Cycling Week combines art and cycling

Explore art by bike and make art yourself

On Tuesday, May 12, from 16:30 to 18:00, there will be a free art bike tour open to everyone. On the tour, participants will learn more about public art in Tampere, with a special focus on the graffiti in Hiedanranta. The departure is from the fountain in Central Square (Keskustori) in Tampere at 16:30, and the route ends in Hiedanranta. Please bring your own bicycle, a cycling helmet, and preferably a water bottle. The tour is guided in both Finnish and English and is suitable for cyclists of all skill levels. The art bike tour is organised by the Tampere Region Cyclists Association and the Mobility Mindshift project of the City of Tampere and Tampere University.

To celebrate the theme of Cycling Week, most of the public artworks and murals in Tampere’s city-centre area have been compiled into maps that can also be used to plan your own art bike route. You can download the maps from the link at the end of this article.

On Sunday, May 10, from 14:00 to 16:00, Galleria Ronga and the Tampere Region Cyclists Association will host an art session at Galleria Ronga. At the event you can draw your own cycling dream. On Monday, May 11, from 18:00 to 19:00, you can hear from comics artist Tiitu Takalo at Galleria Saskia. At the event, Takalo will discuss the background of her cycling-themed work Polkimilla.

Bike workshop and cyclists’ breakfast

On Saturday, May 9, from 10:00 to 12:00, there will be open doors at the Tampere Region Cyclists Association’s Bike Workshop at Sarvijaakonkatu 28. At the workshop you can service your own bike or get to know the workshop’s activities.

On Tuesday, May 12, from 7:00 to 9:00, commuters and others travelling by bike will be offered a free breakfast in front of Galleria Ronga, at Rongankatu 1.

Cycling programme in schools and on campuses

At Tampere University’s City Centre and Hervanta campuses, as well as at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), students will be offered free and quick bike maintenance. Willari’s service points will be on Monday, May 11, at the university’s City Centre campus; on Tuesday, May 12, at TAMK’s main campus; and on Wednesday, May 13 at the university’s Hervanta campus. At all campuses, maintenance is available from 12:00 to 14:00. The bike maintenance is provided by the Mobility Mindshift project.

Cycling Week will also be visible in many primary schools in Tampere, where pupils will practise cycling skills, bike maintenance, and cycling rules.

In Tampere, Cycling Week arrangements are coordinated by various units of the City of Tampere, the Tampere Region Cyclists Association, and EkoFellows Ltd, in cooperation with local actors.