Ottawa’s Annual Bicycle Festival Is Gearing Up

Capital Vélo Fest and the Kidney Foundation of Canada are excited to announce the City’s 3rd annual bicycle festival and Tour la Nuit on the first weekend in June, June 1-2, 2013. The June 1st activities will commence at 1pm with a Bicycle Rodeo at Festival Plaza, City Hall. The Rodeo will feature seminars and information with hands-on learning activities related to bicycle safety, bike maintenance and cycle commuting. Bicycle demonstrations, group rides, games and contests will include bicycle jousting, a safety course, bicycle decorating, a bike-powered smoothie machine, bike limbo and all-day bicycle polo on the Rink of Dreams. The winners of the annual Bruce Timmermans and Bike to Work Month awards will be presented at a ceremony in the afternoon. With participation by leading Ottawa’s bicycle retailers, clubs and advocacy groups, there will be something for everyone interested in cycling. The daytime activities will be immediately followed by the Tour La Nuit, a 20 km night time ride around the Capital Region. Cyclist will begin gathering at 6pm to light up their bikes with colourful lights for the enchanting night ride under the stars without any cars. Live musical entertainment at Festival Plaza starts up at 7pm and around 8:30pm cyclists registered for the ride will depart on a route along Queen Elizabeth Drive to Prince of Wales and the Experimental Farm then circle back to the Festival Plaza, ending with more music until 11pm. New this year, the Tour La Nuit is a fundraising event for the Kidney Foundation to raise funds for children with kidney disease. Participants can save the registration fee by raising a minimum of $100 for the Kidney Foundation. On Sunday, June 2nd, the festival will reach out into two Ottawa communities with more cycling games, safety education, and bike decorating with the Capital Vélo Fest Community Spokes. From 10:30am-12:30pm, Brantwood park in Old Ottawa East will feature a bike rodeo and a community ride along the canal bikeway. Midday, the festival moves to the Vanier community with a bike rodeo at the community centre on Dupuis Street. Capital Vélo Fest Inc. is an Ottawa-based non-profit corporation whose mission is to “Inspire people of all ages to ride a bike more often” by organizing fun events and providing educational programs focused on cycling in partnership with governments, the cycling industry and cycling advocacy groups. For further information about Capital Vélo Fest, visit www.capitalvelofest.ca . The Kidney Foundation is a grass-roots organization with volunteers and employees working together to reduce the burden of kidney disease. The foundation provides kidney patients and their families with education and emotional support. For further information about the Kidney Foundation, visit www.kidney.ca .