A cadre of good folks in Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia are planning an extremely well-organized festival soon that spans 17 days and promises to be a lot of fun. The Victoria International Cycling Festival’s varied events-athletic and sedentary-occur from May 27 to June 12, 2011 and will appeal even to those who never hopped on a bicycle. And if you miss it this year, be sure to check it out next year, when it will be even bigger and better.
Competitors can muscle their way through the 140 kilometre road ride alongside Canada’s Tour de France hero, Ryder Hesjedal. Extreme sports junkies can thrill to big air jumps and stunts of the Jumpship exhibition. Cycling enthusiasts can enjoy a relaxing community ride with friends and family. To the disappointment of some adults, only children can enter the “Bling Your Bike Contest.” And spectators can chill out with popcorn and a cycling-related movie in Victoria’s beautiful Inner Harbour.
Here’s a look at just some of the activities, courtesy of the Festival’s website.
The Jordie Lunn Open
World famous free rider Jordie Lunn is presenting his own dirt jump competition, open to all and sure to showcase the best of Vancouver Island’s considerable free ride talent.
Hotel Grand Pacific Harbour Spring Series
Sprinters will go head-to-head in a leg-tearing series of quarter-mile drag races in front of the picturesque Provincial Legislature on single speed and fixed gear bicycles.
Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series
This includes the 6km Kona Russ Hays Time Trial where cyclists race against the clock along Dallas Road; the 19th Annual Condo Group Bastion Square Criterium where cyclists race multiple laps around Bastion Square at speeds of over 50km/hr; and the Tim Horton’s Timbits Challenge where children aged 5-10 get to race alongside Ryder Hesjedal and some of Canada’s finest athletes and Olympians.
Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria
This exciting event welcomes cyclists of all ages and abilities to ride either a short community ride (1-20km), a 90km ride, or the 140km ride alongside Canada’s Tour de France hero, Ryder Hesjedal.
Classic Bike Rally
Cycling turns back a few pages of history by highlighting some of the bicycles of the past, such as the Penny Farthing and the Schwinn Cruiser. Folding bikes are also showcased as a solution to boaters who are looking for a compact and efficient alternative mode of transportation on land.
Thrifty Foods Family Bike Festival
This vancouver island family event includes a bike rodeo, training wheel freedom, family bike equipment showcase, helmet fitting, bike scavenger hunt, and a bike parade over the trestle bridge.
Peddling Art
Collective Works Gallery will be celebrating bicycles and cycling through a wide and exciting variety of art work that includes metal sculpture, painting, photography, mixed media and exquisite photo gravure prints on display from June 10 through June 30.
Jumpship
This will showcase the world’s best free ride mountain bikers riding massive jumps, drops and park features in Victoria’s Inner Harbour on the surface of a floating barge. A bike trials expo will also be included, featuring John Webster who finished in first place at the Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler, BC, and 7th overall in the 2010 UCI World Trials Championships in Quebec.
Balls in The City Bicycle Polo Tournament
Looking like hockey on bikes, bike polo involves bike handling, ball control, and tactics, as well as crashing, skidding, and heckling.
Reels in Motion Presented by The Downtown Victoria Business Association
On the expansive Legislature lawn, the Victoria Film Festival unleashes Reels in Motion – films with big air, BMX and acrobatics. Stories of races competed in and two-wheeled adventures survived in bike-themed movies from around the world.
CONTACTS FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the Victoria International Cycling Festival, visit their website, call them at 250-415-3246 or email at info@victoria-cycling.com for more information.
Victoria Accomodations
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
The BEST WESTERN PLUS Carlton Plaza Hotel is proud to offer the finest in accommodations and friendly customer service at an affordable rate! The convenient downtown location of this Victoria hotel is ideal for guests visiting the Royal British Columbia Museum, Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria’s IMAX® Theater. Butchart Gardens is just a short drive away.
Guests looking for things to do in Victoria will enjoy being close to local attractions, theaters, golf courses, and whale watching expeditions. Favorite attractions also include Antique Row, the Royal London Wax Museum and the Maritime Museum of British Columbia.
Contact info: BEST WESTERN Plus Carlton Plaza Hotel, 642 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC Canada, V8W 1M6, CA. Toll Free: (800) 663-7241; Local: (250) 388-5513; Fax: (250) 388-5343. email:mailto:reservations@bestwesterncarltonplazahotel.com .
Enjoy all that Victoria has to offer and please tell your friends.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.