Cycling in Dublin

Cuba Cycle Challenge 2011

Challenge yourself to make a difference as part of an adventure to remember. Enjoy this incredible experience which challenges you to get fit and raise much needed funds for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

The Cuba Cycle Challenge 2011 will take place from the 6-14th November 2011.

This will be the third year we run the Cuba Cycle Challenge, and this year we have a brand new route offering our participants the journey of a lifetime! On this fully supported trip you will experience some the most beautiful views and historical sites Cuba has to offer and there is no better way to soak it all in than by bike. Also escape the winter blues of Ireland in November to the glorious semi-tropical climate averaging at around 27⁰C at this time of year!

Here are just some of the trips highlights:

· A walking tour in Trinidad with Caribbean Beach Lunch Stop

· Ché Guevara’s Mausoleum

· Hike to Caburní Falls, deep in the Escambray Mountains

· Old Havana walking tour, a UNESCO world heritage site

· A visit to a traditional Cuban Music Venue

To really see what the trip is like click here to view our CUBA CHALLENGE VIDEO!
The terrain is undulating with some steep inclines and downhill descents with a distance totalling 260km over 4 days of cycling. The longest day of cycling is 79km. But in the evenings relax in good quality hotels, all with swimming pools! Training notes will be provided to get you into tip-top condition!

The trip is fully supported with a dedicated team including a Blazing Saddles Cycle tour manager, a fully qualified Cuban doctor, a Cuban national cycle team mechanic and an English speaking local tour guide and a support vehicle available at all times.

Over the past two years our cyclists have raised an impressive €120,000 for families in Ireland struggling to cope with the devastating condition of Alzheimer’s disease. By signing up you too can help these families to obtain the services that they so urgently need

For further information please call Emily on 01-207-3816 or email ebrew@alzheimer.ie

Directions to Grand Canal Square

Grand Canal Square is located in the south Docklands area, just beside the Samuel Beckett Bridge. The location map illustrates some routes you could take to get there.

For those of you planning to use a Dublin Bike, check out the map below which shows some of the Dublin Bike Stations near to Grand Canal Square.

Best Company Team Prize up for Grabs

On Wednesday 22^nd June, Dublin City Council will host a public “Lunchtime Bike Ride” in the city as part of Dublin City Council’s Bike to Work Day initiative @ 12.45 from Grand Canal Square.

Be part of this fun event and be in with a chance to win prizes – the Best Company Team (most people from one organisation), will win lunch at ely gastro pub (vouchers to the value of €10 for each member of the team) and a bottle of Isotonic Non-Alcoholic Erdinger on the day! To enter the Best Team competition simply contact us @ www.dublincitycycling.ie/contact with the name of your Company, the number of members in your team, and the name of your team contact.

There are also prizes for Best Dressed male, Best Dressed Female, and for the best dressed bike! The first 500 people to register will get a goody bag filled with cycling enthusiasts gadgets and everyone who registers online is in with a chance to win an Apple iPad2.

The 2011 Bike to Work incentive is aimed at ALL employers and employees working in Dublin City to encourage them to adopt this increasingly popular method of transport. It reported that 40% of car journeys in Dublin are less than 5km. Since the introduction of the Dublin Bike scheme, which is the most successful of its kind in the world, the city has seen an increase of 30% of people travelling by bike.  Bicycle-friendly businesses can benefit from encouraging employees to cycle to work, as research has shown that those who cycle to work are less frequently ill and average less absenteeism than colleagues who do not cycle.

The leisurely lunchtime cycle through the streets of Dublin, will take in the Samuel Beckett Bridge, City Quay, Merrion Square, The Pepper Canister Church and part of the new Premium Cycle Route along the Grand Canal.

Electric Bike Challenge

As part of National Bike week, Dublin’s first ever ‘beat the traffic electric bike challenge’, is taking place on Tuesday 21st June. The challenge is open to all e-bike cyclists and drivers that want to take us on!

The challenge is about putting the e-bike to the test against the gas guzzler as a way of commuting to work but is not just about who arrives to Howth in first place, although we are sure we will!!

It is also to highlight how as an e-bike cyclist you benefit from fresh air, gentle exercise (or a lot if you turn down your power!), big savings and avoiding the stress caused by sitting in traffic.

The challenge starts from the Samuel beckett bridge in Grand canal to the finish line in Howth at 6pm, where lots of goodies await..

For those who don’t take part in the challenge you can try your e-bike for a short stroll or even as far as the summit! All evening from 6.30pm in Howth there will be a full range of e-bikes for trial, delicious free food & refreshments, prizes and lots of fun activities.

TO ENTER:

BY EMAIL: info@electricbicycles.ie Include your Name & Phone Number and one of the following: I want to reserve an e-bike/ I am an e-bike owner/ I am travelling by car.   BY PHONE: 01 6747849

DETAILS:

• We can provide participants with an electric bike for the challenge (first come first serve basis)
• The group will depart at 6pm from the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Grand Canal Square
• The journey time is approx 45 minutes
• Final Destination is Findlaters Bar near Howth Dart station (to get you home again)
• The challenge is open to anyone over 21.

Fade Street Flicks

Outdoor Cinema Event at Dartmouth Square

As part of Bike Week, on Friday 24th of June, Fade Street in the city centre will be host to an outdoor cinema event from 9pm to 12 midnight. The plan is to locate the outdoor screen near the Fade Street/Drury Street junction and  to gather round and watch a selection of the coolest bike clips and short movies that we can find. Suggestions are welcome! So if you are free on Friday why not join us for a fun and free night of cinema and cycling.

*Due to bad weather forecasts for Friday evening, Fade Street Flicks has been cancelled. Dublin City Council regret any inconvenience caused and hope to host this event at another time. Keep an eye on the website for details.*

Copenhagen’s Cycling Revolution

On Thursday 23rd June, Dublin City Council, in partnership with the Danish Embassy, are delighted to present a Lunchtime Seminar at which two of Copenhagen’s foremost cycling proponents tell the story of their city’s cycling revolution. At present, cyclists account for 37% of all commutes to work in Copenhagen, and in 2005 there were more bicycles than cars during rush hour. However, Copenhagen was not always such a great cycling city and they were once in the same position as Dublin is now. In this lecture, we find out how Copenhagen made the transformation.

Morten Kabell is co-ordinator of the Red-Green Alliance on Copenhagen City Council and is deputy chair of the Planning Committee. He has never owned a car, bikes to work and meetings, and only got his driver’s licence five years ago. The Red-Green Alliance is Copenhagen’s third largest political party.

Allan Carstensen is Project Manager of the Danish Cycling Federation. While studying for his masters degree in physical geography, he opened a trend-setting bicycle shop in Copenhagen. He has worked on a multitude of Danish Cycling Federation projects and is currently managing a three year research project on safe and secure cycling to schools.

Cycling Training for Children

As part of Bike Week in Ballymun, Dublin City Council are delighted to present a fun cycle training event for children on Thursday 23rd June. Cycle training for children is brought to you by the Cycling Embassy of Denmark and takes the form of six different cycling games.  The games offer children the most enjoyable and effective form of cycle training, introduce them to a healthy activity, and help turn them into safe and confident cyclists. Children as young as two can take part in the simplest games which promise to be both fun and educational.

In addition to the Cycling Games, there are many other cycling events taking place in Ballymun for Bike Week including:

Launch of Bike reuse and repair business

Rothar Repair clinic

Cycling workshops, games and activities

For more information please call 01 222 7362 or 01 222 5649 or visit www.brl.ie or www.bikeweek.ie

Bike to Work Day Videos

To help celebrate this year’s Bike to Work Day, we thought it would be interesting to post some videos of bicycle journeys in the city. So if you have a video camera and want to share your experience, upload it with the tag ‘biketoworkdublin’ on Youtube or Vimeo and we’ll link/embed a few of them here.

It can be your daily commute to work or college, going down to the shops or just how you get around. Show us your bike journeys and if you want to add some commentary or music to them, all the better. It’s up to you!

To get us started here’s a video sent in by Dan Coghlan called “Getting Around”:

Getting Around from Dan Coghlan on Vimeo.

Lunchtime Bike Ride

On Wednesday 22^nd June, Dublin City Council will host a  Lunchtime Bike Ride in the city as part of the Bike to Work Day initiative. This event will consist of a leisurely lunchtime cycle through the streets of Dublin, taking in the Samuel Beckett Bridge, City Quay, Merrion Square, The Pepper Canister Church and part of the new Premium Cycle Route along the Grand Canal. Participants will gather in Grand Canal Square at 12.45pm in Dublin’s Docklands before setting off on a leisurely 6km (30 minute) cycle.  The cycle will conclude in Grand Canal Square where market stalls will be selling food so participants can grab a quick bite before returning to work.  In addition to the food stalls, the fun atmosphere will feature the announcement of the winners of various prizes, including best dressed competitions, at this fun, fit and chic event.

Be part of this fun event and be in with a chance to win some great prizes – the Best Company Team prize (most people from one organisation) is lunch at ely gastro pub (vouchers to the value of €10 for each member of the team) and a bottle of Isotonic Non-Alcoholic Erdinger on the day! To enter this competition simply contact us @ www.dublincitycycling.ie/contact with the name of your Company, the number of members in your team, and the name of your team contact.

There are also prizes for Best Dressed male, Best Dressed Female, and for the best dressed bike! The first 500 people to register will get a goody bag filled with cycling enthusiasts’ gadgets and everyone who registers online is in with a chance to win an Apple iPad 2.

Dublin City Council is inviting everyone who travels by bike to participate in this event (over 16 years old) – users of Dublin Bikes are also encouraged to attend. To get directions to Grand Canal Square and to see a map of Dublin Bikes stations in the nearby area, check out the latest posts from the blog.

Here’s a map of the route (going north across the Samuel Beckett bridge first):

View Lunchtime Bike Ride in a larger map

Lough Derg Charity Cycle

Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI) is hosting the fourth cycle challenge around Lough Derg which will take participants through the beautiful Shannon region. This year spoof character Concy Ryan, the RTE Storyland finalist, will be swapping his horse for a bike in support of MDI. The route is approximately 70 miles long with food and refreshment supplied throughout the day. All levels of fitness are catered for and all are welcome to take part, have fun, and raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Ireland. To date the cycle has raised over €8,000 for respite support services. This years cycle will take place on Saturday the 11th of June starting at Two Mile Gate, Killaloe with registration open from 10am.  To register you can either pay a registration fee of €75, €45 per person in groups of 4 or more or alternatively take a sponsorship card to raise money for MDI. Please contact Amy Bramley at 086 818 5352 or email amy@mdi.ie for further information.

Proceeds from the cycle will be used towards the provision of the Respite Support Services the charity provides to 573 members. It is essential that those affected by muscular dystrophy, their carers and family members have adequate respite on a regular and frequent basis in order to support and maintain the physical and emotional health of all concerned. Respite is a means of giving carers a physical break from what is continuous and demanding work. Without this type of support, enormous strain both physical and emotional is experienced by carers. Weekend breaks, respite in the home, and youth and adult summer camps are offered to members and their families. Regular and secure funding for this respite service is essential, to enable members and families to have a good quality of living.