The 3rd “I Bike MCR” Annual Festival 2009

The I bike MCR Festival takes place every year from the last Friday in March to the last Friday in April. It is a grassroots festival that is organised by Manchester (MCR) cyclists and voluntarily run.

Timetable

Bike Art Blitz

During the whole festival there will be an art exhibition running literally in the city. Put up your bike art for everyone to enjoy without the complications of walls and ceilings! Then add pictures of it to the Bike Art Blitz map. Then on the 24th April Critical Mass will ride to each arty site to visit and admire your work.

Friday 27th march
6pm Central Library Critical Mass

8pm-2am Opening Party 
with Rollapaluza Roller Racing and loads of bands and entertainment

Saturday 28th March
11am-7pm Platt Fields park
I Bike Platt Fields Park

Sunday 29th March
11:30 Meet at the Lakeside Centre, Platt Fields Park
Mural Painting and Kidical Mass on the Fallowfield Loop

Tuesday 31st March
6pm MR2, Manchester Universtity SU Building
Art Ride

Wednesday 1st April
6:30pm Meet at the Lakeside Centre, Platt Fields Park
April Fuels Day Ride
A ride along a green cycleway with an expert to teach us which plants we can eat.

Thursday 2nd April
7pm Venue TBA
Bike MCR Conference
MCR’s campaign groups get together
7pm Platt Fields Park
Bike Polo Practice
Everyone welcome, come and play or watch!

Friday 3rd April
6pm Register, 7pm Leave
Outside Sandbar, Grosvenor St
Magical Mystery Time Trial
You and your bike shall be taken to a secret location in an old
Routemaster bus, given a map and you’ll have to race back.
10pm The Sandbar
Karaoke Bike Ride

Saturday 4th April
Noon St Clements Church, Chorlton
I Bike MCR goes to Chorlton’s Big Green Festival
8pm The Sanbar, Grosvenor Street
Moonlight Ride

Sunday 5th April
4pm The Cornerhouse Cinema
Bike Film screening
6pm GMEX
Ride It Sunday
A fortnightly social ride

Tuesday 7th Aprill
7pm The Deaf Institute
Keirin Race Night

Wednesday 8th April
6:30pm Pankhurst Centre, Nelson Street
Ride Like A Girl
A new monthly ride for women cyclists
followed by PARTY at The Deaf Institute, Grosvenor St
(Everyone including boys welcome to the afterparty!!!)

Thursday 9th April
7pm Platt Fields Park
Bike Polo Practice
Everyone welcome, come and play or watch!

Friday 10th April
9am cyclists Central Library
9.45am trainriders Victoria Station
I Bike MCR Pace Egg Ride to Heptonstall 
(some come on bikes some on trains!)

Saturday 11th April
Noon The Bar, Chorlton
Beer + Deer Ride
A ride in Cheshire with lots of beer stops

Sunday 12th April
11am – 6pm The Boatshed, Platt Fields Park, Rusholme
The Spokes Ladies Day

Monday 13th April
Noon Delamere Forest Visitors Centre
Mountain Biking and Leisure Ride at Delamere Forest

Tuesday 14th April
6:30pm Meet at the Lakeside Centre, Platt Fields Park
Seedball Ride

Wednesday 15th April
7pm Basement Bar, The Deaf Institute, Grosvenor st
Film Night: A Sunday in Hell

Thursday 16th April
7pm Platt Fields Park
Bike Polo Practice
Everyone welcome, come and play or watch!

Friday 17th April
6pm The Sandbar, Grosvenor St
Hell Of the North West Alleycat and Alleykitten

Saturday 18th April
4pm The Sugden Centre Carpark, off Oxford Road
Yo Fixie

Sunday 19th April
Noon Platt Fields Park
Bike Polo Tournament
Teams from all over Europe invited
6pm GMEX
Ride It Sunday
A fortnightly social ride
This ride will meet with the Polo Tournament players and join the celebrations at the party at Hardy’s Well
7pm Hardy’s Well, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme
Polo Party
DJ’s and prizegiving fun

Tuesday 21st April
7pm The Bike Statue at Deansgate Train Station
Dumpster Dive Ride

Wednesday 22nd April
6pm meet at the Bicycle outside Deansgate Train Station
Earth Day Ride

Thursday 23rd April
7pm Platt Fields Park
Bike Polo Practice
Everyone welcome, come and play or watch!

Friday 24th April
5pm Central Library
Bike Art Workshop: make your bike look beautiful for the bike art parade around the city
6pm Central Library
Critical Mass
critical mass/ bike art parade- Dress up your bike and
win a prize for the most beautiful bike. The ride will stop at different
pieces of bike art created in our city during the festival (see )
8pm Closing Party with BIKE JOUSTING COMP bring tall bikes, jousts and some GRRRRRR!
Venue TBC, please check back later!

For more info on any of these events go to http://www.ibikemcr.org.uk/?q=annual-festival-2009

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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