Cycling in the St Patrick’s Day Parade

On St Patrick’s Day, we Dutch got a unique chance to be as Dublin as we can be.

Because we’re into bicycles, we’re member of the Dublin Cycling Campaign. And because of that, we got to join in the last act of the official St Patrick’s Day parade: a host of Dublin cyclists, dressed in white green t-shirts with ‘That Was Brilliant’ written on the back.

And indeed: it was brilliant. Together with forty other cyclists, we met on Dublin’s north side and from there slowly made our way through the city. I thought the purpose of parades was to amuse spectators:  to let them clap, cheer, hug and sing — safe and anonymous from within a crowd.

However, today I found out that there is actually more to see from a spot within the parade. From the inside, I saw the real attraction is the crowd itself – not the parade. It gave rise to a theory: rather than serving as entertainment for the spectators, parades may just be an elaborate way of attracting spectators, so that persons parading by have something to look at.

Granted: the theory is far fetched, but it’s less unlikely when you consider what we saw, as we made our way through Dublin: children on shoulders, teenagers in lamp-posts, families on balconies, RTE helicopters and police on horses. Moreover, we saw leprechauns behind bars, rugby teams with shamrock glasses, girls with face paint and viking helmets, musicians without instruments and drunkards making friends.

The whole crowd seemed to work in concert, as if in an effort to perform a play for those lucky enough to walk undisturbed on the inside of the crowd barriers.

Take a look for yourself:

Jingle Bike Bells

Bicycle Christmas Tree

The Dublin Cycling Campaign is not only there for your cycle friendly city. Last Thursday shows it also provides community service by organising great parties.

The annual Christmas Party at the Pod was filled with bicycle commuters, cycle chic party goers, and jolly couriers. The sidewalks and traffic squares on Harcourt street were temporarily transformed into Dublin’s busiest bike parking spot; fixies were strung up high in racks and railings, road racers were bundled together as if to warm each other in the snow, and Dutch bicycles stood locked against the LUAS lantern posts.

Fashion and cycling

Outside, the Bicycle Christmas Tree welcomed visitors, while inside, people already warmed up to a fashion display by local Dublin businesses Georgia in Dublin, GreenAer, Rothar, Urban Frog, and bear bicycles. Their five minute fashion show – involving unique rain gear, electric bikes, panther print panniers, merino wool and Dutch cheese – kick started the party, paving the way for Dublin Goldsprints and their bike battles. The Goldsprints´ many blue bike versus red bike moments led to a final, after which the DJ took over with music and bike films.

The rest is bike history.

Blue Bike

Red Bike

Bicycles, Fashion, Rain.

Christmas Party at the Pod

Tomorrow, the Dublin Cycling Campaign hosts its annual Christmas Party (8:30 pm, The Pod, Harcourt Street). Like previous year, bicycle lovers will have plenty to look at: bicycle Christmas trees, bicycles films, and bicycle battles (next week, this blog will bring you a report of the party itself). This year, however, the Dublin Cycling Campaign also introduces a new element: fashion. In a Bicycle Fashion Show, Dublin designers will be sending out models to show their costumes and bicycles.

Sleek, meaningful - bikes on billboards

Fashion and cycling go hand in hand these days. Bicycles are found in shop windows and glossy magazines. Models with tilted heads and meaningful stares, leaning against sleek bike frames, decorate the city’s billboards. So a fashion show dedicated solely to cycling is the natural next step to educate people cycling should be done in style.

We’re glad it has come this far. However – coming from the Netherlands – we are also surprised it has. To us, cycling is as much a fashion statement as taking out your garbage. We had not expected bicycles could be a centerpiece on the catwalk. To clarify that, have a look at these lovely ladies in Amsterdam:

Lady walking with Dutch Bicycle, Amsterdam

 

Lady on Dutch Bicycle, Amsterdam

This is the Netherlands: where cycling is purely functional and style isn’t on a cyclist’s mind.

At least, until now.

Because more and more, the non-Dutch focus on cycling in style is also surfacing in the Netherlands. For example: three Amsterdam ladies recently set out on a mission to bring style to Dutch cycling. Inspired by 18th century Victorian couture, their company Madame De Pé produces stylish raincoats that make flapping poncho’s belong to the past. And there’s more: fancy fixies and bmx bikes are other examples of foreign influences on Dutch cycling.

So tomorrow, at the Dublin Cycling Campaign’s Fashion Show, we’ll be extra alert. Maybe we’ll find some Dublin fashion that suits the Dutch.

Madame de Pé Victorian Poncho

Cool Earth 2010

We were at Dun Laoghaire’s Cool Earth Fair, – representing the Dublin Cycling Campaign. The ‘Campaign’ is Dublin’s cycling conscience. They’ve been fighting for fifteen years to make Dublin a better cycling city. We love their work. And for a few months now we are active members. During events we are often in the Dublin Cycling Campaign stall to sell t-shirts, snap bands and bells and to convince cyclists to become a member.

For Cool Earth, we used our delivery bike to transport the stall. We pedalled the delivery bike straight into the convention hall, unpacked our crates, and turned the delivery bike into an integral part of the Campaign’s stall.

And at the end of the fair; the stall was neatly folded back into the delivery bike’s cargo compartment.

The Campaign was not alone; there were more brazen bikers at Cool Earth. Rothar, for example. We learnt they actually offer bike maintenance tutorials. Using their tools, workshop, and skilful advice, you can easily learn to maintain your own bike.

Rothar artfully uses bicycle parts to brand itself. Like here, with gear wheels and chains.

Speaking of art. We met an inspired young female artist, creating jewellery out of bicycle components. Sleek and rugged, with attention to detail. Her jewellery was sold in the Rothar stall and we bought these earrings straightaway – they consist of old chain connectors.

That jewellery made us thirsty for more. At home, we looked at the artist’s webshop. We were surprised to find romantically intricate pendants. Like this one, called ‘love birds’.

Quite beautifully different from the brash biking jewellery. So you see – there’s more to cycling culture than first meets the eye. Never judge a bike by its cover.