Wednesday, 7th December 2022 – 8pm online

The Dublin Cycling Campaign CLG Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 7th December 2022 at 8 pm. The Dublin Cycling Campaign CLG is the legal entity under which Cyclist.ie and Dublin Cycling Campaign operate.

The AGM is open to fully paid-up individual members of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and Cyclist.ie plus one voting representative from each paid-up local group. You can register for the event here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QHrtbRixTzCAcUjRXPGbhg

Agenda:

• Approve Minutes of 2021 AGM
• Review Financial Accounts
• Provide an update on Governance Issues
• Vote on any motions
• Elections – there are no open positions on the board therefore there will be no elections

Member motions can be submitted by individual paid-up members and must be submitted to the Secretary ([email protected]) by Friday 2nd December 2022. Motions will be proposed and seconded by members. We will not accept any amendments to motions on the day, so please make sure they are written as clear, actionable items for the board.

Key dates:

• Final date of registration – 6pm on Wed 7th December 2022 (updated deadline). Only fully paid-up members of Dublin Cycling Campaign and Cyclist.ie as at 5pm on 2nd December 2022 can attend and vote at the AGM.
• Send member motions to [email protected] by 2nd December 2022
• Final agenda including motions will be sent – 5th December 2022
• Annual General Meeting – 7th December 2022 at 8pm – Online

Last week a Zoom meeting was called for any interested groups, to discuss creating a new sub-collective of Cyclist.ie in order to build a mutual support network to promote and celebrate cycling in towns, villages and in between.  Cyclist groups introduced themselves and discussed their strengths, challenges and the vision for the collective. As smaller ‘rural’ groups often struggle with fewer volunteer resources, expertise, and energy than larger city-based initiatives, by banding together the idea is that they will be able to move forward more efficiently and effectively, with mutual support (and with less-burnout!).

Towns and cities represented at the meeting were Thurles, Bandon, Skiberreen, Clonakilty, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Sligo, Navan, Bandon, Kerry and Wexford.

While the mission and manifesto of the collective are currently being worked on with a launch expected later this month, the aim is to work alongside one another to better engage and work with relevant authorities and stakeholders, and to help bring forth a national transition towards a cyclist-friendly Ireland. To spread the love of bikes and work towards their manifesto goals, the collective will propose regular actions, fun-cycles and campaigns that member groups can host in their own communities. By joining forces to gain momentum, allies, and media attention the sum of their local actions will be greater than the sum of the parts.

If you, as a  group or individual  would like more information, or to get involved, please contact Allison Roberts (Cyclist.ie Executive Member/Clonakilty Bicycle Festival)

People across the country have been (re)discovering the joys of cycling over the last few months. And with the promise of increased funding for cycling it feels like the start of a real cycling revolution.

Cyclists have a lot to celebrate right now. What better way to do it then by taking part in this year’s “Leitrim Cycling Festival 2020” (or wherever you are). This is not another online event. This is happening in your home, your county, this weekend. It’s a very simple idea – we can’t all be together so why not have our own mini cycling festivals wherever we are, while following the safety guidelines.

The Leitrim Cycling Festival is a celebration of bicycles, communities and Leitrim. But you don’t even need a bicycle to take part. The festival programme always includes lots of family friendly activities like picnicking, art making, dancing, eating cake. This year’s festival is no different. The Leitrim Cycling Festival team have put together a simple programme of events for the weekend of the 20th and 21st June 2020 which includes a picnic in your garden or local park, a slow bicycle race, a ceili in your kitchen, more cake and of course some bike rides. You can join in with their ideas or come up with your own.

Although this year we may not all be able to enjoy the beauty of Leitrim, we can all celebrate the wonders of cycling and communities. Communities have never been so important so even if you have not joined the cycling revolution, why not join in with some of the other events? Why not just eat cake! And although the festival is not online the team are encouraging everyone to post pictures and videos so that we can all join in with each other’s mini festivals, wherever you have them.

For more info find them on Facebook @LeitrimCyclingFestival on Twitter @CyclingLeitrim or go to www.leitrimcyclingfestival.com .

Check out the full programme on Saturday June 20th & Sunday June 21st.

Jo Sachs-Eldridge, Leitrim Cycling Festival – 085-8161653

Cyclist.ie has had a strategic partnership with Cycling Ireland since 2016 – the aim is to jointly promote and advocate for the development of cycling on the island of Ireland. We meet Cycling Ireland staff and volunteers on a regular basis, we and keep up-to-date on what is happening in the sports and leisure side of two wheeling – and equally, we share what is happening in the campaigning and advocacy spheres with them. Mary Corry, Development Officer for Cycling Ireland’s AXA Community Bike Rides, sent us the following update on what is happening with the bike ride programme they organise during the COVID crisis.

With the current restrictions in place, unfortunately AXA Community Bike Rides are unable to take place in their current format. For now, we are conscious that many of our members may like to take part in other cycling related activities within their home environment, such as taking part in strength exercises for cycling or learning about interval training. Others may like to find out – Is my saddle the right height for me? How do I fix a puncture? Is my helmet fitting properly? How do I clean my bike chain? 

As a result, the AXA Community Bike Rides team have worked on developing short video clips on the above such topics so that for those who want to improve their cycling technique, they can look to engage with strength training clips or interval training, or for those who may like to improve their bike fitting and maintenance skills, they have access to short tutorial clips on how to go about doing this, see below

• Indoor Training for Beginners
• Strength Training for Cycling (Part 1)
• Bike and brake check
• How to maintain your bike chain

See also AXA Community Bike Rides

Another 6 clips being shared over the coming weeks …

This year the Clon Bike Fest will widen its spokes, reaching wide and inviting bicycle lovers all over the world to participate in a series of events, online and on your bike – wherever you are!

While the organizers are still finalizing details of the weekend, they are offering this snap shot:

The main on-yer-bike event of the weekend will be a 4 day ‘Photo Scavenger Hunt’ – open to small groups of bike lovers around the world. Register a team of 2-6 people (respecting your local COVID-19 guidelines) and prepare yourselves for 4 days of cycle hunting and photo posing – each item on the list will be assigned point values – and the team with the most points will win a wheely wonderful prize pack! Scavenger hunt list will be published on the evening of Wednesday June 3^rd and entries will close mid-night on the 8^th.

The Bicycle Festival will also host a live streaming ‘Bicycle Lovers’ Forum’ to discuss topics from ‘Cycling beyond the Pandemic’ to community bike shops to bike-buses, and everything in between. You can also expect live streaming Bike Repair with community bike mechanics from our very own Bike Circus as well as a virtual Cycle-in-Cinema and ideas and invitations to set up small cycle obstacle courses for your street!

T-shirts are being designed, digital posters and programmes will be available from May 15^th – Please spread the word!

Details here, or email or call 085 757 4338

A lot of cycle campaigning work takes place behind the scenes – pouring over plans, drafting submissions and participating in public consultation events.

One of the latest events attended was the Stakeholder Engagement Event on a Review of Sustainable Mobility Policy organised by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) on the 21st of November. Dr. Damien Ó Tuama was there for Cyclist.ie and Mairéad Forsythe for Love 30 (a member group of Cyclist.ie). On the day we restated some of our main campaigning demands: 10% of the transport pie for cycling (or 20% for walking & cycling), making built-up areas permeable and attractive for active travel, and radically improving the integration between cycling and public transport.

The purpose of the event was to start the process of developing a new Sustainable Mobility Policy and to seek the views of the main stakeholders.

Cyclist.ie will be examining the various papers prepared by DTTAS and preparing a submission ahead of the deadline of 24th of January 2020. Details of the formal consultation process can be seen here.

If you have time to help out with examining some of the background papers (in particular, Paper #2 on Active Travel) or with helping to draft a response to the consultation, we would love to hear from you. Contact us.

Organised by Great Southern Trail Greenway (a member group of Cyclist.ie), the annual Christmas Walk/Cycle along the GST Greenway will take place on Friday 27th Dec 2019. This is an important event to maintain and build public support for the completion of the GST Greenway. Assembly is at the car park of the Rathkeale House Hotel, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, V94NP54 between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Bus Éireann services from Kerry and Limerick stop a few metres from the hotel for those who wish to reduce their carbon footprint.

Walkers will be transferred by Coach House Travel courtesy of shuttle coach from the hotel car park to Ardagh from where they will have a 5 mile [8 km] stroll (a shorter option can also be provided) along the old railway back to the Rathkeale House Hotel which is alongside the Greenway. There they can enjoy seasonal mince pies, whipped cream and tea/coffee at their leisure. Cyclists are also welcome and we suggest that they also meet at the hotel at 12.30 and cycle outwards along the Greenway for approx one hour or more towards Newcastle West / Barnagh Tunnel and then return in time to enjoy the refreshments. The round trip to the tunnel is close to 30 miles [48 km]. Bike hire will also be available (preferably by prior booking) with [email protected] 0868134061. Nollaig Shona do gach éinne agus beidh fáilte romhat ar an 27ú.