Ongoing Festival: I Bike MCR
Article published: Tuesday, April 6th 2010
For the fourth consecutive year the month long I Bike MCR festival is underway. Whoever said bikes were for boys obviously hadn’t foreseen the feminist undertone to this year’s line-up…
The Spokes, an all-female troupe of bike performers, have several events planned, including a performance (24 April) and Acrobalance classes (every Monday), where a circus instructor will be at hand to advise on the art of human pyramids. Along with Spokes events there is a women-only ‘bike play’ event in Chorlton’s Longford park to practise balancing tricks (18 April) and a scheduled visit to the Pankhurst centre , where a women’s bike maintenance workshop and history talk will be held (13 April).
Other events including a mountain bike ride through the Delaware forest on (11 April) and a Bike Polo tournament (17-18) promise energetic weekends, whilst those who like a dance may enjoy the Reggae rides (8 and 15 April), meeting at Sandbar for a musical two hour bike ride finishing at Saki bar. But remember to drink and ride responsibly!
Emily Crompton, a member of the collective told the Mule “The I Bike MCR festival has been going from strength to strength. There are loads of events happening this year, film screenings, workshops, long rides, short rides, rides to take you somewhere beautiful, races and challenges, rides with hundreds of people and rides with just a few.”
In fact, I Bike MCR has been advocating the use of bikes and bicycle fun in Manchester for years. The grassroots autonomous collective is best known for Critical Mass, which draws cyclists to the central library at 6.30pm on the last Friday of every month. From here, the gathering throng of cyclists, whether fresh off their stabilisers or veteran two wheelers, reclaim the city; often occupying entire lanes of city centre roads or cutting through alleys you never knew existed. It is all legal – which doesn’t make Critical Mass any less liberating.
The festival will draw to a close with a celebratory Critical Mass (30 April) and, depending on the April weather and those inspired by the months events, it should be a good turnout, embodying the autonomy and sense of community which I Bike MCR hopes to develop, a sentiment echoed by Crompton:
“I Bike MCR is all about getting on your bike, riding and enjoying it- if you ride, come find us! Be your bike a fixie with deep v’s or a sit up and beg, whether you bike in high heels or in lycra…Come and bike with us”
Kirstin Ferrari
Visit the I Bike MCR website for more information
More: Culture, Manchester
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