Bicycle Film Festival hits London

The tenth edition of the Bicycle Film Festival's (BFF) kicks off on October 3 in London. The four-day event which showcases and celebrates a number of the best cycling films takes place at the Barbican until October 6.

“Whilst the culture of cycling is gaining popularity both as a sport and part of a lifestyle, its inspiration within film is hardly novel. Perhaps it’s due to the simplicity of the machine itself, or the ease with which aspects of the cycling experience can be related to your life, but bikes continue to find their way onto our cinema screens. Our goal of the festival is simply to promote cycling, and arts and the links between,” said Laura Fletcher, organiser of the event in London.

The event began in New York in 2001 and has grown into a worldwide event with festivals taking place in cities around the world including Florence during this year’s World Championships.

"I've attended the BFF in Australia a few times, and it’s an amazing event, bringing together a totally unique mix of cyclists,” Garmin-Sharp’s Nathan Haas told Cyclingnews.

“It’s great though, to tie such a strong medium (film) into a general cycling population, as it’s the perfect blend of our athletic passions with our artistic ones. I personally would like to see more events cross over between cycling and art, and I hope to get the chance to attend the festival in London this year, if I can get a break from racing."

The event will showcase over 40 unique films and programmes including Moonrider, an honest and heartbreaking picture of the extreme and lonely life of a young championship rider and Baisikeli, which follows the Kenyan National Cycling team as they hope to emulate the success of their running brothers and make a career in the sport.

The event also holds an exclusive exhibition of photographer Kristof Ramon's images from racing this year.

For more information on the event, click here.