Cycling in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia takes place for recreation, commuting and as a sport. There is an active cycling culture enhanced by a relatively flat geography, and a generally mild climate. Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... People participating in summer luge as a form of recreation, in the Vosges. ... See Commute for other meanings. ...

In 2005, the popularity of cycling for health, fitness, and as a non polluting alternative to the automobile may be growing slightly. Statistics indicate that for each of the first four years of the 21st century, bicycles have outsold cars in Australia. In 2006 bike sales totalled 1,273,78 — 32 per cent ahead of the motor vehicles total. However, these sales have not translated into significant use of bicycles for transport. Most recent figures put cycling at only 2% of trips in Melbourne.^[1] Physical fitness is an attribute required for service in virtually all military forces. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... ÅŒfuckỹdgfdddfdefdfdfdfdfdfdaasdfasdfasf For other uses, see Bicycle (disambiguation). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

History

Sunday cyclists in Melbourne in 1895.

During the 1890s cycle races like the Austral Wheel Race, and later the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, were very popular forms of entertainment drawing crowds of many thousands. Cycling was also an exciting new option for transport taken up eagerly by many people. For women, cycling provided the opportunity of more freedom and being able to wear less restrictive clothing. The craze for cycling in the 1890s is portrayed in the poem Mulga Bill's Bicycle by Australian poet Banjo Patterson, and many other ballads from the time. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x691, 233 KB)Cycling in Melbourne on a Sunday in 1895 Photo believed to be in the Public Domain 1means the typographical arrangement and layout of a published work. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x691, 233 KB)Cycling in Melbourne on a Sunday in 1895 Photo believed to be in the Public Domain 1means the typographical arrangement and layout of a published work. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no... The Austral Wheel Race is the oldest track bicycle race in the world still occurring, with a history stretching back to 1887. ... The Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic cycling race is the longest one day road bicycle race on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar, being 299. ... Banjo Paterson. ...

Cycling provided an enduring activity for ordinary Melburnians until falling automobile prices and growing consumer affluence saw increasing numbers switch over to the car in the 1940s and 1950s. Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ...

Cycling as a sport

Coburg Cycling Club, based on the Melbourne northern suburb of Coburg, is one of Australia's oldest cycling clubs. It was established as a social club in March 1896 by members of the St. Paul's church choir on Sydney Road.[1] Members quickly found themselves participating in all levels of cycle sport. Many cyclists from the Coburg club rose to prominence including Iddo 'Snowy' Munro, Ernie Bainbridge, Richard 'Fatty' Lamb, Richard 'Dick' Ploog (1956 Olympian).[2] Coburg is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... Sydney Road, Brunswick, looking south to the central business district Sydney Road is a major thouroughfare in the northern suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were held in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, although the equestrian events could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations. ...

Victoria has produced many cycling athletes of world renown. Sir Hubert Opperman, "Oppy" (1904 - 1996), is perhaps the most well known and internationally recognised Australian cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. As an Australian sportsman, his feats in cycling are compared with Sir Donald Bradman in cricket.[3] He set the 24-hour road distance record of 505.75 miles (813.9 km) in 1939; the track record for 24 hours covering 489.3 miles (787.5 km) in 1940. He won the 1928 Bol D'or 24 hour race and the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 km marathon in 1931 in record time of 49 hours 23 minutes. Many of his long distance records stood for many years. In France and Australia he was feted as a sporting hero, with thousands attending a parade in his honour in Melbourne 1928. Hubert Opperman in action as a cyclist Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman (29 May 1904 - 24 April 1996), affectionately referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim. ... Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (August 27, 1908 — February 25, 2001), often called The Don, was an Australian cricketer who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time,[1] and is one of Australias most popular sporting heroes. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is an approximately 1200km randonnée bicycle ride held on an out-and-back course between Paris and Brest, France, every four years. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

Post World War II, Geelong cyclist, Russell Mockridge, was widely described as "Australia’s greatest all-round cyclist for all time". Due to his upper class accent he was initially dubbed Little Lord Fountleroy, however his race wins soon earned him the nickname of The Geelong Flyer. Tragically, he was killed by a bus in 1958 participating in the 225 km Tour of Gippsland. He was just 2.1 miles (3.4 km) from the start of the race at the Dandenong Rd / Clayton Rd intersection in Melbourne. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Moorabool St, Geelong A view of Corio Bay from Moorabool Street. ... Russell Mockridge (1928 - 13 September 1958), nicknamed the Geelong Flyer, was a racing cyclist from Geelong, Victoria, Australia whose life was tragically ended during a race, in a collision with a bus in 1958. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ...

Cycle racing continues to be popular in Melbourne with the Herald Sun Tour, since 1952, bringing professional cyclists from around the world for a multi-stage race around regional Victoria and Melbourne. Racing cyclists and triathletes are often seen training along Beach Road and the Nepean Highway from Black Rock to Mount Eliza. Each Saturday morning the Hell Ride leaves from Black Rock at 7am. It can contain up to 200 cyclists in summer months with speeds up to 60 km/h. Highly developed racing skills are required to maintain precision pack riding at these speeds and negotiate traffic and lights. The ride has built up a tradition since starting in 1984, and now no one organises the ride or controls behaviour. The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ... A triathlon is an athletic event made up of three contests (from the Greek). ... The Nepean Highway The Nepean Highway runs south from Melbourne city in Victoria, Australia to Portsea, along the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay. ... Located in the heart of the City of Bayside, Black Rock () lies on the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay about 18km south east of Melbourne. ... Mount Eliza is a bayside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kathy Watt, 1992 Summer Olympics Gold Medallist in the Road Race, works in the Black Rock area as a personal trainer. Daughter of Geoff Watt. ... The 1992 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ...

Cycle Touring and Commuting

A goldminer pictured after a 1000 mile (1,600 km) round trip to the Mt Rugged Gold Rush in 1895

Long distance cycle travelling was a fact of life in the 1890s for many sheep shearers and other agricultural labourers with migratory work. The bicycle and swag conquered much of Australia on dusty dirt tracks, long before the automobile made its appearance. In the main, however, long distance cycling was a sport of endurance or was done out of necessity. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (800x983, 286 KB)A goldminer who cycled a round trip of 1000 miles to a gold rush in Western Australia in 1895. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (800x983, 286 KB)A goldminer who cycled a round trip of 1000 miles to a gold rush in Western Australia in 1895. ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no... A sheep shearer is a worker who uses blade or machine shears to remove the wool from sheep. ... This article is about the swag of Australian history and culture. ...

Up until the 1940s the bicycle was an important commuter vehicle for many Melbourne people. Post war affluence saw a decline in cycle commuting, and the bicycle was largely relegated to a children's activity or for sporting or recreational use.

It was not until the 1970s that cycle commuting and cycle touring started being widely promoted and used again. In Melbourne cycle commuting and touring was stimulated by a number of factors: The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

• the establishment of the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club (MBTC) in October 1973. The Club aimed to promote cycle touring and a healthy, active lifestyle. The club has a fundamental commitment to public transport making extensive use of country and suburban trains to get to and from the rides it runs.

• the Bicycle Institute of Victoria (now known as Bicycle Victoria) started in 1975, as a broad appeal membership organisation to campaign for improved facilities and recognition of cyclists. By July 2004 it had grown to 40,000 members.[4] Its first Great Victorian Bike Ride was organised in 1984 with 2,100 participants, commonly regarded as the largest single touring bike ride in the world at that time.[5]

• innovative supported tours by Friends of the Earth to Canberra to protest uranium mining - the FoE Rides Against Uranium - in 1975, 1976, and 1977.[6]

• Australia's first bicycle plan instituted in the late 1970s in Geelong.[7]

• growing general environmental awareness of pollution, negative impact of automobiles, and protest at the construction of inner city freeways

• the first triple crank, or granny gears, started being sold. Ron Shephard, an engineer and founding member of the MBTC and Bicycle Victoria relentlessly promoted use of triple cranks to promote cycle touring among a wider audience.

In 1993 Bicycle Victoria launched the 210km Around the Bay in a Day ride around Port Phillip, held in October, which in 2006 attracted more than 14,000 participants. Skytrain Bangkok. ... Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Friends of the Earth is an international network of environmental organizations in 70 countries. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ... This article is about mineral extraction. ... Moorabool St, Geelong A view of Corio Bay from Moorabool Street. ... Pollution is the release of environmental contaminants. ... Map of the Port Phillip area Around the Bay in a Day is a recreational cycling event organised by Bicycle Victoria in Victoria, Australia. ... Landsat 7 composite imagery of the bay. ...

In recent years Bicycle Victoria has run regular Ride to Work and Ride to School days to stimulate, with some success, cycle commuting.[8] This is assisted by the formation of many workplace Bicycle User Groups (BUGS). The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) in 2004 introduced a Bike Assist membership option, to assist cyclists with punctures or basic repairs.[9] Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The RACV or Royal Automobile Club of Victoria was founded in 1903 as a mutual organisation dedicated to the use and enjoyment of motor vehicles. ...

In November 1995 the first Melbourne Critical Mass was held. This has become a popular regular event with cyclists meeting in front of the State Library of Victoria at 5.30pm on the last Friday of every month to ride around the city in safety as one mass. They are accompanied on a regular basis by the Police Bicycle Squad. Generally the police do not interfere in the event but act to facilitate its smooth movement to reduce any obstruction and to calm the antagonism of some car drivers. [10] 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... San Francisco Critical Mass, April 29, 2005 Critical Mass is a bike ride typically held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world where bicyclists and, less frequently, skateboarders, roller bladers, roller skaters and other self-propelled commuters take to the streets en masse. ... A panoramic view of the library facade, forecourt and lawns from Swanston Street The State Library lit up at night. ...

The effects of cycle helmet legislation

As with other Australian states, Victoria's 1990 compulsory cycle helmet legislation [11] had a strong negative impact on cycling in Melbourne. Surveys carried out at the same 64 observation sites [12] in May 1990 and May 1991 detected 29% fewer adults and 42% fewer child cyclists, with an overall reduction in cyclists of 36%. Further falls were recorded to May/June 1992, with teenage cycling reportedly showing a 46% decrease from pre-law levels. The limited injury reductions recorded among Melbourne cyclists did not match the actual decline in cycling. This has lead some experts to the conclusion that the law has actually resulted in increased rates of injury among Melbourne's cyclists. The law has also reportedly resulted in significant police efforts against cyclists. As of 2003, Victoria Police were still issuing around 20,000 Bicycle Offence Penalty Notices a year. Since the law, cycling in Melbourne has never been able to recover its previous share of the transport split. In 1985-6, 3.4% of trips in Melbourne were by bicycle, recent 2004 data shows a decline to 2.0%. The experience of Melbourne's cyclists has given added impetus to the efforts of cyclists in Europe and elsewhere to resist, or repeal, such helmet laws. Bicycle helmet A bicycle helmet is designed to provide head protection for cyclists. ...

Melbourne cycle trails

Arising from the campaigns of Bicycle Victoria since the mid 1970s and increased recognition from all levels of government of the benefit of cycling activities, Melbourne has developed a set of shared bicycle trails along the river and creek systems and next to freeways, as well as on-road bicycle lanes and shared use paths. Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Segregated cycle facilities may consist of a separate road, track, path or lane that is designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. ...

VicRoads has installed bicycle counters on the trails, at seventeen locations throughout inner Melbourne. These counters are providing definitive data on the usage of Melbourne's trails. VicRoads Official Logo VicRoads is the trading name for the Victorian Roads Corporation, and is the states licensing authority. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ...

A number of freeways have been constructed with dedicated separate bicycle paths built alongside, although the CityLink freeway system was built without including provision for cyclists along several sections including the Bolte Bridge. Cyclists are also excluded from riding the West Gate Freeway over the West Gate Bridge, although exceptions are made for some special bicycle events like Around the Bay in a Day organised by Bicycle Victoria. CityLink is a tolled freeway system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The Bolte Bridge, Melbourne The Bolte Bridge is a large twin Cantilever bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... West Gate Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne linking Geelong to Melbourne CBD and beyond. ... The West Gate Bridge is a large cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Map of the Port Phillip area Around the Bay in a Day is a recreational cycling event organised by Bicycle Victoria in Victoria, Australia. ...

The lengths of the trials in Melbourne, as of 2007, total at least 670km. It is possible to go from Werribee in the west to Research in the east (approx 62km) and Craigieburn in the north and Seaford in the south (about 78km) and points in between and only have to travel on the occasional piece of road. Melbourne's trails are a day out in the country, despite Melbourne's immediate presence. Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... This article is about the suburb of Melbourne. ... Craigieburn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Seaford is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

Cycling in Melbourne and Victoria

Melbourne and its surrounds suppport a variety of rides throughout the year, many of them being held for charitable purposes:

Map of the Port Phillip area Around the Bay in a Day is a recreational cycling event organised by Bicycle Victoria in Victoria, Australia. ... The Austral Wheel Race is the oldest track bicycle race in the world still occurring, with a history stretching back to 1887. ... Amy Gillett Amy Gillett (January 9, 1976 - July 18, 2005) was an Australian cyclist and rower who represented Australia in both sports before her untimely death in a training accident when a motorist crashed into the Australian squad of cyclists she was training with. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ... The Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic cycling race is the longest one day road bicycle race on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar, being 299. ... Hubert Opperman in action as a cyclist Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman (29 May 1904 - 24 April 1996), affectionately referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim. ...

References

1. ^ Australia Cycling Bicycle Ownership, Use and Demographics July 2004 (Draft), Australian Bicycle Council

See also

• Bicycle Victoria
• Category:Australian cyclists
• Category:Cycle racing clubs in Australia

Bicycle Victoria is a self-funded community organisation focussed on cycling, with offices located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

External links

• Maps of bicycle paths in Melbourne
• Bike paths guide - sample information based on published book
• Bicycles Network Australia- cycling Discussion forums
• Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club
• Remembering the FoE Rides Against Uranium
• VicRoads - shared path counters
• VicRoads - Principle Bicycle Network