A major festival to highlight the benefits of cycling is being held this weekend.

Cycle Fest 2010, a free family event for non-cyclists and cyclists, is being held in Lister Park, Manningham, on Saturday between 11am and 3pm.

But the day will start with a ‘cycle parade’, leaving Centenary Square at 9.30am for Lister Park.

The event has been pulled together by a number of Bradford partners, including the NHS Bradford and Airedale Options team, the CTC Cycle Champions project, based in Manningham, and Bradford Council, as well as private sponsors.

All family members are welcome and will be provided with bikes. There will be displays by local experts; bike races for juniors and adults, and hill climb races, along with come-and-try sessions for adults and youngsters.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own and helmets. No children’s bikes with stabilisers are available.

The fun agenda includes a bike polo competition, cycle smoothie maker, a unicycling juggler and BMX sessions. There will be Dr Bike sessions, where you can discuss maintenance and local cycle club information.

A highlight of this year’s Cycle Fest will be a historic bike display, telling the story on Bradford’s cycling legends.

There will be some refreshments, but families are recommended to bring a picnic.

Ginny Leonard, of the Bradford CTC Cycle Champions project, said: “The aim of the day is to introduce and reintroduce everyday people to the huge range of benefits cycling can bring, not just health or for the good of the environment, but for the sheer enjoyment of getting your family together in the fresh air and beautiful surrounding countryside.

“With so many new safe routes springing up across the region it’s vital we make as much use of them as possible. Cycle Fest 2010 will present the opportunity to sample cycling and provide information so you can find out more. “ Contact Ginny Leonard on 07801 552303 or ginny.leonard@ctc.org.uk for more details, or visit cyclefestbradford.org.uk.

Timetable

  • 9.30am Cycle Parade, starting from Centenary Square, to Lister Park.
  • 11am: Professional Cycle Display.
  • 11.30am-1pm: Cycle races.
  • Noon, 1pm and 2pm: Storytelling sessions in Cartwright Hall.
  • 12.30pm: Bike Polo Registration for 1pm start.
  • 1.30-2.30pm: Hill Climb.

Ways to get on your bike

The Bradford CTC Cycle Champions project is one of 13 Big Lottery-funded projects across the country, set up to encourage sustainable groups of cyclists for health and well-being, social inclusion and to promote environmentally-sound yet active, travel.

Ginny Leonard has set up a number of cycling groups, including Cycling Saturdays at Salts Sports Association, a number of women’s only cycling groups, a Cycle For Health scheme, and several cycling projects for young people in the area.

One of the greatest success stories to date is the group of 12 young people from the Looked After children’s project in Bradford cycling from coast to coast earlier this year.

Many of them don’t have regular access to bikes at home and this opportunity to go from Whitehaven to Sunderland, 135 miles in four days, was met squarely, and everyone achieved their goal, with fish and chips on the beach to finish.

Cameras to roll

Legal eagle Jonathan Riley likes to cycle to work from his home in Ilkley, and in the Alps or Pyrenees in the summer.

But this Saturday Mr Riley, a partner in the Leeds law firm Pinsent Mason, will be in Lister Park to help promote cycling.

He said: “I’m working with the Cyclists’ Touring Club to run a short film-making competition at CycleFest in the park.

“I’m not a film-maker. But so many people have access to film-making equipment now in the form of mobile phones and digital cameras, it’s time to capture the best of biking Bradford and use it to trumpet the district as a cycling destination.”

Mr Riley’s Bradford Bike Film project aims to use film to inspire more people in the metropolitan district to saddle up.