At last! It’s here! The weekend of the Cycle Touring Festival in Clitheroe. I’m really looking forward to… What? Really? Ah yes… It was cancelled. Mmm… That pesky Coronavirus thing. Bugger! What’s that? Oh yes, I remember… There was a ‘virtual’ replacement festival that took place in April instead. Of course there was… (You may have seen me talk live about cycling across northern Spain and Portugal – watch this if you didn’t.) And the good news is that much of the content that would have been delivered live at the festival is available online. And here it is…
Anna Hughes: Les Cingles du Ventoux
“In September I cycled across France from Dieppe to Nice, stopping at Mont Ventoux along the way to complete all three ascents in one day.”
Caroline Burrows: A Literary Tour of the North of England
“Our favourite cycling poet, Caroline Burrows will describe her literary cycling tour of the North of England, from Middle Earth to Wuthering Heights and Dracula.”
Listen to both Anna Hughes and Caroline Burrows in episode 013 of The Cycling Europe Podcast.
John Devoy: ‘and the aftermath is troubling!’
“After an extensive solo cycling journey, particularly if it turns out to be a seminal experience, returning ‘home’ can present unanticipated challenges.”
Jolan Berard: 42° Goings and comings: 1,657km through Spain on a cargo bike
“Having spent one year in Paris as a bike messenger, Jolan discovered cargo bikes and how they can easily replace a car in the city. He wanted to test if it was really as good to travel for long journeys, so spent 20 days cycling the Saint James Way in Spain. This short film is the result.”
Kate Rawles: Life Cycle biodiversity bike ride
“Cycling the length of the Andes on a bamboo bike exploring biodiversity loss as a major environmental issue. Relive Kate’s monumental journey from the top to the foot of South America on a bicycle made of bamboo.”
Lilith Cooper and Abi Melton: Zine Making 101
“Led by Lilith and Abi of Gears for Queers, this zine workshop will take you through the basics of zines, and how to make a page for the collaborative digital Cycle Touring Festival zine!”
Listen to Abi and Lilith talk about their new book, Gears for Queers in episode 019 of The Cycling Europe Podcast.
Pete McNeil: Riding the Silk Road Mountain Race
“Shortly after returning from Kyrgyzstan, having been one of the few riders to complete the 1,700km off-road self-supported bikepacking race, Pete McNeil of Adventure Pedlars unpicks his experience. Featuring exclusive race footage, Pete gets to the bottom of the big question: “Why on Earth take on something like this?””
Tim Boden: Forging the Oyster Wheel
“The story of how the Oysterwheel was built together with recommendations for anyone trying to build their own multi day route.”
Tim & Laura Moss: With the Sun on Our Right
“Tim and Laura quit their jobs to cycle 13,000 miles around the world. But this is not a talk about cycling. It is a talk about the world and its people. From Turkey to Thailand and Oman to Japan, complete strangers invited these two grubby cyclists into their homes at the drop of a hat, offering the pair a unique and privileged insight into the lives of people from all walks of life.”
Listen to Tim Moss talk about cycling around the world in episode 005 of The Cycling Europe Podcast.
Barry Godin & Brenda Cupryna: Make Your Own Tarp!
Talking of Barry… he curated a list of cycling-themed films for the Cycle Touring Festival and again, all the content is available online. You can see the films that he chose here.
The Cycle Touring Festival returns in 2021, hopefully, and will take place in Clitheroe at Waddow Hall over the weekend of the 28th-31st May. I’ll see you there!
