Darlovelo History

Darlovelo grew out of Darlington Media Group’s Beauty and the Bike project, and was given shape by Darlington Cycling Campaign.

Throughout 2009, a film crew and photographer from the Media Group followed a group of teenage girls and young women, who wanted to combine style and cycling. The film was directed by Richard Grassick and Beatrix Wupperman both of whom use bikes as everyday transport. This desire to share the pleasure, convenience, and sustainable nature of cycling was inspiration for a long term bike hire scheme.

Originally called ‘Velodarlo’ the name ‘Darlovelo’ reflects the town and the cycle. With ‘velo’ meaning bike in French, and in Dutch flemish slang. There is also the lucky coincidence of the word ‘love’ hidden within it.

The grant needed to initially fund Darlovelo was raised by Darlington Cycling Campaign, and in 2012 the two organisations amalgamated to form a single cycling advocacy organisation for Darlington.