bike stolen is the main reason why people give up cycling and this initiative aims to act as a deterrent against bike theft. At the Anti-Theft stall cyclists can register bike details, e.g. make, mode, colour, serial number, unique features etc and get a unique anti-theft sticker for their bike.
The Cork Cycle Map will be launched on Sunday 23rd June at Blackrock Castle, after the cycle from Passage West. The map suggests the best routes through the city and suburbs and also highlights the improved cycle facilities of recent years along with our greenways such as Ballincollig Park and Blackrock to Passage. As well as that it includes the Coke Zero Bike stations, bike parking around the city and also gives some tips on safer cycling.
