Mendooran Food Cycle Weekend

Kiama BUG

Looking for a cycling weekend away – while sampling local food and wine?

Check out this event at Mendooran, north-east of Dubbo, on the weekend of 4th and 5th May.

The weekend seeks to introduce keen cyclists to the food and cycling opportunities of Mendooran, and be a fundraiser for the Central West Cycle Trail (CWCT).

There will be a number of organised rides, mostly on gravel roads, from 6km to 70km – something for everyone!

The key get-together event after your day of cycling (or just enjoying the town, bees, distillery, architecture, riverfront etc) is the Tastes of Mendooran, starting at 5pm on Saturday 4 May at the Showground – three courses for $30!

Importantly the weekend is planned so that it caters for the cyclist and non-cyclist.

Global Sea Otter MTB festival comes to Batemans Bay & Mogo

cycling, Kiama BUG, Special events

South-east NSW’s reputation as a must-visit location for mountain bikers from around the world has been bolstered by the announcement it will host one of the sport’s largest events.

MTB festival at MogoThe Sea Otter Classic started as a multi-day mountain bike festival in Monterey, California in 1991 and the now-annual event attracted more than 80,000 visitors last year.

Sea Otter expanded to operate editions in Spain in 2017 and Canada in 2019, and will launch its first southern hemisphere event in Australia in 2025.

The festival will be held in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast and on the neighbouring Mogo mountain bike trails.

Read the full story at the ABC >>>

(It’s worth a read just to check out the aerial view of the track!)

Kiama BUG on Tour – 2024

Kiama BUG

Rail trail bridge

This year’s KBUG Cycling Tour will take in Victoria’s High Country Rail Trail and the Albury Wetlands, during the last week of March.

There will be three days of riding….

  • Monday 25th March: Shelley to Tallangatta (46 km)
  • Tuesday 26th March: Albury Wetlands (38 – 65 km with optional extension)
  • Wednesday 27th March: Lake Hume village to Tallangatta (62 km)

More information about each of the rides is available in the Ride Information package below.

Registration is now closed (11th March).

You will need to organise your own accommodation, staying in the area from Sunday 24th, to be ready to roll on the Monday morning, when we will be meeting at Tallangatta hotel at 8:00 am to drive to Shelley.

There is plenty of accommodation available in Albury and Wodonga, but with two of the rides (and if taking the extended option, the third ride) making use of the Rail Trail near Lake Hume, the Lake Hume Discovery Park (Victoria) will be the preferred base for most riders. The park offers a wide range of accommodation options.

More discussion and planning will no doubt take place on our regular rides over the coming weeks.

High Country Rail Trail

cycling, Health, Rail Trails, ,

High Country Rail TrailWhile many of us are familiar with the Victorian Rail Trails around Beechworth and Bright, the High Country Rail Trail takes you on a scenic journey through iconic Australian landscapes in the Upper Murray region.

Stretching over 80 kilometres from Wodonga, through Old Tallangatta and out to Shelley, the High Country Rail Trail hugs the shoreline of the majestic Lake Hume.

Ride back in time to the 1950s when the town of Tallangatta was relocated, and the old town flooded by Lake Hume. Cross the sparkling lake over the bright red 600 metre Sandy Creek Bridge to visit the new and old town sites. Pack your panniers with regional produce for a lakeside picnic at Ebden, Ludlow’s or Huon Reserve, or take a refreshing dip while you simply soak up the serenity.

Explore the High Country Rail Trail >>>

Cyclists’ injuries at record high, riders blame aggressive motorists

cycling, Health, regulation, Safety

Safe passing signA record number of NSW cyclists – 2330 – were taken to hospital in 2021, the most since complete hospital records began to be collected in 2005.

Cyclist David Page has experienced at least 12 serious incidents of dangerous driving and abuse from motorists while on the road in Sydney.

“If you want to kill someone, do it with a car because you will always get off,” said Page, a doctor who lives near Turramurra.

Bike riders now represent about one in four (23 per cent) of road crash hospitalisations, and are the only road user group to report increasing injury numbers recently.

From 2005 to 2021, 173 bicyclists were killed and 29,464 were seriously injured on the state’s roads. However, many of these injuries were not reported to police and did not involve another vehicle, Transport for NSW said.

In the 12 months to the end of January 2023, 20 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for breaking the minimum passing distance rule, but none in the Christmas holiday period of December and January despite several statewide traffic blitzes.

In comparison, since 2016, cyclists have received about 55,000 fines for a range of offences, mostly for not wearing a helmet or not having it correctly fastened (31,402 penalties), riding on the footpath (5645 fines), riding at night without a light (5678) and not having a working bell (2476). There have also been 207 fines for “not ride on far-left side of road”.

Read more (SMH) >>>

‘Vigilantes’ target cyclists on new Rail Trail

Kiama BUG

Nails on Rail TrailThe first section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, which opened on the 1st March, has apparently been targeted by people who aren’t so keen on the new trail.

The local council said the trail had drawn more than 8000 users in its first two weeks, prompting local businesses along the trail to extend their opening hours and offerings to cater for demand.

But councillor and Chamber of Commerce chairman Warren Polglase said someone was trying to spoil the party and had thrown tacks and nails on to the trail three times since it opened, puncturing tyres.

Polglase said some Tweed residents had opposed the project because they wanted to save the track and return it to the provision of rail services. Passenger trains stopped running in 2004.

Read more (SMH) >>>

Northern Rivers Rail Trail is open

Kiama BUG

Northern Rivers Rail TrailKiama BUG travellers now haver another rail trail to explore – the scenic Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, in northern New South Wales, opened on 1st March 2023.

Extending through 24 kilometres of countryside in the lush Tweed valley, the Tweed trail connects via the townships and villages of Crabbes Creek, Mooball, Burringbar, Stokers Siding, Dunbible and Murwillumbah, all once key train station stops along the original railway line, built in 1894.

The Tweed trail is the first section of the full 132 kilometre Northern Rivers Rail Trail to open and welcomes walkers, runners and cyclists to breathe in nature, explore country towns and immerse in the region’s rich agri-tourism offerings, from farm-gates to foodie hot spots.

Read More >>>

Thursday’s scheduled ride has changed

Kiama BUG

Macquarie Pass closedAttention all those keen cyclists who were planning to travel to Bowral for the ride to Berrima and Moss Vale on this Thursday (2nd March)…..

Due to roadworks, Macquarie Pass will be closed from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday. OK for us to travel up to Bowral in the morning, not so easy to return in the afternoon – until after 3:00 pm!

Consequently the Thursday ride has been re-organised to commence at Port Kembla Pool, riding to Thirroul (8:00 am start)

More details on Ridewatch >>>

Dubai’s cool bike lane idea

Kiama BUG

Cycling in Dubai cool laneThe cool folks of Dubai have dreamt up just the thing for bike riders who want to chill out in a hot city on the edge of the desert.

A 93 km air-conditioned bike lane.

Called The Loop, the climate controlled structure would connect major landmarks and attractions throughout Dubai, while better integrating bike riding infrastructure with public transport.

Read the full story >>>