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Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, the capital city of Australia, is a popular means of transportation, sporting and recreational pastime. Commuting in the city is supported by an extensive network of urban cycleways and on-street
bicycle lanes A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. ...
. As a city established in the 20th century, Canberra's development was heavily influenced by the
automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
for much of its history. The popularity of cycling in the city has increased dramatically in the 21st century with growing awareness of environmental issues, government policy supporting active transport and investment in cycling infrastructure. This has led to the development of a strong cycling culture. A relatively small city, Canberra has some of the highest rates of active transport in the country. Australian Bicycle Council research released in 2014 showed that more people in Canberra cycled than in any other Australian city or state, against a slight decline in the national participation rate, with 47% of residents reporting they had cycled at least once during the year. In 2019,
Austroads Austroads is the apex organisation of road transport and traffic agencies in Australia and New Zealand. It publishes guidelines, codes of practice and research reports that promote best practice for road management organisations in Australasia. ...
data suggested as many as 93,700 residents cycled in a typical week, with 183,300 riding at least once per year. 57% of Canberra households owned at least one bicycle. Amongst regular cyclists, the main reasons for cycling were commuting to work or travelling for study, while those who rode less frequently were more likely to do so for recreation. The number of male cyclists in the city is significantly higher than females, although the participation rates for both are still higher than the national average. As the location of the headquarters of the
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
, many professional and elite-level cyclists live in Canberra, or travel to the city for training. The
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
and surrounding region is a popular destination for both on and off-road cycling, with the city hosting a number of national and international competitions across a variety of cycling disciplines. The
Trek Bicycle Corporation Trek Bicycle Corporation is a bicycle, cycling product and electric motorcycle manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Electra Bicycle Company, Bontrager, and Diamant Bikes. The company has previously manufactured bikes under the ...
's Australian headquarters is located in the Canberra suburb of
Fyshwick Fyshwick () is a retail and light industrial suburb of Canberra, Australia, east of the South Canberra district. At the , Fyshwick had a population of 56. It has many motor vehicle dealers, stores selling home furnishings and hardware, and s ...
, taking advantage of the cycle-friendly infrastructure and varied terrain offered by the many
mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...
trails throughout the Territory.


History


20th century

Cycling has been a popular recreational pastime in the Canberra region since before the city's foundation in 1913. The Queanbeyan Cycling Club was established in 1899 (located just across the present-day border with
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
). Additional cycling clubs were formed in Canberra and
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
during the 1920s. By March 1927, the Canberra Cycling Club alone had over 90 members - at that time the population was just 6000. During the 1960s, transport network planning in Canberra was based around private vehicles as the primary mode. A network of dedicated cycle paths was first proposed by the
National Capital Development Commission The National Capital Authority (NCA) is a statutory authority of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia. Timeline of th ...
(NCDC) in the early 1970s. A 1973 NCDC news feature discussed the benefits of building such a network to supplement the pedestrian paths and equestrian trails linking the suburbs, although considered the costs to be quite high given that there were very few cyclists in the city at that time. It was estimated that 25% of high school students rode bikes to school, while fewer than 3% of university students did the same. From a survey of 363 workers in the employment hub of Phillip in the
Woden Valley Woden Valley () is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The name of Woden Valley is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by James Murr ...
district, only 1 indicated they cycled to work. The first cycle path, considered a pilot for an extended commuter network was opened from Dickson to the city along a route parallel to Sullivan's creek. The path was officially opened by Minister for Urban and Regional Development
Tom Uren Thomas Uren (28 May 1921 – 26 January 2015) was an Australian politician and Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1975 to 1977. Uren served as the Division of Reid, Member for Reid in the Australian House of Representatives from ...
, while the occasion was celebrated with a race between local media personalities. Today, the Sullivans Creek shared path remains the busiest commuter cycling route in Canberra. Despite the low number of bicycle commuters, cycling was gaining popularity in the Territory. Although there were some sporting facilities operated by cycling clubs, including a
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
that opened in
Narrabundah Narrabundah () ( postcode: 2604) is a leafy, medium density suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, located in the inner south of the city. Narrabundah is an established garden suburb, valued for its equal proximity to both Civic a ...
in 1972, there was little public investment to address the needs of local cyclists. In 1974, a mass ride involving more than 50 bikes was organised by Howard Rawson and Bill Crowle. The ride from
Belconnen Belconnen () is a Lands administrative divisions of Australia#Australian Capital Territory, district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into 27 divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. As at the , the ...
to the city via
Belconnen Way Belconnen Way is a major road in Canberra, Australia. It connects William Hovell Drive and Kingsford Smith Drive in the west to Barry Drive and Fairfax Street, providing access to Civic and the Inner North via Belconnen Town Centre Belco ...
and Macarthur Avenue received significant media attention, drawing attention to the lack of infrastructure that forced cyclists to ride on main roads. Further protest rides would lead to the formation of
cycling advocacy Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for cycling and improved safety and convenience for cyclists, usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typical ...
group Pedal Power ACT in 1975. Census data in 1981 showed that the number of commuters cycling to work in Canberra had increased from just 0.9% of all trips to 2.1% in the five years since 1976, coinciding with the extension of the NCDC's cycle path network. Yet modelling during this period did not consider commuter cycling when determining future transport policy. Planning continued to favour private cars and the growth in bicycle commuters had stagnated by the mid-1980s. This situation remained largely unchanged until the ACT achieved self-government in 1989, as well as a renewed interest in cycling as a sport during the 1990s. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the district of
Tuggeranong Tuggeranong () is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks and is the southernmost district of the Australian Capital Territory. The district comprise ...
was the first in the ACT to be developed with a cycling network incorporated into the design of new neighbourhoods, now a feature of all new Canberra suburbs. In 1990, the Australian Institute of Sport established its Men's Road Cycling program in Canberra under coach Heiko Salzwedel. The Women's program was added two years later in 1992. A Canberra-based mountain biking program established at the same time was later dropped. In 1993, the ACT Cycling Federation (now Cycling ACT, merged into
AusCycling AusCycling, the trading name of the AusCycling Limited, is the national governing body for cycling in Australia, and represents the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and its individual members. AusCycling covers the disciplines of road, tra ...
) split from the NSW Cycling Federation as a separate entity governing bicycle racing in Canberra. The first Big Canberra Bike Ride was held in 1999. This non-competitive, mass participation event has since become an annual charity ride, encouraging Canberrans of all ages and abilities to meet at the
Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genre ...
before cycling different scenic routes around the city.


21st century

Significant investment in new cycling infrastructure during the 2000–10s and Canberra's growing reputation as a cycling destination was credited with noticeably increasing non-competitive, social participation in events organised by the Canberra Cycling Club by the mid-2010s. In 2017, the ACT
Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) is a directorate of the Australian Capital Territory government. It was formed from the merger of the Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water (DECCEW) ...
proposed a variation to the ''Planning and Development Act 2007'' to incentivise property developers to incorporate end-of-trip facilities such as secure bicycle parking, showers and lockers, in new and renovated buildings to encourage uptake of active transport options. Sydney based
bike share A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bot ...
company Airbike expanded into Canberra in 2018, despite concerns that it would lead to bikes being dumped around the city and in
Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was created in 1963 by the damming of the Molonglo River, which formerly ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle. The lake is na ...
. In 2020, the ACT became the second jurisdiction after
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
to implement the Crime Stoppers Bikelinc platform, a database that allows owners to register details of their bicycles to assist police in tracking and returning stolen bikes.
ACT Policing ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for ...
reported a 25% increase in bicycle theft across Canberra between 2017 and 2020, yet only a small number of recovered bikes were able to be returned to their owners Also in 2020, City Renewal Authority began installing public bike repair stations in areas with high bicycle traffic in an effort to encourage cycling as a preferred mode of transport. These stations include an
air compressor An air compressor is a machine that takes ambient air from the surroundings and discharges it at a higher pressure. It is an application of a gas compressor and a Pneumatics, pneumatic device that energy conversion, converts mechanical power (from ...
for inflating tyres, common tools such as allen keys and spanners and QR codes linking to information on bicycle maintenance and how to use the equipment.


Cycling culture

Canberra is renowned as a cycling destination both in Australia and abroad. The cultural influence of cycling on the city is represented in the local arts community, through public installations and special events such as an exclusive Australian screening of Dutch documentary ''Why We Cycle'' at the
National Film & Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...
in 2018 A key campaign to promote Canberra internationally and drive growth the tourism sector is the promotion of cycling events and tours within the city and surrounding region. A number of businesses operating in Canberra currently provide small group bicycle tours.
Bentspoke Brewing Co Bentspoke Brewing Co is a Canberra-based brewing company initially founded as a Brewpub in 2014 by brewers Richard Watkins and Tracy Margrain. Bentspoke now supports both a Brewpub in the central Canberra suburb of Braddon,_Australian_Capital ...
, a local boutique brewery have adopted a cycling theme, both in the name of their beverages (e.g. Crankshaft,
Sprocket A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the whe ...
and Fixie) and bicycle inspired decor for their
brew pub Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...
in the suburb of Braddon. The company is a major sponsor of local cycling events, including the 2017 Kowalski Classic mountain bike race on the Sparrow Hill trails in Kowen Forest. The 2021 ACT
BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...
Jam staged a round at the Bentspoke cannery in the industrial suburb of Mitchell, while Bentspoke's Braddon brewpub is the starting location for the Monaro Cloudride 1000. The Canberra Bicycle Museum previously operated within the Tradesman's Union club in the suburb of Dickson until closing in 2009. The majority of museum's extensive collection of over 1000 rare and historic bicycles were sold to the public and collectors. Built to celebrate the city's 100th anniversary in 2013, the Centenary Trail is a signposted loop consisting of sealed shared paths,
fire trail A fire trail is a rural road built specifically for the purpose of access for "fire management purposes" including building containment lines and backburning operations. The term is part of the vocabulary of Australian bushfire control and may al ...
s, equestrian trails and public roads that is designed to allow cyclists and hikers to explore the city's heritage, natural environments and native wildlife. The trail, which skirts Canberra's urban fringe, quickly earned a positive reputation in the cycling press and is a popular day trip for local and visiting off-road cyclists.


Commuter cycling network

Canberra's network of cycling routes uses both shared paths (including some with
grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...
) and on-road cycle lanes. In 2021, American cycling advocacy group ''PeopleForBikes'' ranked Canberra 34th out of 770 cities for the quality of its cycling networks – the highest ranking for any Australian city, ahead of
Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
and
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. On some streets within the
Civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: Civic or CIVIC can also refer to: General *Honda Civic, a car produced by the Honda Motor Co. *Civics, the science of comparative government * Civic ...
precinct, as well on the Belconnen Bikeway, cycle routes are segregated from motor vehicle traffic. There are ten signposted routes linking the major town centres and other points of interest:


Cycling as a sport

Canberra well represented in terms of competitive and professional cycling. In 2009, the city hosted the
UCI Mountain Bike World Championships The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are the world championship events for mountain bike racing in the disciplines of cross country, downhill, and four-cross. They are organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing ...
at Stromlo Forest Park, while the
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
in the suburb of
Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...
maintains a road cycling training program for competitors at elite level. Notable competitive cyclists from Canberra include two-time
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
women's road race medallist
Chloe Hosking Chloe Hosking (born 1 October 1990) is an Australian professional racing cyclist. She holds the record for the most professional wins for an Australian woman with 39 professional wins in her career. Hosking has represented Australia at junior an ...
, Commonwealth Games and Olympic medallist Michael Rogers,
Team Sky Ineos Grenadiers () (stylised as INEOS Grenadiers) (formerly Team Sky from 2010 to 2019, and Team Ineos from 2019 to 2020) is a British professional cycling team that competes at the UCI WorldTeam level. The team is based at the National Cyclin ...
road racer
Mathew Hayman Mathew Hayman (born 20 April 1978) is an Australian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2019 for the , and teams. During his career, Hayman was an experienced and respected domestique, as he typical ...
, and
Orica–AIS Liv AlUla Jayco (UCI Code: LIV) is a women's professional cycling team based in Australia which competes in the UCI Women's World Tour and other elite women's events throughout the world. After being sponsored by Orica for five years, the team ...
rider Jessie MacLean. Others who have trained and competed in Canberra include 1992 Olympic Road Race Gold Medallist
Kathy Watt Kathryn ("Kathy") Ann Watt (born 11 September 1964) is an Australian racing cyclist who won two medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (gold in the road race, and silver in the pursuit). She has won 24 national championships ...
, Olympian and successful international coach Gary Sutton and dual 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anna Wilson. The mobile training app ''Today's Plan'' was developed in Canberra during 2015, attracting local investors and support from the ACT Government. The platform supports cyclists to train remotely, while monitored by coaches and teammates. This app was adopted by several
UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...
s, including
Team Sky Ineos Grenadiers () (stylised as INEOS Grenadiers) (formerly Team Sky from 2010 to 2019, and Team Ineos from 2019 to 2020) is a British professional cycling team that competes at the UCI WorldTeam level. The team is based at the National Cyclin ...
, Bora–Hansgrohe and Team Bahrain Victorious.


Events and competitions

Canberra hosts a variety of annual events and competitions including: BMX * AusCycling BMX Territory Championships – A state-level racing competition held at the Canberra BMX Club track * ACT BMX Jam – A
freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...
competition held at various locations around Canberra
Hillclimbs Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...
* Giro d'Canberra – a charity road race, including a hillclimb. * Fitz's Challenge – A challenging hillclimb race in the
Brindabella Range The Brindabella Range, commonly called The Brindabellas or The Brindies, is a mountain range located in Australia, on a state and territory border of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The range rises to the west of C ...
. * Five Peaks Challenge – A charity ride involving a series of short hillclimbs up hills within the urban area. Off Road Events * The Stromlo Classic – A
UCI UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...
and
AusCycling AusCycling, the trading name of the AusCycling Limited, is the national governing body for cycling in Australia, and represents the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and its individual members. AusCycling covers the disciplines of road, tra ...
sanctioned competition held annually at the Stromlo Forest Park hosted by the Canberra Offroad Cycling Club * Monaro Cloudride 1000 and Cloudride Prologue 500 – a
bikepacking Bikepacking is how a bicycle is packed for bicycle touring, and also refers to the adventure sport of long-distance unsupported cycle races. As with backpacking, lightweight packing is a popular topic within bicycle packing. Any kind of bicycle ...
event taking in Canberra and the alpine terrain of the adjacent Monaro region and
Snowy Mountains The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range, a cordillera syste ...
. The shorter prologue event is a testing and preparation event, also suitable for riders of a lower fitness level. * AMB100 Marathon – Has been held at Stomlo Forest Park and Kowen Forest trails. Road Races * Canberra Tour – a two-day, multi-stage event hosted by the Canberra Cycling Club * Tour de Femme – Australia's largest women's-only cycle race * ACT Criterium Championships – held on the Stephen Hodge Criterium Cycling Circuit Track Events * ACT Track Championships – local competition held by the Canberra Cycling Club


Venues


Stromlo Forest Park

Stromlo Forest Park is a major mountain biking venue located just outside of Canberra. It was the venue for the 2008
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees int ...
(Round 6) and hosted the
2009 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships The 2009 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships were held in Canberra, Australia from 1 to 6 September 2009. The disciplines included were cross-country, downhill, four-cross, and trials. The event was the 20th edition of the UCI Mountai ...
, as well as national competitions including Round 2 of the Fox Superflow enduro series in 2019. The park has of maintained trails, built to
International Mountain Bicycling Association The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association that aims to create and preserve trails for mountain bikers worldwide. The IMBA promotes mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance. The IM ...
difficulty rating criteria and ranging from easy to extremely difficult. There is a training area consisting of a course with progressive increases in difficulty and alternative paths around obstacles along its length. A shuttle bus also operates on weekends to carry riders from the car park to the trailheads for the downhill and jumps courses. At the base of the mountain, there is a
pump track A pump track is a purpose-built Track cycling, track for cycling. It has a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders "pumping"—generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedaling ...
and
BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...
jumps. Other facilities at Stromlo include
four-cross Four-cross (4X), also called mountain-cross, not to be confused with fourcross, is a relatively new style of mountain bike racing where four bikers race downhill on a prepared, BMX-like track, simply trying to get down first. These bikes are ge ...
and
trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, wh ...
courses, as well as guest amenities including a cafe and bike shop. The Stephen Hodge Criterium Cycling Circuit is a
criterium A criterium, or crit, is a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 400 m to 10,000 m. Overview Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time, ...
venue with multiple configurations, located within Stromlo Forest Park. The circuit, which hosts international competitions, is also open to the public at no cost when not in competitive use. The setting of the track in bushland has led to incidents where crits have been interrupted by
kangaroos Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey ...
.


Sparrow Hill

Sparrow Hill, in the Kowen district east of Canberra is another popular mountain biking location, mainly used for local competitions by the Canberra Off-Road Cycling club. These trails opened as an alternative to Stromlo Forest Park, after it was destroyed in the
2003 Canberra bushfires The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and na ...
, offering four cross-country loop courses of various lengths and difficulties. Other popular recreational off-road cycling trails can be found at Majura Pines and Tuggeranong Pines on Canberra's outskirts. It was the venue for the now defunct Kowalski Classic off-road race and the AMB100 Marathon, which relocated here from Stromlo Forest Park in 2020 and ran as an asynchoronous race due to COVID-19.


Narrabundah Velodrome

The Narrabundah Velodrome (locally known as the "Bundahdome") hosts track cycling club meets and competitions. Originally built in 1972, the facility was not suitable for interstate competitions due to the very steep bank angles of the curves and harsh transitions. The outdoor velodrome was closed in April 2013 due to concerns about the condition of this facility and despite uncertainty about its future, was reopened following remediation and re-surfacing works in time to host the 2014 ACT Track Championships. In addition to Territory Championship events, the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club hold regular race meets at the velodrome.


BMX

There are a number of
BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...
tracks throughout the suburbs, including the Canberra BMX Club in Melba, the Tuggeranong BMX track in
Kambah Kambah () (postcode 2902) is the northernmost suburb in the district of Tuggeranong, Canberra. It is located just south of Mount Taylor in the Canberra Nature Park. It is located north of the suburbs of Greenway and Wanniassa. It is bounded ...
and at Yerrabi Pond District Park in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
. Both the Canberra BMX Club and Canberra Off Road Cyclists club stage events at these facilities throughout the year.


Cycling rules and regulations

Unlike
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, cyclists in the
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
are permitted to ride on standard footpaths. Cyclists are also not required to dismount at
pedestrian crossings A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American and Canadian English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or Avenue (landscape), avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna Convention on Road Sign ...
. While helmets are required, there are some exemptions, including for religious headgear. With the use of
dashcams A dashboard camera or simply dashcam, also known as car digital video recorder (car DVR), driving recorder, or event data recorder (EDR), is an onboard camera that Loop recording, continuously records the view through a vehicle's front windscre ...
becoming more widespread, cycling advocacy groups have lobbied for the ACT Government to enact harsher penalties for negligent driving that injures vulnerable road users. In general, when riding on public roads, cyclists have the same legal rights and obligations as other road users, although there are some road rules that are specifically designed to protect cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Drivers of motor vehicles are required to leave at least 1 meter of lateral spacing when passing cyclists on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or below. Where the speed limit is over 60 km/h, this distance increases to 1.5 meters. Cyclists are permitted to use roads as an alternative to dedicated cycle paths, but must only ride in marked cycle lanes where these are provided and must give way to vehicles signalling a left turn. Riding two-abreast is permitted at all times, however it is encouraged that cyclists move to single file to let traffic pass and exercise commonsense based on traffic conditions. Front and rear lights are required for on road cycling at night and in poor visibility.


Public transport

The Canberra light rail network was designed to integrate with cycling and other forms of active transport. All light rail vehicles have bicycle racks on board. Outdoor Bike racks are also installed at all stations, as well as some bus stops. No locks are provided, and use of these racks is at passengers' own risk. A secure, covered bicycle cage is available at the Nullarbor Avenue light rail station. Under the "Bike and Ride" initiative,
Transport Canberra Transport Canberra & City Services (TCCS) is a directorate of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory of the Australian Capital Territory, responsible for managing roads, footpaths and cycle paths and managing public transport in Can ...
maintains additional bike cages key bus stops and interchanges across the network that can be accessed on request using a valid MyWay card. Most
ACTION Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...
busses have bicycle carriers installed on the front of the vehicle for up to two bicycles (it is the passenger's responsibility to securely attach and remove bicycles when boarding or alighting). Carriage of bicycles is included in the fare for both bus and tram services.


Bicycle organisations and groups

* Pedal Power ACT – the largest cycling organisation and advocacy group in Canberra. Formed in 1975. * Canberra Cycling Club – Canberra's oldest cycling club, formed in 1926. The club is an affiliate of AusCycling and hosts regular road and track events, including the Canberra Tour and a winter road racing series. * Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) – Australia's largest mountain bike club, and a MTBA foundation club formed in 1988. * Capital Region Masters Cycling Club – formerly the ACT Veterans Cycling Club, formed in 1993, catering to cyclists aged over 30. The club runs regular road, track and criterium events. * Vikings Cycling Club ACT – a club based in Canberra's southern suburbs that hosts social and competitive events for cyclists of all ages and abilities, particularly focussing on increased participation by women, junior cyclists and those with a
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.


See also

* Belconnen Bikeway *
Cycling in Australia Cycling in Australia is a common form of transport, recreation and sport. Many Australians enjoy cycling because it improves their health and reduces road congestion and air pollution. The government has encouraged more people to start, with seve ...


References


External links


Transport Canberra
– ''Your Guide to Cycling in Canberra'', including a map of Canberra's urban cycle path networks
ACT Policing
– information for cyclists
Pedal Power ACT Canberra Cycling Club Canberra Off Road Cyclists
{{Cycling in different countries and cities Cycling in Australia Cycling in Canberra