Capital Vélo Rally

Ride with a team of 3-6 people on a fun-filled day of cycling through the streets of Ottawa.  Discover what makes Ottawa a great cycling city by exploring a guided cycling route along low-traffic streets and bike paths.  Decipher the route, search for answers to quirky clues and quizzes, and test your skills in a friendly challenge with other rally-riders!

Three rallies have been scheduled for Saturdays July 13, August 17 and September 14, starting at 8 Locks’ Flat restaurant.  (If it is pouring rain on the day the rally, the event will be postponed to the Sunday the day after).  Each route will be approximately 20km in length, and the ride is suitable for riders of all ages who can ride the distance and safely navigate on city streets. It’s a great way for a family, or group of friends or colleagues to see interesting city sights on bikes!

Register online to secure a spot for your team!  Registration will close when maximum is reached.

Click to register for Saturday, July 13th

Click to register for Saturday, August 17th

Click to register for Saturday, September 14th

Capital Vélo Fest

Ottawa’s bike festival at City Hall.

Bike Rodeo 1pm-6pm.  Cycling info, demo’s, entertainment and fun

Tour La Nuit 6pm-11pm.  Live music, cycling movies, ride under the stars without any cars.

Bike Rodeo. Ottawa City Hall, Saturday June 1st 1-6 pm

Our main Bike Rodeo is on Saturday, June 1 outside at Ottawa City Hall from 1pm to 6pm (immediately followed by the Tour La Nuit until 11pm).  Festival Plaza will be packed with all things cycling at the Bike Rodeo with a day filled with cycling products, information, entertainment and fun!  Enter a draw with over $2000 in cycling gear to be won!

Tour La Nuit. Ottawa streets, Saturday, June 1. 6-11pm

A magical ride under the stars without any cars!  Catch the fun in a rolling festival along a 20km route through the streets of Ottawa.  Invite your friends and bring your family to come early to decorate your bikes in lights!

Community Spokes. Ottawa neighbourhoods, Sunday, June 2. 12-6pm

Start your Sunday with some bike decorating, cycling games, and a community ride along the Colonel By Driveway, and a BBQ. Continue into Vanier in the afternoon for more fun on your bike with more games, rides with food and drinks.

Cool Bike Ya’ Got There

Every year we see exciting adaptations to new and vintage bikes.
Our annual events allows cyclists and cycling enthusiasts to create something you have never seen on two wheels.

The Human Powered Vehicle Operators of Ottawa come out every year with something they’ve worked very hard on, just for your enjoyment!
Check out these cool bikes!

Capital Vélo Fest

Our main event is Ottawa’s annual bicycle festival, always held the first weekend of June.

On Saturday June 1, 2013, festival plaza at Ottawa City Hall will be packed with all things cycling at the Bicycle Rodeo with a day filled with cycling products, information and entertainment!

Thinking of getting a new bike? Leading cycling retailers will be on hand where you can demo all kinds and sizes of bikes: try out a recumbent; test ride a road bike; or take a spin on a mountain bike all in one convenient location.

Cycling workshops on relevant topics such as bike maintenance, trip preparation and safety will be offered, and you can get a quick tune up on your bike for free. Kids can learn the rules of the road at the kids safety village and decorate their bikes in preparation for the Tour La Nuit. Other entertainment includes bike polo, a cycling fashion show, a cycling themed art show, vintage bike display, and cycling games like bike limbo, bike jousting and an alley-cat scavenger hunt on site. Food and beverages are available, including the opportunity to blend your own fruit smoothie on SMOOCH, or bicycle powered smoothie machine!

Rodeo admission is free and there will be over $2000 in cycling prizes to be won!

The Tour La Nuit takes over in the evening. Featuring live entertainment at the start and finish, and along the route, this 20km ride exhilarating ride under stars without any cars provides a magical tour through the city as the mass of cyclists experience a carefree car-free ride. Suitable for riders of all ages and abilities, this unique and enchanting experience will be a highlight of your summer cycling. Registration is required to participate.

Capital Vélo Fest continues on Sunday June 2nd, with the Community Spoke program. Different neighbourhoods throughout the city will host their own cycling rodeos in a variety of locations. Visit the rodeo closest to your home, or enjoy a cycling experience in a new community. Details on these activities will be posted closer to the event.

Contact us if you are interested in organizing an event in your community as part of Capital Vélo Fest.

Tour La Nuit

The evening of Saturday June 2nd, 2012, marked Ottawa’s second Tour la Nuit!

Immediately following the Bicycle Rodeo during the day, the Tour La Nuit took over at 5pm.  Participants came early to light up their bikes for the ride with the awesome lighting devices that were  available for sale to help make their bikes stand out from the crowd and shine along the ride. Members of the Human Powered Vehicle Operators of Ottawa, well known for their zany bikes in parades around the city, were on hand to give some ideas and help create a glowing masterpiece on two wheels!  The Ottawa band, The Ryvyls, provided musical entertainment in the square before and after the ride, and live music enhanced the enjoyment along the route in some surprising and unique ways!

To participate in the 2013 Tour La Nuit, check back in the spring to register in advance online.  As in 2012, all early-bird on-line registrants receive a free motion-activated tire light that creates a band of colour inside their wheel when they are riding.  Look for these around the city and ask the rider about their 2012 Tour La Nuit experience!

Capital Vélo Rally

Capital Vélo Rally is a fun-filled day of cycling through the streets of Ottawa. Riding in a team of 3-6 people, decipher the route, find clues, and test your skills in friendly competition with other rally-riders! It’s similar to a car rally but participants ride bicycles.

Discover what makes Ottawa a great cycling city by exploring a guided cycling route along low-traffic streets and bike paths, searching for answers to quirky clues and quizzes in a friendly competition.

Several rallies will be held throughout the cycling season. Each route will be approximately 20km in length, and the event is suitable for riders of all ages who can ride the distance and safely navigate on city streets. It’s a great way for a family to explore the city sights on bike!

The dates, routes and starting locations of the rallies are currently being developed. Check back in the spring when registration will open.

Are you looking for a team building activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle and collaborative team work? Capital Vélo Fest can organize a custom bike rally for your group that will provide a fun-filled day and encourage people to act as a team to complete their rally mission in a unique adventure. Suitable for groups of 20-200 people, contact us if you are interested in providing a distinctive and memorable day for your organization.

Volunteer Information

Thank-you for your interest in volunteering for Capital Vélo Fest! We are a non-profit organization and rely on volunteers to deliver many aspects of our programs.  All of our volunteers receive a t-shirt and an invitation to one of our volunteer appreciation events. Training is provided where required, and all of our volunteer activities are eligible for mandatory high school volunteer requirements. Volunteers will enjoy a day of cycling-related fun, and come away with the satisfaction of contributing to developing the cycling culture in Ottawa.

Bike Festival Volunteers

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Capital Vélo Fest!  While this year’s event has passed, we ask that you keep us in mind for 2014!  We will also be soon recruiting volunteers for our Bike Rallies which take place throughout the year!

We need volunteers to help with our annual bike festival the first weekend of June. Positions include setup and take down assistants, Rodeo guides to help with the cycling games and events during the day, and Tour La Nuit Road Safety assistants to help with closing the roads to traffic.  We also need people who can work  before the event distributing posters and information.

Bike Rally Volunteers

Rally volunteers are needed to assist with registration on the day of the rallies, and to act as Rally Guides throughout the day of the event.

Photographers and Videographers

We like to capture the fun and excitement of our events in still and video photography. If you have a good digital camera and like to take photographs of festivals and events, we can use your help!

Ready to join our volunteer team?  Click to fill out our volunteer form !

Ready to join our volunteer team? Click to fill out our volunteer form!

Bike Rodeos

Capital Vélo Fest organizes bicycle rodeo’s for camps and schools. We deliver customized age-appropriate programs that contribute to skill development and safe cycling in a fun environment.

Our CanBike trained personnel provide a 2 hour program that emphasizes safety and teaches children and youth the skills to ride a bike safely. Our program consists of a brief classroom style instruction, followed by activities on the bike that develop balance, turning, stopping, bike handling and road skills through a series of fun cycling games.

We have a variety of activities and will customize a program based on the ages and skills of your group. Suitable for people of ages 4-18, contact us if you would like to arrange a Rodeo for your children or youth group.

20% off Bike Helmets on June 1, 2013

Ottawa Public Health and Capital Vélo Fest have collaborated with leading cycling retailers in the city to offer 20% off all bike helmets on June 1, 2013.

Check out our Links to find a participating retailer near you!

Ottawa’s Mayor gets a SMOOCH!

At the 2012 Capital Vélo Fest, Ottawa’s Mayor Jim Watson took the SMOOCH machine for a spin.