Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Orbital Cycling Festival opens today

Get along to Goodwood Motor Circuit for races, action and an expo

The Orbital Cycling Festival kicks off today at Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex, and runs all weekend, hosting a range of attractions for all ages and abilities.

A large part of the festival is based around racing. The opening event, for example, is this evening’s Colnago X+1 road race where, after a single mixed start, riders have 45 minutes to complete as many laps as possible.

Tomorrow sees the 30 Second Gaps 20km time trial, the Hurricane 3.8km flying lap, a Sustrans Family Ride and the Isaac Bikes Tactician eliminator race – a devil takes the hindmost format with riders being pulled out at seven drop out points.

There’s a full day of racing on Sunday too, including the Brompton World Champs at midday. Check out the Orbital website for all the details. 

As well as the riding, there will be action from the Animal Action Sports Tour and Rollapaluza plus three cinemas, pedal powered Scalextric, Bike Bingo, reverse steer bikes, a bike quiz and vintage bikes.

The Cognation Pump Track will be hosting workshops for riders of all ages. Matti Hemmings will be both performing and running flatland BMX workshops throughout the weekend.

Over 50 exhibitors will be displaing more than 60 brands in the Paddock Expo, with a mix of established and new brands with specialist retailers for women, kids and riders with disabilities. 

There will be balance bikes, kids bikes, Go-Ride training, pump track workshops, BMX workshops and most of the races have categories for Youth and Junior riders from 13 years.

Orbital charges an entry fee then races are extra. Day passes are priced from £8 per day while under 13s get in free.

The Orbital Cycling Festival is open today (Friday, 26 July) from 4pm until 8pm. It’s then open from 6am until 8pm on Saturday, and 6am until 5pm on Sunday.

For all the info go to the Orbital Cycling Festival website.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Add new comment

8 comments

Avatar
Jeremyg303 | 10 years ago
0 likes

We have just come back, it could have done with more road based promotion as the majority of people there were Brompton based.
Guys and girls in Lycra racing flat out on fold up bikes did look amusing.

Avatar
torquerulesok | 10 years ago
0 likes

It was flagged on bikeradar, together with a 20% discount offer in early July - probably because take-up was low on account of the pricing and the poor information content of the Orbital website.

Access you order so you can see what you actually ordered four months ago? Forget it.
Information on secure bike parking? No mention.
Ask visitors to pay extra for parking? At a racetrack? Please! Pull the other leg.

Not a good first effort.

Avatar
keith roberts | 10 years ago
0 likes

saw the poster this AM at the NT café on top of box hill (fri) would have loved to get down there as i'm "local" going riding with the missus sunday unless I ca n persuade her otherwise....

Avatar
Mat Brett | 10 years ago
0 likes

We've mentioned it two or three times on road.cc, going back to January. Sounds like we should have done more.

The organisers see this very much as an annual festival and already have plans for expansion next year, developing this year's events and adding more.

"Obvious expansion for 2014 is mountain biking and we’re looking at an enduro event to fill that gap. Additionally, following the great reception that our Look Mum No Sleep! audax has received, we’ll be looking to grow in that direction too but with some new support elements."

Avatar
stuartp | 10 years ago
0 likes

As above.
I am on Goodwood's mailing list, and unless I've missed it, I can't remember this being mentioned.

Avatar
lolol | 10 years ago
0 likes

Plus one, news to me

Avatar
neilsump | 10 years ago
0 likes

Likewise, this would've spot on for the family (and me, really!); first i've heard of it.

Avatar
fancynancy | 10 years ago
0 likes

I only found out about this yesterday through someone else. Is it me or has it not been advertised very well? I would have loved to have gone & taken part

Latest Comments