AN adrenaline-fuelled BMX contest featuring Team GB riders will take centre stage in Leicester this weekend as part of the city’s regular Open Streets event.
On Sunday 28 August, a BMX mini-ramp ultimate freestyle competition will take place at Green Dragon Square, with competitors invited to show off their skills in practice from 10am, and qualifying from 12pm. The top eight will then go through to one-to-one knockout rounds in the afternoon, until a winner is found, with prize money on offer for the top three.
The event is free to enter, but riders must register first. It will attract the top professional BMX ramp riders in the UK, including team GB riders.
It has been organised by local BMX pro-comp winner Keelan Phillips. Keelan said: “The contest will feature the very best riders in the UK. After qualifying, each round will see one rider eliminated and one rider go through until there are two which will face off in the final. We have three judges who are ex pro-BMX riders – and we’ll also have a live DJ set going on throughout the day.”
The event is part of Open Streets, which takes place on the last Sunday of each month from 1-4pm. During Open Streets, a variety of free, family-friendly activities takes place on city centre streets.
Join in the fun at Town Hall Square and Green Dragon Square. Use pedal power to make a smoothie or a piece of art with Cyclone Works’ crazy bikes, enjoy a rickshaw ride, live acoustic music, and join a guided walking or cycling tour of the city. Watch Danny Butler’s extreme mountain bike display, try out an adapted bike or grab a ride on a Santander Cycles Leicester e-bike.
Each month, Open Streets will also display a portable street art gallery at Town Hall Square, delivered by local artists’ collective Graffwerks. A different artist each month will create a piece of work at Town Hall Square during the afternoon, building on the gallery of work first started at Open Streets events in 2019.
The theme of this month’s Open Streets is Summer in the City, and the event will tie in with all sorts of other activities taking place across the city centre over the weekend, including the journey of STORM – a towering 10-metre tall puppet which will be parading the streets.
Cycling fun will also be in focus the day before, Saturday 27 August, at Leicester Cycle Circuit.
On the last Saturday of each month, Bikefest gives people the chance to try out Leicester’s purpose-built cycle circuit for free.
Bikefest runs from 1-4pm and is open to all ages and abilities. Bring a picnic and enjoy riding around the smooth tarmac of this traffic-free loop as many times as you want. No booking is required – just turn up and ride.
British Cycling Go-Ride coaches will be on hand to help visitors improve their cycling skills, plus there’s the chance to try out specially adapted bikes for people with disabilities. Cyclone Works will also be bringing along their range of static fun bikes and popular disco bike, with a boom box mounted on the back!
If you don’t have your own bike, British Cycling have a fleet of bikes young people can use for the coaching sessions, or e-bikes will be available to try courtesy of Santander Cycles Leicester, the city’s bike share scheme.
Leicester Cycle Circuit is based at New College, in New Parks, and access is via St Oswald’s Road.
Deputy city mayor for environment and transport, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “Open Streets and Bikefest are our regular showcase of the work we’ve done to make attractive, family-friendly spaces for people to enjoy city life without having to worry about traffic, thanks to our extensive improvements to join up key parts of the city with cycle tracks and pedestrian access. Linking up with this exciting BMX competition and Summer in the City is ideal, as it demonstrates just how easy it is to get around and enjoy city events by bike or on foot.”
Find out more about Bike Fest at www.visitleicester.info and Open Streets at https://www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/leicester-open-streets/
More information on Summer in the City is at https://www.visitleicester.info/whats-on/summer-in-the-city
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