Queensland’s biggest and best bike ride is on again this Sunday 19th October! Starting at Brisbane’s South Bank, the course follows a combination of service and suburban roads all the way to the Broadwater Parklands at Southport on the Gold Coast. Celebrating its 10th year, this Bicycle Queensland 100km ride aims to get more people cycling more often and will be actively fighting heart disease – Australia’s number 1 killer – by raising vital funds for the Heart Foundation.
Online entries have now closed but late entries can still be made in person so get in quick! Head tohttp://b2gc.bq.org.au/enter/for more info. Good luck!
This Wednesday 15th October is the National Ride2Work Day, a Bicycle Network program that is designed to motivate and support people to ride to work. This day is celebrated by thousands of bike riders at community and workplace breakfasts located all around Queensland and Australia. In Brisbane, Bicycle Queensland will host a community breakfast at the QEII Courts of Law, in the forecourt of 415 George Street. Thanks to the great support from Australian Bananas, Bakers Delight, Brisbane City Council and The Coffee Club, there will be a free breakfast for Ride2Workers from 7:00am until 8:30am. By registering for Ride2Work Day you will take a step towards improving your health through increased physical activity, as well as join a community of over 40,000 riders who are revolutionising commuting in Australia. Register for Ride2Work Day today at https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rtw/
We all know that it can be hard to find the motivation to get up and get active, especially when emerging from a dark and cool winter. It’s difficult to keep yourself going, and we’re all great with coming up with reasons not to be active. But then we remember the many benefits that being regularly active brings, from the obvious health ones to having more energy and feeling more positive, and we want to get going! So where to from here?
1. Start small – Throwing yourself in the deep end often results in a loss of interest, so start by doing something small and light. Keep the momentum going and gradually add a little bit more time or intensity to the activity.
2. Do bite-size sessions – Break a large session up into a few smaller sessions.
3. Variety is key – Don’t let yourself get bored. Whatever activity you are doing, make sure you vary the locations, distances and terrains where possible to maintain interest.
4. Be flexible – People who adjust their exercise routine to accommodate for their lifestyle are more likely to keep exercising than those who don’t. Avoid an all-or-nothing mentality – making it work for you will help you achieve your goals faster.
5. Get active together – There is no better motivator than exercising with friends, family or a group. Having support and encouragement to get out there when you least feel like it can make all the difference. Find someone who shares your goals, then encourage each other and enjoy your activities together.
6. Be kind to yourself – It is important that you take care of your joints and muscles as best you can to prevent injury. Be sure to stretch and warm up sufficiently, take rest days regularly to give yourself a chance to heal and treat yourself to frequent massages to soothe away any aches and pains. This will all help you to keep in top shape and enjoy your exercise for longer.
7. Reward yourself – When you reach a milestone in your new plan, treat yourself to something that is important to you.
8. Set an achievable goal – Your motivation will be much easier to maintain if you set a goal for yourself that is both achievable and rewarding. Make sure it really matters to you and working towards it will become so much easier.
Follow these 8 simple steps and begin your journey towards a healthy and active lifestyle.
It’s that beautiful time of year again when the skies are blue, the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming – the perfect time of year to start fresh and be active! And what better way to do this than by jumping on your bike and enjoying the great outdoors. This season there are many different riding events on offer for people of all ages and all experiences. Some of these events include the Tour de Office, the Redlands Classic Ride, the Ride4MD, the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge and the Rainbow Ride Cycle Challenge. Each of these events support a different cause and each route offers diverse scenery for you to enjoy along the way. For more details on these events visit http://www.brisbanecyclist.com/events. Go ahead and challenge yourself this Spring – new season, new beginnings!
It’s that time of year again! This Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August over a thousand riders will take on The Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 200km challenging ride through Queensland’s scenic countryside. This 2-day cycling adventure begins as all of the riders gather at the University of Queensland St Lucia Campus for an inspiring Opening Ceremony where those lost to cancer are remembered and those continuing the fight are honoured.
After an energising sendoff, riders will ride out of Brisbane with a renewed sense of purpose. Day One culminates with arrival at camp where riders will stay overnight before taking on the next and last 100km back through the inspiring landscape on Day Two. As the riders start to make their way across the finish line a high energy celebration begins, praising each and every rider for completing the epic ride and for the amazing impact that they have made in the quest to conquer cancer.
All of the money raised for The 2014 Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer will benefit the QIMR Berghofer, one of Australia’s largest and most successful medical research institutes. If you would like to donate to this great cause or find out more information about The Ride head to the website at http://br14.conquercancer.org.au/site/PageServer?pagename=br14_homepage
Good luck to all of the riders who are taking on the challenge this weekend, remember why you are doing it and be proud of the difference you are making to the lives of many. To those whose lives have been affected by cancer, those who have friends and family participating in the ride, or those who simply appreciate its cause – come along and support the riders on their epic journey! The large amount of support that the riders receive is what keeps them going so come and join in on the cheers of encouragement and celebrate the amazing achievement of each rider with them at the finish line 🙂
In 1817, Karl Von Drais (a German baron) invented a horse-less carriage that would help him get around faster. The two-wheeled, pedal-less device was propelled by pushing the feet against the ground. This device became known as the “draisine”, which led to the creation of the modern-day bicycle.
The term “bicycle” was not introduced until the 1860’s. It was coined in France to describe a new kind of two-wheeler with a mechanical drive.
Orville and Wilbur Wright (the brothers who built the first flying airplane) operated a small bike repair shop in Dayton, Ohio. They used their workshop to build the 1903 Wright Flyer.
In 1935, at the age of just 25, Fred A. Birchmore circled the globe by bicycle. The entire trip through Europe, Asia and the United States covered 40,000 miles. He pedaled about 25,000 miles and wore out 7 sets of tires.
There are over a half billion bicycles in China. Bikes were first brought to China in the late 1800’s.
About 100 million bicycles are manufactured worldwide each year.
Over the past 30 years, bicycle delivery services have developed into an important industry (especially in cities) where the couriers have earned a reputation for their high speed and traffic-weaving skills.
Americans use their bicycles for less than 1% of all urban trips. Europeans ride a lot more often – in Italy, 5% of all trips are on a bicycle and in the Netherlands, 30% of all trips are on a bicycle. 7 out of 8 Dutch people over the age of 15 own a bike!
The Tour de France is one of the most famous bicycle races in the world. Established in 1903, it is considered to be the biggest test of endurance out of all sports.
Bicycle Motor Cross (BMX) (an extreme style of bicycle track racing) became a sport in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Latvia’s Maris Strombergs received the gold medal for Men’s BMX, and France’s Anne-Caroline Chausson took home the gold in the first Women’s BMX Olympic event.
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