Summer of cycling?? Yes, really!

Here at Travel Plan Club Towers we were pondering what we could do to promote cycling in Colchester, this summer. Do we need to set up some events? Who are our target groups? When and where might they be? Who will do all this work? Then we looked at what’s already happening in Colchester, liked it, and decided to back those events.

This morning  we helped run a session for Cycle Colchester Comms Group. To emphasise the point that it’s not the local authorities’ event, it’s the collective “ours”, we met at The Castle Inn. There was no set agenda, and no finger-wagging about what has and hasn’t been done. It was about information sharing, and thinking through how we can continue the Cycle Colchester project, working with the goodwill of the local volunteers and the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Cycle Colchester website has disappeared, like the last christmas card behind the radiator. The firm that were running it have ceased trading, and a temporary fix is that some of the site is hosted at Colchester Borough Council. However, the feeling of the meeting was that an independent website is needed, restoring the project branding, with lots of links to all the events , news and activities of the local clubs, interests and organisations.

So what’s happening in Colchester’s summer of cycling? Here’s a taster:

• Alley Cat ride 28 April, and more dates ….
• Tour Series professional cycling in town centre, 7 June
• Bike to Work Week for CoHoC (Colchester Hospital Charity, all welcome to join in) 16-24 June
• Colchester Carnival 30 June – look out for Keep Colchester Cycling display, and join in if you have decorated your bike?
• Olympic Flame in Colchester 6 July – Fred Slattern’s Bike Book Club
• Colchester Free Festival 25 August – lookout for the bike themed elements…..
• Young Explorers Ride 26 August, from Gosbecks, 7 miles off-road, for families, 4 mile short cut option
• “5 Mile to Fabulous” women’s ride to Wivenhoe – date to be confirmed
• CTC rides for new and returning cyclists – big programme of short rides led by the infamous Richard Monk
• plus lots of charity ride challenges, and local cycle sports club events through the summer

Look out for the new Cycle Colchester website, and follow the links to all these events.  Meanwhile put them on your diary.