20 Nov, 2013

European Cycling Federation in Adelaide in preparation for Velo-City Global 2014

Members of the European Cycling Federation (ECF) are in Adelaide this week in preparation for Adelaide Velo-City Global 2014 to be hosted here for the first time next year.

Manfred Neun, Bernhard Ensink and Zita Gacser are spending this week in Adelaide meeting with City of Adelaide and State Government representatives to discuss the program for next year’s conference.

The Lord Mayor formally welcomed the group with a Civic Reception on Monday night.

“The ECF members are here for a week and during that time, we will be showing them some of the work that Council and the State Government have been doing to make bike riding safer and easier into and throughout the city.

“We will also be getting out and about on our bikes with the team, visiting uniquely Adelaide places such as Gouger and Sturt Streets, and we’ll show off how we’ve blended bike riding and art by taking them on the Bike Art Trail,” Stephen said.

Road Safety Minister Michael O’Brien also welcomed the Federation members.

“Next year will be the first time the event will be held in the Southern hemisphere. A range of community events, activities and programs are planned during the conference, including the recently announced Velo-Fringe Festival.

“This week’s visit will give the team a chance to see where we’re at with cycling and where we need to head, and then bring this thinking back to the conference next year,” Mr O’Brien said.

Adelaide Velo-City Global 2014 will feature internationally recognised and respected experts who will present to delegates from around the world on best practices for creating and sustaining cycle-friendly cities, where bicycles are valued as part of daily transport and recreation.

More than 300 abstracts have been received from potential presenters from around the world, demonstrating the high level of interest the conference has generated.

The new Velo-Fringe festival announced last week will run alongside Velo-City Global 2014 and will see the city filled with events and activities that are related to bikes and cycling. It’s an open access festival that anyone can register to put on an event.

A competition to design a logo for the Velo-Fringe festival was also launched last week.

The winning design will feature throughout the festival and entrants will also go in the running to win a $600 voucher from bike store Giant.

For information about Velo-Fringe and the logo competition, please go to http://www.velo-city2014.com/pages/velo-fringe.php

For information about Adelaide Velo-City Global 2014, visit http://www.velo-city2014.com