Alternative Olympic Games

Any Olympic games needs an opening ceremony. A parade with your own Olympic torch, or perhaps a carefully choreographed routine of synchronised cycling to get everyone warmed up and in the zone!  

Slow bike race

Objective: Ride your bike in the longest time from start to finish, without touching the floor, falling off, stopping or rolling backwards. Last one across the finish line wins!  

Over in Rio, the fastest riders get the gold, but in this event there is no need for speed, in fact you should do everything you can to cross that finish line last. So forget streamlined and aerodynamic, swap the Lycra for something baggy, and find a flat stretch of road to give this one a try. The slow bike race will test your balancing skills, and is sure to make you feel more confident and under control on your bike.  

 
Games like this one are a fun way to teach anyone to ride a bike, from children to adults. Here are some more tips and advice.    

Top tip from our winner:  

Silver Medallist, Julie Rand, Cycling UK's Member Group Coordinator, said: "It's all about balance; practise pumping the brakes, and constantly steering so the bikes stays under you!"

Bike egg and spoon race  

Objective: Ride your bike as fast as you can from start to finish whilst balancing an egg on a spoon.  

 
Choose your spoon wisely and remember to hard boil the egg or the yolk's on you!"
Ben Rowley, Membership Officer and Gold Medallist

This eggs-treme version of the well-loved sports day event is a scramble for the finish. You must cross the line on your bike in the fastest time, without cracking under pressure and dropping that egg on the way. An eggs-ercise in concentration, multi-tasking and a steady hand.   

We think you'll egg-gree that spoons aren't the best way to carry luggage while you're on your bike. If you're looking for something a bit more roomy, check out our reviews of panniers.

Top tip from our winner:   

Ben Rowley, Membership Officer and Gold Medallist, said: "Hold your spoon close to the egg, keep your eyes forward and focus on pedalling for the win." 

Bike relay

Objective: Get into teams for this race, and cross the finish line first to win. A relay race on bikes, but instead of a baton you must pass the bike on to your team-mate.    

This event is all about team-work, and picking a bike that all your team-mates, however big or small, can comfortably ride. Winning the bike relay relies on a swift change-over, so practise your mounts and dis-mounts before the race!   

For a variation on this event, try the inner tube relay. Make your way from start to finish with an inner tube around your waist, and at the end of each leg, another team-member must get inside the inner tube. The whole team must finish the race inside the tube to win!  

If you like the team element of the bike relay, you might enjoy getting involved in a cycling group, and riding with fellow cyclists in your local area: find Cycling UK groups close to you.  

To see footage of the bicycle relay in action, head to our Instagram account: @wearecyclinguk. 

Top tip from our winning team:  

Campaigns and Communications Coordinator, Sam Jones said: "Make sure your bike is in a good gear before you start, and pick a speedy team-mate!"

Tyre hurling  

Objective: Throw a bike tyre the furthest to win!   

Whatever your technique, all you need to do is hurl the tyre as far as you can. Will you throw it like a discus, launch it like a javelin, or spin around and release it like a hammer throw? If you've got a few spare tyres lying around (not the ones on your tummy, obviously!), there are lots of games you can play. Try racing by running through the tyre like a skipping rope! 

Choosing the right tyre for hurling, or even just for your bike can be confusing, so have a read of our tyre-size guide. 

Top tip from our winner:  

Ben Rowley said: "Put your back into it and hurl the tyre overarm. If you choose the underarm technique, the backspin will bring the tyre rolling back towards you!"  

Bike dressage  

Objective: Spruce up your steed to impress the judges!  

It's always good to have an excuse to give your bike a bit of TLC, so start by ensuring everything is in working order with some basic maintenance; your tyres should be pumped, your chain oiled and everything scrubbed and polished to a mirror shine. Next step: points for creativity in pimping your ride. Think handlebar streamers and spoke beads, you could even create a theme and dress to match your bike!  

Unfortunately, with only an hour for lunch, there wasn't enough time for staff at Cycling UK to do the bike dressage event justice. Here's one we decorated (much) earlier!

For bike health-checks and maintenance know-how, our Big Bike Revival is underway across the country so why not be a part of it?

Finally, no games are complete without medals and prizes, in this case boiled eggs for all the participants. You might have to improvise with the medal ceremony if you're lacking a podium!  

Whilst we all had a great time with our Alternative Olympic Games, if you are considering holding similar events, make sure you think about any safety issues.