Cambridge Cycling Festival 2023
Ten years ago, a few cones, some barriers and a stretch of Cambridge’s main street were enough to turn Anzac Day into something new.
The 5-7 year olds prepare to get underway at the Cambridge Cycling Festival in 2023. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
This year, the Cambridge Cycling Festival returns to the streets and the Village Green, marking a decade since the idea first took hold and reflecting just how firmly it has become part of the town’s rhythm.
The free community event takes place on Saturday and celebrates its anniversary with a full afternoon of racing, family activities and familiar faces.
Created and supported by the Cambridge community, the festival has grown alongside the town itself, drawing generations of people who arrive with balance bikes, race numbers, or simply take a spot on the grass to watch from.
From the outset, the festival has been about more than cycling speed. That remains evident in a programme that ranges from children’s street races and the Itty Bitty Bike Dash to the fast‑paced Street Criterium, where club riders loop the streets once again lined with spectators three deep.
Logan Holzer rounds the Town Clock Roundabout during the Cambridge Cycling Festival 2025. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Over the years, it’s become a place where first wobbly starts and hard‑fought finishes share the same applause.
Relays for schools and local businesses return this year, a reminder of the event’s grassroots beginnings and the way it has continued to pull different parts of the community together.
The Adaptive Roll also features again, designed so children with physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities can take part on their own terms, an inclusion organisers say has always mattered.
While the racing provides the spectacle, much of the festival’s heartbeat sits off the course.
Amberley Apted in the Kerfuffle race during the Cambridge Cycling Festival 2025. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
For the first time, a dedicated family zone will take shape on the Village Green, offering a place to pause, regroup and watch as the afternoon unfolds. The space is designed to give non‑riders and waiting families somewhere to settle – a nod to how the festival has broadened over time.
Prizegiving, too, has become something of a tradition, with children lingering in hope long after their races are done. This year, five children’s bikes will be handed over to new owners, continuing a long‑standing link between the festival and its supporters.
Entries remain open close to race day, and on‑the‑day registrations are accepted – a reflection of the relaxed, come‑as‑you‑are approach that has helped the festival endure.
Some riders return year after year, others turn up for their first spin, pushed along by parents who once rode themselves.
After 10 years, the Cambridge Cycling Festival has become a marker in the town calendar – not just for those on two wheels, but for everyone who has stood at the barriers, shared the footpaths or watched children learn what it feels like to ride through the middle of town.
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Cambridge Cycling Festival 2023
