ALL things cycling will be celebrated in Otley this weekend, as the countdown to the Tour de France continues.

Otley Cycle Club is holding its main event for this year’s Otley Cycle Fest at Ashfield Primary School on Sunday with some help from special guests Harry Gration and Keeley Donovan, from BBC Look North.

The day will include a variety of road rides to suit riders of differing abilities and a mountain bike trail, along with games, football, a bouncy castle, barbecue and hog roast. Roller racing and cycle coaching taster sessions will also feature, along with a five mile cycle path ride around Otley which starts at 1pm, music and a bar.

The road races, ranging in length from 17 miles to 80 miles, are free to enter and all leave from the school at 9.15am, as does the 18.5 mile mountain bike ride.

The family-focused fun, meanwhile, begins at noon with the festival running until 6pm. The club is also holding free evening cycle rides during festival week, on Wednesday when different routes ranging from ten to 30 miles will be available. Anyone interested in taking part should meet at the Buttercross for a 7pm start.

On Saturday, June 28, cycling fans will be able to meet veteran time trial champion Peter Yates and have a look around a ‘treasure trove’ of cycling memorabilia, the Ron Kitching Library, at the club’s base on Crow Lane. The event runs from 10am to 2pm.

The club is holding events on the eve and day of the Tour de France itself, too. Visit http://otleycycleclub.co.uk/festival.html .