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Orbital Festival 01Orbital Festival returns to Goodwood this July
The second edition of the Orbital Cycling Festival comes to the Goodwood Motor Circuit on July 26 and 27, 2014.
Organisers describe the Orbital Cycling Festival as “a true celebration of all things cycling” including races, meanders, entertainment, an expo, bike jumble and much more.
Last year the Orbital Festival attracted 6,000 cyclists, fans and their friends and family; this year organisers are expecting upwards of 10,000.
There will be road races using the Goodwood circuit, plus a recumbent bike race, a keirin race, family ride-outs and mountain bike racing.
The Brompton World Championship will also be held over the weekend, drawing participants from across the globe. The Orbital 500 road race has a prize pot of £5,000, which is hoped to attract some of the biggest names in the UK racing scene.
For teams of four representing companies small and large there’s the Orbital TT contest comprising a three event schedule: a four-up time trial,a road race and a team relay.
The Paddock Expo, located next to the race track, will provide a chance to look at the latest bikes, apparel, parts and accessories. There’s also a bike jumble and market area in the Tower Fayre.
And you won’t have to miss the last couple of days of the year’s biggest race: the Tour de France will be showing on the big screen, with lots of locally-produced food and drink to consume while you watch.
There will be cycle stunt teams and displays in action, featuring jump sensation Blake Samson and free runner Luke Madigan, plus a demo track for everyone to use and flatland BMX star Matti Hemmings will be showing off his skills and providing workshops for children looking to learn new moves.
There will be balance bikes for the under-fives and the kids will be safe and contained on the pump track, giving parents some time to relax. For six to ten-year-olds, there will be Go-Ride training delivered by qualified coaches.
Para-cyclists will have access to the all-inclusive riding environment at Orbital Cycling Festival and can join in some of the racing action.
If you occasionally cross over to the dirty side, you can choose two new mountain bike events on the South Downs – an enduro and an off-road sportive along local trails and bridleways.
In the evenings there will be DJs and live music next to the motor circuit.
Antony Auty, Orbital Cycling Festival’s founder, says: “Our goal is to bring all cyclists together for an exciting weekend of all things cycling. We’ve made sure there’s lots for everyone to do, even the non-cyclists of your group. It’s an opportunity to bring all the family or to have a fun weekend away with friends. Last year was Orbital’s first year and it was a huge success. We can’t wait for July.”
For more information see http://www.orbitalfestival.com/
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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8 comments
Cheers. I wish your event every success, I will keep an ear out for what other recumbent riders think and will look at it as something for next year maybe
I thought I would get a gauge on numbers you might expect in solo recumbent riders.
Unfortunately, I completely forgot that your event is on the same dates as the British Human Power Club events that take place in Fowlmead (26th) and Gravesend (27th)
This was the reaction of the BHPC chairman
He also added, the feeling that most recumbent riders have whenever anything has British Cycling involved.
So I wouldn't bother with camping for recumbent racers, they will all be at an event specifically for recumbent racing
Very happy that you've found a more affordable solution for your riding needs.... Sounds like it will deliver everything that you are looking for.
Have fun!
Orbital
Keith, Thanks for your comments. If that's the case & most trike riders will travel alone then we can set up a separate area of the campsite for you & a special deal too.
Sometimes these things are best sorted with a quick phone call......
If the above appeals to you and the other trikers, please give a call - 0207 2982784 or email - info [at] orbitalfestival.com & we'll activate straight away.
Kind regards,
Orbital
Hat of to you Orbital. Great bit of customer service and changing your plans to meet the customers needs.
Top marks for customer service and making your event accessible for all. Looks like about every mode of cycle powered transport will now be represented at the event.
Well done again, I hope and am sure it will be a success!
I have not distorted any prices, I have just quoted what was said as I went to register.
If you have room for 3000, whichever way you split it, that is £45,000. But you cannot accommodate some people who wish to travel alone.
You can however, add more people onto a booking of 4, at £15 per person. That does not make sense. It is the same price, whether you are a family of 8 or a single person, it is £15 per person. A single person tent, even a two person tent, is going to take up little room. You could have quite easily had a section for single persons.
I am not the only person who has thought this is a wrong decision.
As you may or may not realise, recumbents aren't a big market in the UK, so the numbers of us are fairly spread out throughout the country. We only meet now and again, because of the cost involved in transporting a trike/velomobile. It tends to be at larger events, such as your festival. Family's tend not to travel with us to these events.
I have travelled down to Sussex and also Surrey for events. My decision not to come has nothing to do with the travel costs, they would be incurred wherever I was planning to travel as I have to courier the bike to someone near the location of the event, it costs me the same wherever in the country I go.
That may have been the case, but I'm just not a constructively focussed person, I state facts, figures and my opinions.
After all that. Have a fantastic festival
Keith
So, Keith, we're clearly not your cup of tea (as we've discussed on Twitter) but please don't distort our pricing or offering.
We have considered in great detail every aspect of what we do. Managing single person occupancy on a camp site that has capacity for 3000 people is not a realistic proposition.
We fully accept that for a single person who wants to camp on their own and enter multiple events and who is travelling from Scotland to Orbital in Sussex, we may not offer a cheap opportunity to ride their machine - bike or trike.
Perhaps, if you had communicated your concerns & reservations more constructively, we would have found a way for you to engage in & enjoy a fabulous weekend at Orbital within your budget.
Kind regards.
Orbital
I was going to be there with the trike, after a long chat with Ice Trikes to get some track time.
Now I see the prices....no you won't be seeing me.
Prices only for a four person pitch at the camping £60, £22 for the 40km ride out and £25 for a hour of track time in the recumbent race....HAHA, you are joking...
The minimum for camping is a four person pitch aswell...Don't think they have thought that one through.
Yes it is a family event, but how many cyclists that are going there to race around a course will be taking their family?