Safely Discover Your City by Bike with Sydney Cycleways
Sharing a city with 4 million people means you need to stay alert even when walking, and cycling quickly becomes an intimidating task. We progressed to city riding from starting in smaller towns/cities back in North Carolina, before moving up to the “big leagues” here in Sydney. Even with our previous experience and training, we prepared for our first few rides with nervous anticipation.
Since my re-entry into cycling as an adult, I lived in 5 cities across the world (Admittedly, 4 of them were on the east cost in the US.), and one thing I have noticed, is that they all had cycling communities. These communities varied in size and types of participation, but they are all full of people who just want to get out and ride. When looking for a cycling community, a quick Google search for local clubs, groups, and/or forums, should yield some results. Additionally, check with your local government regarding any cycling infrastructure groups. Nearby bike shops are also a great way to discover like-minded cyclists, and here in Sydney, there are Meetup groups, Facebook pages, and cycling clubs aplenty.
For us, cycling with a baby proved to be more involved than we estimated, but completely doable, once she was large/old enough. We considered infant carseats in bucket bikes, but ultimately, were not ready to spend the money. This meant that my early foray into cycling around Sydney were cautious solo commutes.
Thankfully, the folks at Sydney Cycleways have a variety of great resources to help make cycling in city safer and more comfortable. In addition to comprehensive maps and a resource-packed website, they also offer tours of preferred routes. Currently, Sydney Cycleways offer discovery rides each weekend in March. The rides include recommended cycling routes from Sydney Park through Redfern to Central, Redfern to Glebe, and along the Glebe and City foreshores. We participated in the Discovery Rides of Sydney Park to Central Station. Not only was it an informative tour of two different routes connecting the locations, but it was a great opportunity to meet fellow cyclists in a causal environment.
Sydney Cycleways Discovery Ride – Sydney Park to Redfern
Our ride began at the cafe / kiosk in Sydney Park – not the Cycling Center, where we originally stopped. The total ride group consisted of 8 Sydney locals plus a leader and a sweep; the tours are limited to 12 participants so sign up soon if you are interested in a spot. Olaf, from BIKESydney, provided informative and clear directions as our ride leader, and Yvonne, from BIKEast, served as our sweep, blocking traffic when necessary to make sure the group stayed together (or rather that I didn’t fall too far behind stopping for photos).
Before we left, Olaf gave us a brief, yet thorough, introduction to bike safety and road rules. I appreciated his “ABC” review, reminding us to inspect air pressure (tires), brakes, and chain before leaving on a ride. A quick pre-ride inspection seems unnecessary until the one time when it saves you hours. Roadside issues are quite the headache, even when you have the right tools so it is worth 60 seconds before you hop on the bike. He also emphasized staying in the center of your lane because otherwise you encourage unsafe passing and run the risk of getting “doored” by a parked car with an exiting passenger. It is usually safer to keep to the center of the lane, riding two abreast when sharing the road. I appreciated learning how to gauge what roads to ride single-file vs. two-by-two. The final item before we departed was basic hand signals that are used when riding in a group, and it was impressive to see the group pick them up so quickly.
With the safety briefing covered, we headed out of Sydney Park, and made a loop through Redfern to Central, returning via Erskineville to the park. It was a nice casual pace, and our ride leader did an excellent job identifying the group’s comfort level. Our ride took a little over an hour, but depending on the number and speed of the group, it may be faster.
I am comfortable recommending this ride to any skill level, but if you are extremely apprehensive about riding in the city, you might prefer the Cycling in the City course. We hope to attend one soon, but from what we know, it is a longer, much more comprehensive session. The session includes practicing different turns and various traffic situations, and you will develop he necessary skills and knowledge to safely navigate the Sydney streets.
If your looking for a low-key, fun opportunity to meet a few fellow cyclists, or you simply want to learn a few new routes, we highly recommend these Discovery Rides. Book your ride soon, and let us know how you go.
