Cork Bike Week 2025

In 2009, National Bike Week was launched to raise the profile of cycling as a healthy and fun mode of transport and physical activity. Since then, it’s been supported by a growing number of community groups, organisations, clubs, schools, workplaces and disability services who organise and run free events throughout the week. Here at Cork Bike Hire, we’re proud to be a part of this wonderful initiative, and are delighted with the results of Cork Bike Week 2025. Whether you took part this year or not, we’d like to invite you to look back on some of the events we ran – including ebike tours, one to one cycling lessons and more.

Cycle Freedom

This year, we had Cycle Freedom Events at our Midleton, Youghal and Cork locations. This offer was available daily from Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th of May. We were extremely happy with the demand for this offer as people were excited to avail of the opportunity to hire a free bike.

Participants were by and large booking in groups, with a mix of friend groups, families with children and more enjoying the fun of cycling and spending time outdoors in their local area.

We saw the most interest at our Cork Depot in the Marina Market, which reached the limit for bookings much earlier than our other locations. This probably happened because of the recent renovations done on the Marina Promenade and Cork Harbour Greenway, with people taking advantage of the opportunity of a free bike rental to get out and see the area. Groups with children or inexperienced cyclists could easily travel as far as Blackrock Castle for a quick, fun trip. Others went for a more intensive, longer trip, trekking down to Passage West and hopping on the ferry over to Cobh. Thanks to the Cork Harbour Greenway Route being largely flat, it proved to be an enjoyable cycle for all experience levels.

Our Midleton and Youghal depots weren’t left out, with groups mainly exploring the Midleton to Youghal Greenway, which was just recently completed. The 23 km route has stops in Mogeely and Killeagh, offering convenient markers for groups to turn back for a shorter cycle, while the full route proved very popular with experienced cyclists.

Harbour Horizons + Morning Magic

Harbour Horizons was a guided ebike tour that allowed participants to explore the Cork Harbour Greenway with an experienced guide. It ran on Tuesday May 13th and Saturday May 17th, between the Marina Market and Cobh. It also ran on Saturday, May 10th between Youghal and Midleton.

Participants had to be 18 or older and be comfortable cycling on roads, as both routes included on-road segments, but otherwise this event was open to riders of all skill levels. Each group had a max of eight participants, with a mix of ages and backgrounds. Most of the participants had not used an ebike before and were interested in testing one out. The group who set out from Youghal enjoyed the Farmers Market that took place that day in Midleton, while the groups who cycled the Cork Harbour Greenway savoured culinary delights in the Marina Market.

These tours highlighted the beauty of Cork Harbour and the countryside between Midleton and Youghal, with the guides giving insight into the history of the areas being toured. Riders were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use the ebikes and said that the cycle felt shorter than they were expecting thanks to both the power of the ebike and their enjoyment of the scenery and the good company.

These tours also proved to be a great test run for our latest offering – find out more about our new range of E-Bike Tours running this summer.

Family Fun Cycle

Our Family Fun Cycle events took place on Sunday, May 11th in Midleton and Saturday, May 17th in Youghal. These events aimed to encourage families to bond and spend time together outdoors while exploring the beauty of the local Greenway. Our ride leaders guided participants along a short, pleasant segment of the Greenway. The group setting out from Midleton went as far as Mogeely, while the Youghal group went to Killeagh. This route length was chosen to ensure that the ride would be enjoyable for cyclists of all ages and experience levels. Everyone then enjoyed a well-deserved rest and a tasty snack and beverage offerings at their destination.

Ready, Set, Cycle!

Ready, Set, Cycle! was designed to build cycling confidence and skills in a supportive, one-to-one setting. With personalised sessions for both children (aged 7+) and adults taking place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of May, this event encouraged more people to get comfortable on two wheels and prepared them to enjoy the local Greenway safely and confidently.

The target audience for this event was children aged seven and up and adults who were either learning to cycle for the first time or regaining confidence as they returned to cycling. Sessions had to be booked in advance, with a qualified trainer giving personalised lessons to participants. We mostly found that it was parents booking the lessons for children as a way to help them prepare for future bike outings.

Brekkie and Bikes

One of our most unique events, Brekkie and Bikes took place on Tuesday May 13th at our Midleton depot. The day began with a free breakfast at our cafe before the group of 8 was taken on a scenic tour of the Greenway up as far as Mogeely. This event was designed to promote everyday cycling as a healthy and social activity by combining it with great food and a friendly group environment.

Trike it Out

This event took place on Saturday, May 10th, at the Midleton Greenway. There were four trikes on display – two adults sizes and two children’s models. One of our friendly staff members was on hand to facilitate questions and provide people with the opportunity to cycle the trikes. Participants were able to arrive without booking in advance and test out one of our trikes, a comfortable and safe cycling option for less experienced or confident riders. There were lots of passers by who took an interest in the bikes and stopped to discuss who in their family/friend circle they could be suitable for.