Ever considered riding from Bourke to Sydney?

Introducing The BT Future2 Wheel Classic – 1250km cycle ride for Australians in need.

The inaugural BT Future2 Wheel Classic starts in Bourke on 4 August and, 1251 km later, Ray and Peter will pedal into Sydney, arriving on Friday 13 August.  (see map below)

The BT Future2 Wheel Classic follows the route taken in 1955 by Jack Griffin, a professional cyclist. His son Ray of Future2 was inspired by his father’s recollections of the ride, on rough dirt roads for much of the way. The idea is to get to Sydney on bike while raising money for young Aussies in need.

Following Ray’s fathers route will be no easy task with some stages hitting the 160+mark.

“The roads are better today, but even so it’s going to be a ride of endurance and pain”, Griffin anticipates. “Our average daily distance will be 125 kilometres. We’ll be aiming for an average speed of 29 km per hour for 4.5 hours a day, so we’re hoping for plenty of support along the route!”

All of the money raised – through sponsorship, rider donations and individual donations – will go to the Future2 Foundation, whose grants seek to give a second chance and hope for a better future to disadvantaged young Australians.

Like to get involved?

Ride with the Team  for a day!
Choose one of the 9 legs of the ride (according to your capabilities and your location).  Up to 8 cyclists can join us on each of the days providing you commit to donating or raising $500 for Future2 (the charity).

Sponsor an individual rider!
Whether you make an online donation or use our pledge form to pay by cheque or credit card, you can opt to support the Classic as a whole or an individual rider.

For all the details on this ride and more, check out the website at: www.future2foundation.org.au/wheelclassic

Follow their tweets at: http://twitter.com/f2wheelclassic

It’s great to see Aussies helping fellow Aussies in need.
The team are sponsored by: BT Insurance, Matrix Planning Solutions and Telstra.

“Non regulated riding”

by orrsome153 on Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:26 pm

I am fortunate to live on the Tweed/Gold Coast. We have many,many bunches. I am also a licence holder for Cycling Australia. Whilst I participate and enjoy the odd club race that can not compete with bunch rides. My reason for saying that is over regulation. I know club racing has it great points, well orgainised, support, competition and the great atmosphere. What club riding does have is freedom. All bunch rides have their unwritten rules tht is a given. In the main though they are just plain good manners and safety. What I believe they have over orgainised/sanctioned cycling is the freedom they offer. In the main you can jump on or off when ever you feel like it, there are no fee’s, rules or commissairs. I have found that there is a bunch for every one, the social rider, competitive rider or the person wanting to get a little fitter. There are no trophies, prize money or press releases and all the rides I have participated are welcoming and friendly.

I believe there is far too much regulation in our lives and when I want to get away from all that and go for a ride the last thing I want is another set of rules telling me how far, how fast or what grade I have to ride in. Some of the bunches I ride with always stop for the slower riders others expect you to do your best and if you can’t hang on well…bad luck. This is what I like. Cycling Australia and Cycling QLD have these draconian rules that tell you what races you can compete in, when you can ride club races and for that priviledge they charge you a small fortune. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy our club races immensley but regulation is realy dampening the fun as it is with most sports.

So I urge of you who enjoy their bunch rides to stick to the road RULES (I suppose we have to tolerate them) so the drivers of this world appreciate how much fun we are having and instead of whinging to anyone who will listen will sell the car and buy a bike. Ride on.

So what do you think?
Leave a message below, or join the action in the Bunch Ride Finder Forum

As ‘Tweeted’ by Cadel Evans,
The Age.com.au has reported a story in regards to the Beach Road and around Port Phillip Bay.

Read Below:

EACH weekend, an estimated 9100 cyclists don their Lycra and ride the city’s most popular – and controversial – recreational bike route, along Beach Road and around Port Phillip Bay.

This week their ride was made marginally safer, after Kingston Council on Monday night approved a 12-month trial of no-standing restrictions for cars along sections of Beach Road on weekend mornings. In a six-vote-to-three decision, councillors banned cars from parking along the five-kilometre section of Beach Road from Mentone to Mordialloc.

It is hoped the no-standing zones, which will run from 6am to 10am on Saturdays and Sundays, will stop cyclists being injured when they either slam into the back of parked cars, or swerve to avoid parked cars.

In September, Bicycle Victoria counted 9111 cyclists using the road on weekend mornings between 6am and 10am.

Accident figures compiled by Kingston Council show that, in four years to 2004, there were 102 accidents involving cyclists along Beach Road, including two deaths and 35 serious injuries.

In recent years, more cyclists have been injured on Beach Road, many seriously.

The full article can be found at www.theage.com.au or simply click here – and be sure to read the comments below to see how the ‘public’ feels about this… quite interesting.

Bunch Riding Etiquette – Are Time Trial Bars Allowed?

From the Cycling Tips website:

“There’s been a debate brewing in the Beach Road peloton over the past few weeks.  Lately we’ve been seeing more and more riders sporting their time trial bikes in the bunch rides.  The fact that more triathletes are out riding and the National TT championships are fast approaching brings out the TT bikes and aero bars into the bunch rides.

The unwritten rules of bunch etiquette typically states that if you’re riding among the bunch with aerobars, do not use the aerobars. Stay up on the hoods where the brakes are. TT bikes and aerobars do not have the same control as a normal road bike and cannot react in the same way to obstacles on the road.”

Whats your view on Aero Bars in Bunch Rides?
Read the full article, visit Cycling Tips by clicking here and have your say!

We stumbled across this article from the Sydney Morning Herald.com.au, apparently there’s a new set of rules for Bunch Rides read below:

Wear bright clothing. Leave MP3 players and mobile phones at home. Never ride more than two abreast. And never travel in packs of more than 20.

That’s the basic message for cyclists riding in groups contained in new government guidelines aimed at reducing the increasing number of road injuries and deaths.

“Riding in traffic can be safe and enjoyable for cyclists who follow some common sense tips,” assistant transport minister David Borger said today when he launched the safety campaign at a Darlinghurst coffee shop.

“We all know ‘the road is there to share’, and in order to save lives all road users need to obey the rules and respect others.

“Cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and it is important they understand the safest way to travel.”

In 2008, there were almost 700 cycling accidents, three involving fatalities, in the Sydney region.

The number of deaths is expected to have doubled this year. There have been several highly-publicised incidents recently.

They include two serious accidents on Southern Cross Drive and a case in Seven Hills where a cyclist who was allegedly illegally riding on a T-Way lane, followed and boarded a bus, before bashing the 64-year-old driver.

“Cyclists, like all other road users, are expected to obey the rules,” said Mr Borger.

“This includes all signs and signals, staying clear of moving motor vehicles, wearing a helmet, ride no more than two abreast unless passing and follow lane markings.

“Cyclists should also look out for pedestrians and give way to them and they are strongly advised to wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing to help make them more visible.”

Read the original source here SMH.com.au

Add your view below:

Bunch Ride Finder listed the M1 Cycles bunch rides only a week a go and already they have had a increase in riders in the bunch. This is what its all about – encouraging cycling and getting more participation in the sport.

The good thing about the M1 Cycles Bunch Rides is that Matt Jenkins takes a role in teaching etiquette and bunch riding safety. If all bunch rides have a few experienced riders taking an active roll in bunch etiquette, bunch riding will be better and safer for everyone – well done Matt.

Here’s the article from the Gladstone Observer: read more

Like to go for a Ride with the M1 Crew? here’s the listing

Want to learn more about whats cool and uncool in cycling etiquette? visit CyclingTips

Motorists should “just drive and take them out”, “open the door!” – Magda Szubanski & Julia Morris

To read the article and view the video click here

What do you think? – Leave a reply (or message to Szubanski’s) below:

“One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to a cyclist attempting their first bunch ride is to ride next to someone experienced, and possibly stay at the back of the bunch until you become more confident riding behind and next to someone,” – Kerrie Meares

Surviving the Bunch Ride by www.shespoke.com.au

How does an inexperienced cyclist survive a bunch ride outing? One of Australia’s most respected and successful women cyclists, track bike specialist Kerrie Meares, has not only learnt how to ride elbow to elbow against competitors in the velodrome but also what to do and what not to do on the road while taking part in bunch rides as part of her training program.

Kerrie along with her sister Anna, are respected track riding champions. The girls, who started riding BMX before moving into the track scene, are multiple world, national, international and Commonwealth titleholders in numerous cycling events. Over years of training and racing cycling has not lost any of its shine for Kerrie.

“As a sport cycling is a great challenge with many disciplines to compete in (MTB, BMX, track, road, sprint, endurance) and as a past time it can be very social and a great means of cheap transport!” Kerrie said. “It offers something for everyone and people of all shapes and sizes can do it,” she added. “This sport has kept me fit and healthy for years, and I have made many friends. It has given me self confidence and at an elite level, and this sport has taken me all over the world.”

Kerrie remembers an incident in 1999 when she was bunch riding on one of her training sessions.

“I was sitting in the middle of the bunch and some of the riders on the front were riding silly (showing off) and failed to point out a rather large brick in the pathway of the bunch. The end result was that everyone but the front riders crashed and it stopped traffic on a busy road. We were very lucky that no cars hit us, but we heard a lot of screeching breaks!”

And some words of wisdom for newbie bunch riders?

“One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to a cyclist attempting their first bunch ride is to ride next to someone experienced, and possibly stay at the back of the bunch until you become more confident riding behind and next to someone,” said Kerrie.

“All bike riders need to have mastered a certain set of skills before they attempt to ride in traffic, let alone in a group,” she said. “Riders need to be able to stay upright, dismount and perform hand signals before they contemplate riding in a group, she added.

‘Bunch etiquette’ is a term that some experienced riders use and according to Kerrie it is just plain commonsense.

“Bunch etiquette is courteous actions towards other riders and traffic. For example, pointing out obstructions in the path of the group when riding on the front, when riding next to someone try and ride level with them, not half wheeling them. Put the earphones and music away (especially when riding next to someone and for safety so you can hear traffic). Take tissues with you so if you need to blow your nose you won’t have to spray it over everyone else. Have respect for the environment and pocket your rubbish and not throw it away,” Kerrie said.

‘Not following ‘bunch etiquette’ can result in unpleasant responses from fellow riders and motorists and a high chance of causing unnecessary accidents,” she added.

Pete York from ‘I Ride’ in Toowoomba, who has years of on road experience guiding beginner bike riders to new levels of confidence, also has a few suggestions to ensure that a bunch ride is a pleasant outing.

“With so many riders on the roads and different groups to ride with these days, sometimes things get a bit scary out there and it’s hard to know what to do. Here are some points to think about to get us all home safe and sound,” he said.

“A group ride is just that; the group starts together and finishes together, and if you want to leave the group then you should let someone in the bunch know what you are doing, not just drop off the back without a word,” Pete said.

“Always call out all lights, potholes, glass, cars, walkers, dogs etc and use your hand signals to indicate any obstacles, such as parked cars on the side of the road. You will learn these hand signals over time. Remember the back can’t see the front and this all works on trust.”

“Most of all have fun!”
To read the original article click here
Or for great Women’s Cycling clothing visit: www.shespoke.com.au

What is SheSpoke? – SheSpoke is a women’s cycle wear company dedicated to meeting the needs of women cyclists. SheSpoke produces premium cycling wear which delivers comfort, performance and style. SheSpoke aspires to encourage women to participate in cycling by providing fashionable, functional, innovative and comfortable cycle wear.

Yep – over 200 riders meet for a megga bunch ride, even in the rain.

To watch the video and read the article, click here smh article

Bunch Ride Finder features on PEZ Cycling News!

A huge thank you goes to the guys at PEZ Cycling News.
PEZ Cycling News featured a small article in their ‘EuroTrash’ section to help us with our search for all the bunch rides in the USA and beyond. PEZ Cycling news is one of our favourite sources for Cycling News, why? it would have to be the way in which they write their articles, light hearted and ‘matter of fact’, oh, not to mention The Daily Distractions Section and their awesome Custom Bike Builds.

We find ourselves on this site for way too long every day!

Visit PEZ Cycling News by clicking here
And read the Bunch ride Finder Article by clicking here

Thanks again PEZ – We owe you a beer or too!