Bourne To Do It

An inaugural cycling festival in Lincolnshire was a resounding success — Cycling Weekly asks about the key components

- Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

With end-of-season morale on life support, driving into Bourne, Lincolnshire, to see a smattering of the 100 yellow bikes animating the inaugural CiCLE Festival provided a much-needed motivation.

It was around halfway through the 114km women’s race that I realised I was having the most fun I’d had at a bike race all year.

Four deep, smartphone-wielding crowds plus Classics-style roller-coaster roads with the (admittedly unplanned) addition of chipseal to keep riders on their toes added up to a race which swiftly revoked my growing desire to call this season my last.

In a climate where the number of races on the open road is dwindling, the Bourne CiCLE Festival burst on to the scene with a virgin event that was unique and impressive in equal measure.

Bicycles took over the town during the final weekend of August, attracting resident support and praise from riders in a way that few do. Race wins for Emily

Nelson (RST/Cycle Division Racing Team) and Ribble Pro Cycling’s Damien Clayton capped off a weekend of riding, where instead of the threat of tacks on the road that accompanies many new events there were ear-splitting roars of support from the roadside.

In a year where many local races have faced the threat of cancellation due to a lack of support, lack of marshals or even lack of riders, how did the Bourne CiCLE Festival get it so right?