Months of planning come to fruition in a little over a week as Hay Bike Fest rolls into town.
There’s a bumper weekend of pedal-powered fun for kids on offer – and we’ll be in attendance with a range of Frog children’s bikes for them to try out for size.
Hay’s second annual festival of cycling kicks off a week tomorrow with the Sunset Slalom – a fun race for everyone, children and parents alike, from ages five and up. It’s just £3 to take part, with £150 in Drovers vouchers up for grabs. Enter online or head up to Trewern Outdoor Education Centre near Cusop from 3.30pm.
On Saturday, qualified instructors will be delivering Bikeability cycling proficiency sessions at Hay-on-Wye school, with various time slots available, costing just £3.
Kids can put their new-found skills to the test on a free-to-ride mobile mountain track at the festival hub in the grounds of Hay Castle, where they can also take one of our British-designed Frog children’s bikes for a free test spin, all day Saturday and Sunday.
On Sunday, a crafty bit of workshopping will show children how to ‘up-cycle’ old bike bits into useful, interesting and beautiful objects and jewellery.
Meanwhile another free event – cycle orienteering for children – will run at Trewern Outdoor Education Centre from 10am.
Besides the kids’ events, the festival promises a packed programme across all cycling disciplines – road, leisure and mountain biking.
Local mountain bikers will be delivering skills sessions and led rides in the Black Mountains and on Begwyns common, and there’s mountain bike orienteering for grown-ups, too!
Road riders can compete in the Hay Hurtle 13km trial, or test their mettle on the High Above Hay sportive.
And leisure riders can take their pick of guided rides on the quiet country lanes around Hay and beyond.
The festival hub at Hay Castle will host a bar, refreshments, exhibitors and a range of road and mountain demo bikes. It’s also the spot for last-minute bookings.
Visit www.haycycling.org for the full programme and to book rides, or contact the shop if you’d like to guarantee a demo ride on a Frog bike.
ENDS