Brisbane’s South Bank was a sea of moving billboards as brightly lycra-ed cyclists shuffled too and fro… scooting along just like footbikers…

The sport of Footbiking was represented by Alan Stewart, Bruce Cook, Lyn Armstrong, Alex ‘Jack Rabbit’ Heta and Deb Stewart in the 100km route, and Karen Toll aka ‘Tingles’ decided to go it alone by completing the 60km ride from Beenleigh to the Gold Coast.

Despite headwinds and rain, the temperature and humidity was pleasant. The course was fast coming out from the city as the bike route weaved through underground bus terminals to eventually meet up with bike paths and finally the road. With no road closures and close to 10,000 riders it was nice to see human powered vehicles dominate the road.

Even though this wasn’t a race, Alan Stewart broke another Australian record for the 100km at a time of 4hrs 15mins. Excellent work Alan! Wish the rest of us could finish with such decorum and look as fresh during the following television interview at the end of the race.

Bruce Cook flew along averaging over 21km/hr, passing many cyclists along the way. Thank you Bruce, you’re a great advocate for the sport.

Despite a bout of food poisoning in the morning – sending her to the toilet rather than the starting line! – Deb Stewart still managed to average 19.9km/hr over the 100km route. Deb has also discovered a new technique for fitting her Kickbike in the toilet cubicle with her… no one else was going to deny her the opportunity to ride that Kickbike to the Gold Coast!

Lyn Armstrong and the Jack Rabbit managed to finish the 100km course in a respectable time even though work committments and other sporting activities kept them from training and preparing for the longer ride. Sheer guts and determination kept them going and allowed Lyn to set the official record of the first Australian Female Veteran to kick more than 100km straight. Congratulations Lyn!!!

Karen Toll, who only started footbiking a few months ago completed her longest ride ever – 60km. Great work, Tingles! Looks like those hill rides are working for you! Good to hear you’ve entered into the Mt Tamborine ride coming up shortly.

There were many cheers of encouragement to the footbikers from cyclists and bystanders, and the quote of the day from one cyclist to another:

“I’m drafting behind her so that I can stare at her butt”. Fellow cyclist replied, “And that’s the reason God made scooters!”

Cheers to all – and we’ll see you again next year!

Bruce Glover, contact for the Ipswich 100 has contacted us about the 2010 ride, inviting all Footbikers and Kickbikers along.

So please mark the date in your diaries and join the other scooter-happy folks.

As hinted after this year’s ride, there will be the Ipswich 100 as well as the Ipswich Imperial, a 100 mile (160km) challenge.

Details at a glance:

When: 28th March 2010

Start/Finish: UQ Ipswich Campus (and are through the rolling hills of beautiful South East Queensland, through Rosewood, Warrill View, Peak Crossing, returning to Ipswich).

Ride distances:

• 10km
• 50km
• 100km
• 160km

Organised and run by the Moggill Mt Crosby Lions Club with all proceeds donated to charity.

All rides are fully supported with marshals, refreshment stops and support vehicles.

The Ipswich 100 website is currently being updated with information – details will be available soon.

The fog was so thick at Victoria Point that the ride was delayed by 17 minutes.

After a message from the organisers and a short welcoming speech from the Mayor of The Redlands, the 75km ride began. And 10 minues later the 45km riders took off.

The 75km and 45km courses featured more up hill than down hill terrain, with a few heart breakers through the Alexander Hills section… which we’ve decided to rename Alexander Mountains. 

With cut off times on the course, Footbiking was represented by Lyn Armstrong on the 45km route, and Bruce Cook, Alan Stewart and Deb Stewart on the 75km course.

The Footbikers went out at a more than respectable pace, covering the first 10kms in 23 mins. Unfortunately, the course was determined not to allow them to continue this pace with its constant barrage of challenging ascents, wind, open roads with traffic, no road closures and a fair share of traffic lights.

Despite the course’s challenges, the footbikers were content with their times.

Alan Stewart came through with 3hrs 9mins, Bruce Cook around 3hrs 20mins and Deb Stewart in 3hrs 33mins for the 75km course.

The SES who worked as marshalls on the day were a complete delight, cheering and clapping the riders on. The event was a success, raising monies for the Leukemia Foundation and the Matthew Stanley Foundation to stop violence.

The Redlands Classic Ride is the only official bike ride of The Redlands and attracted riders from as far away as Western Australia. This was the second year of the ride and the participating numbers doubled from last year. There would have been more riders but the event clashed with the Brisbane Marathon which was also held on the same day.

Thank you to the Rotary Club for organising the event, and all of the volunteers who made the day possible.

The Sydney to the Gong Bike Ride to raise money for MS is huuuuuuuuuge! This year the organisers are capping the numbers at 10,000 riders and hope to raise 2.5 million dollars for MS research.

There are two distances to choose from – both covering a scenic course:

58km
90km

When: 1st November

Where: Various starting points

There are two major descents on the rides – one at the waterfall when the route enters the Royal National Park, and another on Lawrence Hargrave Drive (from Bald Hill to Stanwell Park). To ensure safety, riders at the top of each descent will be formed into manageable groups and motorcycle marshals and Police will escort each group down the descent.

The course is via public roads, and there will be good Police presence and Marshals along the route. There are also stops for fruit, muffins, water etc. to help get you through the ride.

The sponsors for this epic bike challenge include: the RTA, Sydney Morning Herald, Subaru, Brita, Avanti Bikes, Netti, AustCycle, Kennards Hire, 96.5 Wave FM, The Bike Hub, Bicycle NSW, Gatorade, NSW Volunteer Rescue Assoc, Sydney Markets, Southern Cross Ten, Bicycling Australia and St John Ambulance.

Hats off to the organisers and volunteers who make this day happen… why not join them and have the time of your life on this brilliant ride while raising money for a good cause. Please visit the Sydney to Gong website for more details.

Bicycle Victoria and The Smith Family are running the incredibly popular Around the Bay in a Day Ride for the 17th year in a row.

Riding around Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, you can choose from 5 different distances with alternative routes, with some entries including a ferry ticket (on longer rides):

250km – SOLD OUT
210km – (with ferry) via Queenscliff – SOLD OUT
210km – (with ferry) via Sorrento
210km – (no ferry) to either Queenscliff or Sorrento
100km
80km
50km

For more details on each ride please visit Bicycle Victoria Around the Bay in a Day.

When: Sunday 18th October

Start and Finish: Alexandra Gardens

At the finish join your fellow riders to enjoy music, live entertainment, food and drink stalls, as well as some great giveaways.

As places on the 210km Queenscliff rides were sold out the day they were made available, BV have created a forum where riders can buy and sell places for the 250km and 210km ride. So if you missed out and are still eager to ride, here’s your chance: simply visit the Bicycle Victoria Forum Pages for details. 

The rides are fully supported by Victoria Police, and there will be Route Marshalls, Riding Marshalls (on the 50km and 100km rides), event signage, First Aid as well as SAG wagons. There are rest areas approximately every 25kms.

Sponsors for the event include: City of Melbourne, Scody, Bean Ground and Drunk, Mizone, Skoda Auto, Honan Insurance Brokers, Rapido Cycles, Trek, Elmore Oil, Hobsons Bay City Council, Nestle, and Hocking Stuart.

So why not join in the fun and help to raise funds for The Smith Family.

Footbiking was represented by Alan, Bruce, Phil, Steve and Deb in the 50km ride, Lyn and Annie in the 25km ride and newbie footbiker, Karen, tackled the 10km route.

Good times (both ride time and just plain good fun) were had by all. And there was much chatter and smiles at the finish line.

Phil was heralded as ‘super footbiker’ for completing the 50km road ride on the Cross Max Kickbike – the equivalence of a mountain bike scooter! Great work, Phil!!!

As usual, Alan and Bruce took off and plowed through the ride, setting times that us mere mortal footbikers are avid to match, while Deb set a new Australian 50km Record for women.

Karen, a new footbiking junkie, surprised herself with a fast time – and now that the footbiking bug has it’s hold we’re sure to see Karen at future events. Fantastic ride Karen!

Organisation of the day was well done with plenty of signage, Marshalls on every major corner, good Police presence, and well stocked break sites. Thank you to the organisers for that.

Thank you to the sponsors: Byrne Ford, Bike Force Australia, Go See Touring, Be Natural, Gatorade, Netti, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Australian Bananas, Channel Ten, 4BH 882 and City News. And special thank you to the Marshalls, First Aiders, stall holders and Police for their dedication, friendly cheers of support and for just making the day safer.

I’m sure next year will raise even more funds and awareness for MS and be an even greater success!