Bike riding stories

Stephen hadn’t really considered riding a bicycle to work until someone mentioned the great pathways connecting his home to Brisbane city.

“I had always thought of myself as ‘a car guy’, but in 2010 I made the mental decision to ride to work.”

Riding the 12km to work initially seemed insurmountable so Stephen purchased an electric bike kit to help him get started. To his great surprise the ride wasn’t so bad… it was actually pretty good!

After two weeks of riding he didn’t need the electric kit anymore so he took it off.

“I ride to work five days a week now and it is pretty easy.”

While he wasn’t focused on the health benefits when he started riding, Stephen has become the fittest he has ever been in his adult life and lost 30 kilograms.

“I know how rare it is to lose weight and keep it off.”

While he still drives a car occasionally, riding a bicycle as his main form of transport has helped him realise that you don’t need a car to get around.

“It really is a game changer.”

Stephen even rides his bike down to the local hardware store and carries supplies back home using two panniers.

Stephen’s passion for riding has had a positive impact on his colleagues at work and on his family.

“My wife rides to work and our two children ride to school nearby."

“It is really important to set an example for your children and I’m very proud of my daughter being one the few girls to arrive at school by bicycle.”

Stephen believes investment in active transport infrastructure is important. While there are already many great off-road bikeways in Brisbane, they don’t always provide the most direct route to get around.

“I often ride a much greater distance to avoid mixing with motor vehicles on main roads, so I would like to see more direct off-road bicycle routes into the city.”

Less than a week after moving to Australia from Afghanistan, Ebrahim bought a bike.

“I’ve been riding bikes my whole life, since I was about 10 years old,” Ebrahim said.

“So as soon as we got to Australia, when we were still living in a motel, I went to the shops and got a bike.”

“It immediately gave me some independence. I could get around easily, and didn’t have to only rely on public transport or a car.”

Ebrahim says he rides every day and loves the convenience.

“When I first got here, I rode my bike to Uni and English lessons,” he said.

“Now I ride to work and to the city—if it’s under 10km, I take the bike. If it’s more than that, then I get lazy and take the car!

“On weekends I go exploring—there are lots of great places to ride around Toowoomba.

“Some roads are hilly, but sometimes, there is a way around it, and anyway, going down hills is the fun part!”

Ebrahim says riding in Afghanistan and Australia is so different, it’s not even comparable.

“It is so much easier to ride here in Australia,” he said

“You come out of your home and you’re straight on the road, and there is a rule that cars have to stay a metre from you! Riding is a lot harder in Afghanistan.”

But, regardless of where he’s living, Ebrahim wouldn’t want to be without his bike.

“I love everything about riding—it’s a great feeling, it’s the easiest way to get around and it’s cheap.”

Retired Paralympian Chris Scott started riding completely by accident.

“At the time, I was a Paralympic runner, but I broke my ankle playing soccer,” Chris said.

“The orthopaedic surgeon told me to cycle as part of my rehabilitation, and it turns out I was better at it than running, plus I enjoyed it more.”

Though he has many medals under his belt and is included in the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame, these days Chris mostly rides his mountain bike for fun with his nieces and nephew.

“I love cycling. It’s great physical exercise, it cuts emissions and traffic, and it really relaxes me,” Chris said.

“Because of my disability I was very shy before I started cycling. But through the local club, and the charity rides I do, I’ve met some great people—cycling has given me a lot of confidence.”

Chris feels riding a bike is a great way to get around for people of all abilities.

“Cycling is a sport that people with all sorts of disability can do—even paraplegics can do hand cycling,” he said.

“And it’s a lot safer and more convenient than ever before. We have more bike paths in Brisbane now—you can get from the suburbs into town without having to get on a road, and there are great end-of-trip facilities like bike parking, showers and lockers.”

But, he says more still needs to be done to encourage people to ride bicycles.

“We need more cycle paths to replace bike lanes on the road, and ongoing education so that bike riders are better accepted by motorists on the roads,” Chris said.

“Facilities to help new starters get confident would also be great—like a circuit where people can just turn up and learn to ride safely, away from traffic.”

As a police officer and bicycle rider, Luke from Mission Beach in North Queensland has seen a lot of variation in the way riders and motorists share the road, but he says things are getting better.

“Here in Mission Beach, we find the locals are mostly very good at sharing the road. And things are improving as more people choose to cycle.”

Bike riding has always been a big part of Luke’s life, and he hopes to see more people take it up.

“I’ve had bikes since I was a little kid—I’ve never not had a bike,” Luke said.

“I’ve cycled to commute to work, and I regularly ride to get out and about and explore on and off road areas.”

“There’s a good community of bike riders here in the north. I often ride with a group and am part of the Cassowary Coast Multisport Club. Right now I’m also riding to get fit for the Ironman triathlon.”

“I think education is key to make bike riding a bigger part of our culture.”

“We’re making progress already—the message is getting out there to leave at least a metre, or more in high speed areas, when passing a bike.

“But, we need more, especially for kids—if we can get them educated from a young age, generations to come will grow up with the right attitude and be healthier.”

As a police officer, for Luke, an important part of that education is about safety.

“In most cases, when we see crashes between people driving cars and people riding bikes, it’s simply that the person driving the car didn’t see the rider,” Luke said.

“Everyone who uses our roads has a responsibility to share our roads safely and should look out for each other.”

Jan Boyd started riding again at the age of 58 and it almost immediately became a way of life.

But, when she first started riding again, Jan found the lack of cycling infrastructure such as separated cycleways and connected paths to be a barrier to riding. She wanted to help make improvements in her local community.

In 2006, Jan established the Capricorn Coast Bicycle User Group (BUG).

“The BUG gives us a voice in the local Council. People know we’re here and we advocate for improving cycling infrastructure around our area to help make our town sustainable into the future,” Jan said.

“We have achieved a lot over the years. One of our greatest achievements was the opening of the first stage of the Capricorn Coast Rail Trail—a 4.5 kilometre shared-use path built on the disused railway corridor.”

“BUGs like us bring people together in regional areas. Our BUG has regular rides that are social and inclusive, even if you have no prior experience.

“We have people ready and able to help others to start riding, or to get back on their bike,” Jan said.

Jan wants more people to use bikes as a means of transport, rather than just for recreation.

“We need to get out of our cars,” she said.

“The growth in bike riding as a means of transport needs to continue. It’s good for our health and the environment, and it’s a much safer way to travel.”

Diana from The Gap in Brisbane started riding again when she was motivated to help raise funds for cancer.

“Three years ago, after my nephew died of cancer at 17, I decided to have a go at the Ride to Conquer Cancer,” Diana said.

“I thought it was something I could do in his memory, so I bought a bike and started training.”

“I hadn’t been on a bike much for about 30 years, but it wasn’t long before I was feeling confident riding again.”

Diana rode the 220-kilometre, two-day Ride to Conquer Cancer, meeting lots of great people along the way.

“It was a great way to get back into riding, and to quickly gain confidence on the bike to start riding all sorts of places.”

Diana has now ridden the Ride to Conquer Cancer for three years in a row, and has also ridden in Chicks in the Sticks—a three-hour endurance race and the Brisbane to Gold Coast cycle challenge.

“I’ve learnt these events are not just for sports cyclists, it’s been a chance to meet all sorts of people and ride with a great bunch of women.”

“Riding is a great stress relief and is an easy way to exercise, but it’s the social aspect I enjoy the most.”

“I’ve made some wonderful friends through cycling,” Diana said.

‘I’m part of the Chicks Who Ride Bikes, a great and supportive group for women who like to ride their bikes and have fun.”

“We regularly go for rides and, of course, you have to have coffee afterwards.”

“And the best thing is that anyone can do it, no matter what age or fitness level.”

When you’re buried in snow 6 months of the year, bike riding is rarely a viable option. So when medical student Carolyn Reimann moved to Townsville from Detroit, Michigan, USA, three years ago, one of the first things she did was get a bike. And she’s been pedalling ever since.

“From the university to the city centre, to the airport, to all corners of the city, you can bike almost all of it on a path or a bike lane on the road. It only takes me about 45 minutes to get from one end of the city to the other,” Carolyn said.

“It feels so great to ride —I had never before experienced this opportunity for transportation.”

For Carolyn, convenience is only one of the many benefits of riding.

“Biking as a means of transportation guarantees I’m exercising,” she said.

“It is my ‘me’ time. When I’m cycling, I process the events of the day and plan out what I need to do.”

“It also helps to boost my mental and physical health, not to mention the health of the environment.”

Being a student, Carolyn appreciates the savings too—both in time and money.

“It’s often faster for me to ride to uni than it is for my roommates to drive there,” she said.

“I don’t have to worry about traffic or finding a car park. I don’t have to pay for parking or petrol and, as a student, servicing my bike is free at the university through workshops held by the University Bicycle User Group (BUG) and TropEco program.”

“Since spending the money to buy my bike, the most I spend on it is $5 every now and then to replace an inner tube.”