The Vélo Festival
The countywide Vélo Festival is already under way, with a varied programme of cycle-related and cultural activities taking place across Cambridgeshire until September.
Events include guided rides for cyclists of all ages; themed French cookery evenings; Bike Life events with cycling activities to try; film screenings; an evening of cycle racing in St Ives; the Huntingdonshire Cycling Festival; a bike recycling open day; art exhibitions and even a ‘cycle golf’ challenge. To mark the Fete du Tour – a celebration of the Tour de France held across France every year – there will be a day of cycling activities in Ely on Sunday 1 June, including the chance for visitors to speed round a temporary ‘street velodrome’ in the Market Square.
For the complete listings of more than 75 events to take part in, pick up a programme or search under ‘Vélo Festival’ on www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Cycle of Songs
The visit of the Tour de France will be marked in musical form by Cycle of Songs, a collection of new work devised by Pilot Theatre and Historyworks that is being developed with local choirs, schools, artists and musicians.
The songs, which will be performed before 7 July and on the day itself, are based on original source materials about Cambridge, many telling hidden stories from the city’s past.
The project was kickstarted on 11 May, with a free public launch event at Great St Mary’s Church featuring some of the participating choirs singing pieces from their repertoire. Over the coming weeks new singers can sign up for a free and open-to-all choir that will rehearse for June and perform in July. For more information visit www.cycleofsongs.com.
Street decorations and bunting
Street decorations have already started appearing around the city, with official lamppost banners going up in 83 locations along the race route and elsewhere across Cambridge during May.
Additional decorative, brightly-coloured bunting will be hung along the race route shortly before 7 July, including some small woollen cycling jerseys currently being hand-knitted by volunteers.
The CamBunting projects aims to knit 2000 mini yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys, as well as knitted bike wheel covers to help adorn the city. For more details visit cambunting.blogspot.co.uk
Cambridge BID activities
Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID), the organisation that represents hundreds of businesses in the city, is funding several projects, including:
- Recycle le Vélo – City shops and businesses are being invited to collaborate with artists and designers to turn abandoned bicycles into art works
- Live street performance – In the run-up to 7 July and following the event, streets along the Tour de France route and across the city centre will be enhanced by innovative live street theatre and performers entertaining crowds with cycle-related activities
- Cambridge BID will also be helping the city look its best by putting up additional banners and colourful bunting. For more information visit www.cambridgebid.co.uk
Digital art in shops and businesses
Windows belonging to shops and businesses in Cambridge will be transformed by artists and Cambridge film-makers this summer, for another project - supported by Bidwells - to mark the Tour’s visit in July.
During the weekend before Stage 3, screens in shop fronts and business receptions will display digital work by artists, photographers and film-makers, and rare archive footage of cyclists in Cambridge from 1932 onwards, to highlight the city’s place as one of the UK’s leading centres for cycling, technology and innovation.
Professional and amateur artists, schools, groups and organisations have been invited to submit work relating to cycling and technology in digital form. The material chosen will then be made into a 15 minute work, to be put on DVD and played out continuously on screens across the city from Fri 4-Mon 7 July.
Cultural cycling map of Cambridge
To coincide with the Tour de France departing from the city, leading cultural organisations are developing a map showing some of the city’s key cultural venues and how you can cycle between them.
This is one of the first projects from the newly formed Cambridge Cultural Leaders group, supported by Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council and the University of Cambridge Museums.
The map will highlight how many cultural treasures are on display in Cambridge’s museums, galleries and venues, how easy it is to get between them by bike.
Liz Bisset, Cambridge City Council’s director of Customer and Community Services said: "It’s wonderful to see so much creative energy going in to help celebrate the Tour de France’s visit to Cambridge. Projects like these are really starting to capture the imagination in the run-up to the 7 July, and will help showcase the city to the watching world on a day that is sure to be spectacular and memorable."
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