Category: News

Wondering how to get to Spring Cycle this Sunday with track work in place? Sit back and relax, we’ve planned your trip ahead of time! Here are the affected lines and alternatives.

• T1 North Shore Line: Buses replace trains between Berowra and Gordon.

• T1 Northern Line: Buses replace trains between Hornsby and Rhodes.

• Central Coast & Newcastle Line: Buses replace trains between Central and Newcastle Interchange.

• Hunter Line: Buses replace trains between Scone, Dungog and Newcastle Interchange.

• Epping to Chatswood Line: Buses replace trains between Epping and Chatswood due to upgrades.

Please note: It is at the discretion of the bus drivers to allow bikes on their bus. Find out more.

From the Upper North Shore – Participants can utilise parking at Gordon Train Station. From there, participants with their bikes can catch one of the frequent trains to North Sydney. Trains run from Gordon to North Sydney every 10 to 15 minutes from 4:18am.

From Northern Suburbs – Participants can consider utilising commuter parking at Concord West Train Station. From there, participants with their bikes can catch a train to Strathfield to connect with an express service to North Sydney running which runs every 30 minutes from 5:30am.

St Leonards Park – North Sydney Train Station is a short ride or stroll from the start area at St Leonards Park on Miller St for the 10km City Ride, 50km Classic Ride and 105km Challenge Ride. Turn left as you exit the station on Blue St, right onto Miller St and then straight up the hill to the start. A team of volunteers will be on site to help guide you as well.

Parramatta Park – Parramatta Train Station is a short ride or stroll from the 18km River Ride start area in Pavilion Flat, Parramatta Park. As you exit the station turn left onto Macquarie St, right on O’Connell St and then left into the park via George St. If you are driving to Parramatta Park for the 18km River Ride start, please park in the O’Connell Street carpark. There is no parking along the Pavilion Flat Park as this will be a clearway for the event.

Your event entry includes FREE return public transport travel across trains and ferries!

GETTING HOME
10km City Ride – The closest train stations are Central, Town Hall or Wynyard which are all a short ride (or walk) through the city. You can also jump on the light rail from The Star direct to Central Station. Find out more.

18km River Ride, 50km Classic Ride and 105km Challenge Ride – There will be express trains from Olympic Park back to the North Shore approximately every 20 minutes from 9:00am until 3pm stopping at Strathfield, Redfern, Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Milsons Point, North Sydney, St Leonards, Chatswood and Lindfield. To connect with trains to the West, Olympic Park Sprint services to Lidcombe run every 10 minutes.

Plan your trip!

We look forward to seeing you on event day!

By Nikole Matkovic.

Meet Mitchel, a fundraising superhero who at only 15 years of age is making a difference to other kids just like him.Through Freedom Wheels – TAD Mitchel has made a tremendous difference to countless lives and continues to do so through this Sunday’s Spring Financial Group Spring Cycle.

Mitchel was born with Cerebral Palsy which means for him the simple things we all take for granted each day are hard for him to achieve such as walking and daily living. This is where his drive and passion for raising funds for Freedom Wheels comes from his own personal experiences with Cerebral Palsy.

As a parent, what you want most for your child is to be happy and to gain the same experiences as other kids. At the age of three, Freedom Wheels gifted Mitchel this happiness and freedom with his first custom made Freedom Wheels bike. As Mitchel developed in age he received a bike to suit him at each stage in his life. Since then, he has had six bikes all of which have enabled him to participate in school sports carnivals, go to the beach, play soccer with his two brothers and even race with the Southern Cross Cycling Club. 

Riding his bike over the years has allowed Mitchel to strengthen his muscles, build on his spacial awareness and move around more freely than he would in his wheelchair.

Mitchel riding alongside his brother and father at the Sydney Olympic Park finish line. Image Supplied.

Since having his bike Mitchel has participated in four Spring Cycle events! Having completed the 10km and 16km events in the past, he now looks to show a fellow Freedom Wheels rider and her family the ropes of the 10km City Ride this Sunday.

Not only is he a superstar on course but also off course having raised over $16,000 for Freedom Wheels to ensure that other kids also living with a disability have the opportunity to enjoy the joys he feels every day. Mitchel’s involvement with Freedom Wheels – TAD has allowed him to “give back to the community through fundraising, increasing awareness of the organisation and sharing my experience with other children.” – Mitchel.

Did you know that you too can help make a difference just like Mitchel does. Every $1000 raised provides a bike to another child in need. These bikes allow kids to get out of their wheelchairs and ride but they also allow them the freedom to experience life’s little joys that they would otherwise miss out on. Start a fundraising page now!

Mitchel with his whole family. Image Supplied.

Get to know Mitchel in our rapid fire questions:

1. What’s your favourite thing to do with friends on the weekend? Ride my bike.

2. Who is your favourite superhero and why? The flash because he moves so fast and I don’t.

3. What was the last film you watched? The blue streak – silly comedy cop movie.

4. What’s your favourite memory?  Doing the Zipline at Niagara Falls

5. If you could be any animal what would it be and why? A bird because they are free, wild and fly around.

Join Mitchel and his family on course this Sunday and enjoy the freedom of riding!
Entries close 5pm Saturday, October 13. Enter now!

By Body Mechanic.

Stretching is one of those subjects that divides the cycling community. Some cyclists love stretching, others hate it.

Some people can exercise their whole life without stretching and remain injury-free. Others find they can’t string together two weeks of uninterrupted training unless they stretch regularly. The bottom line is that you have to find what works best for your body.

If you’re ramping up your training for the Spring Financial Group Spring Cycle and pushing your distances and speed more than usual? Then you should be considering some form of body maintenance…Particularly if you are over 40. If you’re spending extended periods of time sitting down at work, while cycling, travelling or lazing on the sofa then your body will begin to adapt to that position, and you will gradually become stiffer in your hips, lower back, ankles and knees.

There is not one solution that fits all, but in general, making body maintenance a part of your training routine, will improve your flexibility and highly reduce your chances of injuries occurring. It might be stretching, it might be foam rolling, yoga, or pilates. The key to success is consistency.

If you rely on a single yoga or pilates class each week to satisfy all of your stretching requirements, chances are that you will be stiff again by lunch time the next day after sitting in your chair at work for three to four hours and you will not be getting the best possible results for your body. Make sure you top up the class with some other regular body maintenance work. Think of it like this: If you wanted to ride 200km in a week, would you do the whole lot in one go, then rest for the next 6 days to let your body recover?

It would be easier on your body, and more beneficial, to commute to and from work each day and spread the 200km’s over 10 rides. Your body would also then cope with an additional longer weekend ride, giving you the option of adding extra km’s if you feel like it.

Think of your body maintenance routine as reversing the effects of sitting down all day rather than reversing the effects of cycling. The truth is that it will be helping with both, but a lot of people make the mistake of stopping their stretching/rolling routines when they are not training hard.

If, for example, your training reduces because you have a very busy week of work and there isn’t enough time to ride, then in our opinion you should stretch/roll more rather than less to try and keep your body supple after all of that sitting time.

If you are looking for some specific body maintenance exercises for cyclists, check out the eight week Spring Cycle training plan here. It includes a daily training plan and body maintenance program, specifically designed for Spring Cycle participants.

The Body Mechanic in Sydney specialise in treating cycling related injuries and improving your position on the bike with their bike fitting service. They have helped thousands of cyclists over the past 10 years to improve their technique and reduce their injuries. For a cracking Spring Cycle, pop in and see these guys. Find out more or make a booking at bookings@thebodymechanic.com.au. 

Register now to save $10 off the final price of entry.