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.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Redlands Bayside and the Sharks Triathlon and Cycling Club this event has three distance events: 75km, 45km and 15km.

Organisers are expecting over 900 riders to complete the events this year, with routes that vary from flat and easy (15km route) to undulating with a few good sized hills (75km).

Major sponsors include Avanti, Redlands Cycle City, Devonbourne Homes, JJ Richards and Sons, Faith Lutheran College, Healthworks, Cemex, Powerade, IGA, Steven Knight Training, Peak Fuel Drinks and of course the start and finish venue, Victoria Point Sharks Sporting Club.

When: Sunday 23 August 2009

The Redlands Classic Rides start and finish at the Sharks Sporting Club on Colburn Avenue at Victoria Point. Commencement times are:

• 75km – 6.30am
• 45km – 7.00am
• 15km – 8.00am

All roads are fully sealed and each route is clearly signed. There will also be marshalls at major traffice points.

Riders in the 75km event must be able to average 25km/hour and riders in the 45km event must be able to average 20km/hour, as the marshalls will be withdrawn at 11.00am.

To register please visit the Redlands Classic Ride Website.

Bruce Cook and Alan Stewart (both of QLD) represented the Footbikes and Scooters on the day, both completing the 75km rides on Kickbikes.

The ride consisted of three seperate distances:

• 75km
• 45km
• 15km

The different distances attracted a good variety of ages and cycles. Drink stations were located at the 30km and 46km points for the longer rides, and road signage and marshalls performed their tasks well. The terrain was hilly and roadworks stretching from Alexandra Hills to Capalaba caused delays for both cyclists and motor vehicles.

The warm day was kept cool with strong winds buffering cyclists and a strong headwind around the beachfront of Victoria Point.

Due to the extreme headwinds, roadworks, and a flat tyre, no records were set for Footbiking this day.
Congratulations to both Bruce and Alan for completing the course, particularly when motivation is challenged when unforeseen obstacles arise.