Last weekend, after months of planning and preparation, Street Velodrome (SV) returned to Ireland for the 6th time. Organised by Katie Walker, Cube’s Client Support Executive, the first SV events of the year took place in Dublin, followed by Limerick a day later. The Street Velodrome activation was part of the start of Ireland’s Bike Week 2023, taking place from 13-21 May.
Three members of the Cube Management team, including Patrick Robinson (General Manager), Christian Hewitt (Project Manager) and John Crook (Installation Team Leader), arrived in Ireland to meet the rest of the Irish event team, all of whom have previously been involved in Street Velodrome activations in the country.
The team got to work early on Saturday morning in the glorious sunshine at Millennium Park, Dublin, setting up the award-winning SV track. Offering free participation, the dramatic velodrome activation attracted a high number of participants, many of whom were given the chance to try out the banked corners of the velodrome for the very first time, The local mayor, Cllr Howard Mahony, was also in attendance, fully engaging with participants and staff on the day.
Competitions were held throughout the day, including fastest boys’, girls’, men’s, and women’s races as well as 1v1 competitions between younger and older participants. The parents v children, and coaches v kid’s races, in particular, brought out the competitiveness in all involved! With many local bike enthusiasts also in attendance, the whole event brough a Family Fun Day vibe to the city.
Day two saw the track move to Arthur’s Quay Park in Limerick, with the backdrop of the spectacular 13th century St John’s Castle; a city with a public bike scheme boasting 215 bikes across 23 stations (bikeshare.ie), and 51 Active Travel schemes allocated funding worth €21million by The National Transport Authority (NTA).
The city’s Family Bike Parade played host to Street Velodrome, promoting a people ‘get active’ campaign, and bringing new cycling opportunities to the community, whilst the local radio station, Spin, provided all-day musical entertainment. The local radio station commentated around the event and interviewed many of the Pro Riders/coaches, including Leah Maunsell. In addition, Patrick, a previous triple SV world champion, and organiser of the event, gave the crowd an awe-inspiring demonstration of his cycling skills around the track! Lots of races took place throughout the day including the event organisers as well as many young families.
Street Velodrome, back doing what it does best, helping local regions grow the sport of cycling in a relaxed and entertaining way, was fantastic to behold. Its message to help leave a legacy to promote sustainable travel, an active lifestyle for all, and participation in sport across different demographics, whilst working in partnership with local councils, is exactly what the cycling activation and velodrome team stands for.
A big thank you and well done to Fingal County Council and Limerick City & County Council for being excellent hosts and for working with us in promoting the benefits of cycling in communities.
Sneddon Pedals Coaching, said:
“We were delighted to be working as Pro Coach for Street Velodrome as part of the Fingal County Council Bike Week. What a fantastically well-run event! Hopefully there is more of this to come, and it can get back to a running a full tour again.”
DB Repairs, a local bike repairs company, commented:
“We had a great time in Limerick on Sunday. Enjoyed every minute of it and it was nice to get an insight into how the event is run. Huge thanks to Patrick and the rest of the SV team for making it happen!”
Patrick Robinson, Street Velodrome's GM, said:
“It was fantastic to see Street Velodrome back on the road doing what it does best – getting people active with some friendly races and seeing people overcome their nerves to master the banked corners for the first time thanks to our pro coaches. The team worked incredibly hard to achieve two brilliant events in Ireland”.