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The P&P World Cycling Revival, to be staged in June next year at the refurbished and historic Herne Hill velodome in London, will be "the greatest celebration of the bicycle the world has ever seen," promises the organisers.
The event will be 1940s-themed, celebrating the fact that the Herne Hill velodrome hosted the cycling track events at the London Olympics in 1948. "Our patrons will be invited to wear vintage themed clothing throughout the whole festival," said a blurb.
"Vintage themed retailers will focus on appropriate experiential opportunities from wet shaves and hair and beauty parlours through to vintage fashion," continued the blurb.
The festival is organised by the Female Sports Group, said to be the first sports consultancy in the UK to focus exclusively on female and mixed gender sports.
The velodrome will host a programme of racing including a Japanese Keirin Trophy where guests can place bets, via Fitzdares, on the five races each day. Condor Cycles, founded in 1948, will provide steel-framed Keirin bikes for the races, all built with Japanese Keirin-style components.
The programme will also feature the Brompton 48 Invitational race, a new event, where winner takes all; riders, including former professional cyclist David Millar, will race to claim a £10,048 prize pot.
Exhibitions will include the history of the bicycle, run in partnership with the National Cycle Museum of Wales.
The P&P World Cycling Revival’s John Postlethwaite said: “This is an event like no other for cycling and we’re delighted to be working with Herne Hill in creating the greatest celebration of the bicycle the world has ever seen.”
Tickets for the event – due to be staged 14–16th June – are already on sale. Prices start from £65 per day or £150 for a 3-day season ticket.
Chris Davey of Mendip Cycles points out that the dates for staging the World Cycling Revival overlap with those of Eroica Britainia, set for 15–17th June in the Peak District but, said Davey, with a "similar constituency."
