For anyone who doesn’t know already, National Bike Week starts tomorrow and runs till 23rd of June. The main focus of the week is the by now familiar bike2work initiative, but there’s loads of other stuff happening all round the country. With 2,070 registered events this is the biggest Bike Week since the millennium year and there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Registered events vary widely and include gentle scenic rides, lunchtime canal rides, cycle workshops and bikers’ breakfasts and 200 peddling picnics organised by Sustrans. Organisers have also been encouraging off-road rides to make up for so many being cancelled because of F and M last year. Besides all the registered events there are lots of other “unofficial” happenings to mark Bike Week, so it’s well worth checking out if your LBS has any activities or promotions planned.

All the registered events are listed on the Bike Week website both by category and region, but given the plethora of stuff going on we spoke to Bike Week co-ordinator Nick Harvey to ask him for his highlights of the week.

First up is the British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton Ride this Sunday (Father’s Day in case you forgot). There are 27,000 entrants for this 60 mile ride which is now well-known for its relaxed and social atmosphere.

Next Nick mentions several Cycle Festivals these are happening across the country in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London (‘Bloomsbury Bike Fest’) and involve rides, demos, maintenance courses and bike stalls.

In York there’s the York Rally and Cycle Show on the weekend of the 22nd-23rd.

And last but not least of Nick’s tips is Bristol’s biggest ride which has thousands of entrants.

So will it be a success?
One thing that has made the week different this year is the huge number of events arranged by local authorities, which is a good sign that Bike Week is making progress in one of its key aims: to get more support for cycling from these same authorities.

In terms of the number of events organised the week is already a huge success, and the aim is for 200,000 participants during the whole week, which is good news for its official charity, Cancer Research UK. But as Nick Harvey knows well from experience, the weather is always a big factor in the number of people who show up, and of course this year there’s the added couch-and-beer lure of the football. But this is a great opportunity to celebrate biking and extend its appeal. Perhaps more than anything it’s a chance to show other road users just how many of us there are, so why not join half of BM and bike to work if you can.

Stop Press!

A couple of other things we’ve heard of happening are mentioned below, if you’ve got a tip off, or are organising an event yourself, feel free to post it in the forum thread below.

What’s on?:

Mud Doc, Saturday 15th – Sunday 23rd June you can drop into Mud Doc’s Exeter store for a free bicycle safety check. There’s also a course in bike maintenance, and an evening for female bikers “Dirt Divas” and to round it all off “Dirty Sunday”. Check out the Mud Doc site for the full details.

Bug Audax rides, Sunday 16 June there’s the 100km Forest Bug
Pentatoma rufipes, down to the edge of the Thetford Forest and back, and the 116k Brevet Populaire. Starting 0900.

200km Cockchafer, a grand tour of western Norfolk including a trip to the seaside and the 210km Brevet Randonneur. Starting 0830.
There are also 30km and 50km Fun Rides. Rides start and finish at City College Norwich where parking, showers
and refreshments will be available. The routes use quiet country lanes and
stop at some great cafes and tea rooms. The Audax rides are £2.50 per rider and Fun Rides are free. Contact David Potter for further details and an application form.