World Bicycle Day (& UK Bike Week)

Today (03/06/24) is World Bicycle Day. I don’t know if there’s anything going on over here to celebrate or mark it (I’ve yet to see anything even mentioning it on UK news sources, but it might be out there).

Anyway, it feels important to note it.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/bicycle-day

I was aware of this through Garmin. Apparently, it’s Global Running Day on Wednesday too.

Just popped over to Cycling UK (I’m a member) to see if they mention it; they don’t, but apparently next week is UK Bike Week which looks to be worth getting excited about. It’ll be interesting to see if the UK press gives it much coverage.

Bike Week 2024 | Cycling UK

What’s a World Bicycle anyway?

Well, Bike Week 2024 is here,  “the UK’s biggest awareness-raising moment of the year for cycling” apparently, not that you’d notice.

I’m guessing that it’s a Cycling UK specific event (although I’m not aware that they even bothered to let me know, as a member, that it was one by email), but didn’t all of the UKs cycling bodies & websites be getting behind it?

With an election looming, the politicisation of the ‘dangerous cyclist’, the watering down of active travel & green pledges along with the general rush to be “the motorists friend” to garner votes, we ought to be pushing our side of things.

Equally the post-pandemic slump in the bike industry could do with addressing and National Cycling Week discounts & pro-cycling activities across the board could’ve been a real boost.

It feels a bit of a missed opportunity, although hopefully I’m wrong and it’ll turn out to be something special.

Anyone seen anything going on or a mention in the press?

— Edit —

Just found this on the Beeb (Hull) – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2qq13wnwxzo

Well, a brief mention of National Bike Week local to me (Hospice charity event), so not a total desert, but not exactly a galloping success either.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx77je0v662o

I’m guessing that it’s a Cycling UK specific event (although I’m not aware that they even bothered to let me know, as a member, that it was one by email)

yeah, I’m also a CUK member & had no idea about this 🤷‍♂️

Not sure I even see the point anyway – one “special” week per year doesn’t exactly do anything to normalise cycling as an everyday activity!