Herne Hill Velodrome’s big fundraising event will be held virtually this weekend

Herne Hill Velodrome’s big annual fundraising event has gone virtual this year, with the event running this week.

The Big Velofete returns as an online event from Thursday to Sunday (June 18-21) and will feature another great selection of cycling special guests.

Herne Hill Velodrome, the iconic South London cycling venue, has been closed to the public since the start of the coronavirus lockdown, but that won’t stop the team from hosting their essential fundraising event.

The Big VeloFete will feature a selection of virtual races on Zwift as well as interviews, talks and webcasts sessions from every area of cycling.

Highlight events will include talks with professional riders Ethan Hayter (Team Ineos) and Fred Wright (Bahrain-McLaren), who both grew up riding the famous banks of Herne Hill, while Ned Boulting, journalist Laura Laker and CEO of Fusion Media Adam Tranter will explore active travel and urban planning.

Cycling Weekly’s own tech editor Michelle Arthurs-Brennan will also be a special guest at the Big VeloFete, as she takes part in a discussion on the past, present and future of women’s cycling alongside Katie Archibald, commentator Rebecca Charlton and others.

Each event will be held via the video calling app Zoom and you can register for any of the races by emailing friends@hhvt.org or by messaging the organisers on Instagram @FriendsofHerneHill.

You can donate to Herne Hill Velodrome through Virgin Money Giving here and a full list of events and timings is available on the Herne Hill website.

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Races will include individual and team time trials, points and scratch races, and a flying QoM/KoM.

Volcano coffee will be hosting a session on how to make the perfect coffee, Transcontinental rider Emily Chappell will be in conversation with Rapha founder Simon Mottram, and aero expert Dan Bigham will also be offering tips on how to beat the wind.