Having already had to postpone its dates once, from April until October 2020, the UK’s handbuilt bicycle show ‘Bespoked’ has announced that it has had to give up on that hope and will start planning Bespoked 2021 instead.
Part of that decision has involved news that the show’s traditional venue, in Bristol’s Brunel Passenger Shed, right next to Temple Meads Station, might not actually (ever?) reopen. This means that the organisers are now faced with a search for a new venue as well as a date in spring 2021 in which to run the event.
Here’s the statement from the organisers:
It is with regret and a heavy heart that we have to announce the second postponement of Bespoked #10. Due the continuing uncertainty regarding Covid-19 and exposure to people visiting large scale events, we are unhappy to risk the safety of our visitors and exhibitors in promoting and holding a show this October.
We have also received the following statement from Bristol City Council this week, informing us that it is ‘very unlikely the venue (Brunel’s Old Station/Passenger Shed) will reopen for business’.
We have spoken with our exhibitors, who, while being disappointed that the show won’t happen this year, fully support the decision to postpone until 2021.
We are looking at alternative venues for Spring 2021 and hope to have a venue and dates secured in the coming weeks. We will announce as soon as it has been confirmed where and when the long awaited Bespoked #10 will happen.
We hope that in making an early call on postponing the show that we can limit the financial impact this has for all concerned. We recognise that many people have already rearranged travel and accommodation plans and for this we apologise.
Bespoked is a celebration of the global cycling community and for us to happily and safely mark a decade of gathering the world’s best handcrafted bicycles and their makers together under one roof, we need to ensure it will happen in a way we can all look forwards to and be excited about.
Singletrack Magazine has supported Bespoked from its early days and has been proud to sponsor the Singletrack Best Mountain Bike award as well as the grit.cx Best Cyclocross Bike award, so with Bespoked postponed again, we wish the organisers and exhibitors well and look forward to attending Bespoked 2021 wherever, and whenever, it takes place.
Keep up with the news here: www.bespoked.cc
