Parkour Ride races into London’s Docks Urban Bike racing up and down 11 flights of concrete
Sep 04, 2014
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FACE partnership, one of the UK’s leading cycle sports and entertainment companies, has launched a unique urban cycling race called Parkour Ride. The experiential event is the first of its kind and will pit different tribes of cyclists against each other in a race through the iconic Tobacco Dock in London on October 4th. The new, multi-discipline elimination tournament takes riders from the worlds of BMX, mountain, fixed-gear and road bikes, and throws them into an extreme performance battle with unique audio visual experiences to get the heart sprinting. Parkour Ride sets two competitors against each over a specially designed eleven story circuit, which has jumps, pinch points and chicanes. The obstacles will be strategically placed to super charge the racing and give the riders a risk and reward choice, to gain the edge over their opponent.Male and female amateur riders will line up against the Parkour Pros, which include former World BMX Champion, Liam Phillips, multiple Tour de France stage winner, David Millar TBC and Sam Pilgrim who will be riding on behalf of Parkour Ride event partner,
Swatch. But Parkour Ride isn’t just about the cycling, it’s a full entertainment package with food served up by rebel caterers Death By Burrito and a dedicated music floor, which is led by the globally famous Red Bull DJ Academy. UK hotshot K1R3Y has already been confirmed, with more DJ’s to be announced over the coming weeks.
The race circuit goes through the music floor, which will be supported by visuals, projections and lighting, creating a club-esque experience for spectators as they watch the racers shoot past. Phillips says “This is what cycling is all about, head to head elimination racing and live entertainment. Having had a few trial spins around the course, it reminds me of watching the Monaco Grand Prix, if you’re one inch out, you’re out and down.”
James Pope, managing director of FACE Partnership and promoter of Parkour Ride, said, “The concept for Parkour Ride came from a desire to create something completely unique in cycling and unite different types of riders in a big melting pot of racing and entertainment. It’s not just a bike race but a festival, party and food feast!”
Members of the public will be able to track riders through a specialist Parkour Ride map and each rider will be fitted with a Go-Pro to bring the public closer to the action. Spectator tickets can be purchased online at an early-bird cost of £15 with participant entry available for £20 at parkourride.com. If you think you have what it takes you can enter the race here.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.