// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did the Bicycle Network go to therapy? It had a lot of "spoke" issues.
 Bicycle Network logo | |
| Formation | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Type | Registered charity |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Region served | Australia |
| Members | c. 42,000 (2025) |
President | James Garriock |
Chief executive officer | Alison McCormack |
Main organ | Board of directors |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | Bicycle Institute of Victoria Bicycle Victoria Bicycle Network Victoria |
Bicycle Network is an Australian cycling advocacy, membership, programs and events organisation headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. Established in 1975 as the Bicycle Institute of Victoria, it subsequently operated as Bicycle Victoria and Bicycle Network Victoria before adopting the national Bicycle Network identity.
The organisation campaigns for cycling infrastructure and policy, delivers programs encouraging cycling for transport and recreation, and operates services including secure bicycle parking. It has also developed some of Australia's largest mass-participation cycling events. The Great Victorian Bike Ride has attracted more than 200,000 participants since 1984, including approximately 60,000 school students; Around the Bay exceeded 16,000 participants at its peak; and Peaks Challenge Falls Creek developed as a high-difficulty alpine endurance event with distance and climbing demands comparable to a mountain stage of a professional Grand Tour.[1][2][3]
Volunteers have been central to Bicycle Network since its establishment and continue to support its events, advocacy, data collection, programs and governance. Major events such as the Great Victorian Bike Ride have historically required hundreds of volunteers to operate temporary campsites, catering, route support and other services.
Originally focused on Victoria, Bicycle Network expanded its operations nationally. In 2014 it opened an office in New South Wales and merged with Bicycle Tasmania, extending its organised advocacy and programs beyond Victoria.[4]
For the year ended 30 June 2025, Bicycle Network reported approximately 42,000 members, more than 300,000 registered supporters or "Friends", and more than 1,000 people contributing through its volunteer program.[5]
History
[edit]Formation and early advocacy
[edit]Bicycle Network traces its origins to the cycling revival of the 1970s in Victoria.
The Bicycle Institute of Victoria was established in 1975 following discussions involving Victorian Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation Brian Dixon, cycling advocates and journalist Keith Dunstan. Dunstan became the organisation's founding president.
The organisation was established to advocate for people using bicycles for transport and recreation, including the development of safer and more convenient cycling infrastructure. It was initially largely volunteer-driven, establishing a pattern of volunteer involvement that subsequently became important to its advocacy, events and programs.
In April 1976, the organisation published the first edition of its newsletter Pedal Power. Early campaigns focused on bicycle lanes, bicycle-network planning and greater recognition of cycling by state and local governments.
The organisation also worked alongside the Victorian Government's State Bicycle Committee, established during the same period.
One of the significant early developments in Victorian bicycle planning was the Geelong Bikeplan. In 1978, the Victorian Government approved a five-year program incorporating engineering, education, enforcement and encouragement measures for cycling in Geelong. The project became an early Australian example of comprehensive bicycle planning.
Cycling organisations also expanded during this period. The Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club, established in 1973, became associated with the Bicycle Institute and promoted recreational cycle touring.
Growth during the 1980s
[edit]Recreational cycling expanded substantially during the 1980s, influenced by increased interest in fitness, bicycle touring and the emerging popularity of mountain bikes.
In 1984, the Bicycle Institute organised the first Great Victorian Bike Ride. Conceived initially as a one-off ride from Wodonga to Melbourne, the event attracted more than 2,000 participants. Its success resulted in the ride becoming an annual event and it subsequently developed into one of the organisation's defining activities.
The scale of the Great Victorian Bike Ride also expanded the organisation's volunteer operations. Volunteers became responsible for functions including catering, route support, campsite operations, luggage handling, rider assistance and event logistics.
In 1988, the Bicycle Institute of Victoria adopted the trading name Bicycle Victoria.[6]
Expansion during the 1990s and 2000s
[edit]During the 1990s, Bicycle Victoria expanded its advocacy, behaviour-change programs and mass-participation events.
From 1990, the organisation encouraged the formation of local Bicycle User Groups (BUGs) across Victoria. These community organisations advocated for cycling infrastructure and policy in individual municipalities and workplaces. Many subsequently became independent of Bicycle Victoria.
In 1993, Bicycle Victoria established Around the Bay in a Day. Approximately 2,700 cyclists participated in the inaugural event. Participation subsequently increased into the tens of thousands, establishing the event as one of the largest mass-participation cycling events in Australia.
The organisation also developed Ride2Work, a program encouraging employees to cycle to work and encouraging workplaces to provide facilities for bicycle commuters. The program subsequently expanded nationally.
Harry Barber became chief executive in 1996 and remained in the role for more than two decades.
During the 2000s, Bicycle Victoria continued campaigning for improvements to cycling infrastructure in Melbourne and regional Victoria while substantially increasing the scale of its participation events.
The organisation advocated for routes including the Federation Trail and other components of Melbourne's metropolitan bicycle network.
The Great Victorian Bike Ride and Around the Bay became major fixtures of Australian recreational cycling. The Great Victorian Bike Ride reached a record participation of approximately 8,100 riders in 2004, while Around the Bay passed 10,000 participants in 2005 and exceeded 14,000 riders in 2006.
These events were supported by large volunteer workforces. Around the Bay involved more than 400 volunteers by 2006, while Great Vic developed an extensive volunteer operation capable of supporting several thousand riders as the event travelled through regional Victoria.[2]
In 2005, the organisation formally adopted the name Bicycle Victoria Incorporated following constitutional and incorporation changes.
Bicycle Victoria also became involved in the development and operation of secure bicycle parking at railway stations. The first Parkiteer bicycle parking facility opened in 2008.
National expansion
[edit]The organisation progressively expanded beyond Victoria during the 2010s.
In July 2011, Bicycle Victoria began using the name Bicycle Network Victoria as part of its transition towards becoming a national organisation. It adopted the public name Bicycle Network in 2013.
In 2014, Bicycle Network opened an office in New South Wales and merged with Bicycle Tasmania, creating Bicycle Network Tasmania.[4]
The expansion accompanied the organisation's transition from a Victorian membership and advocacy body towards a national organisation delivering advocacy, programs, events and member services.
The legal entity name Bicycle Network Incorporated was subsequently registered, while Bicycle Network became the organisation's national public identity.
Organisation
[edit]Charity status
[edit]Bicycle Network Incorporated is an incorporated not-for-profit organisation and registered Australian charity.
The organisation has been registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission since 3 December 2012.[7]
It is endorsed for income-tax exemption, GST concessions and an FBT rebate but is not endorsed as a deductible gift recipient.[7]
Leadership and governance
[edit]Bicycle Network is governed by a board elected by its members.
As of 2026, James Garriock is president of the board. Garriock was first elected as a director in 2019 and was subsequently re-elected.
Alison McCormack became chief executive officer in August 2022, succeeding Craig Richards. She was the organisation's first female chief executive.
Richards was chief executive following the retirement of long-time chief executive Harry Barber, who had held the position from 1996.
Board members are not paid.[5]
Membership
[edit]Membership is available by subscription.
Bicycle Network provides members with services including bicycle-riding insurance, legal assistance, information and discounts.
For the financial year ending 30 June 2025, the organisation reported approximately 42,000 members and more than 300,000 Friends, its term for non-member supporters registered with the organisation.[5]
Volunteers
[edit]Volunteers have played a substantial role in Bicycle Network since its establishment. The organisation originated through volunteer cycling advocates in 1975, and volunteers subsequently became important to its events, advocacy, data collection, programs, administration and governance.[8]
Volunteer involvement became particularly significant through the development of the Great Victorian Bike Ride. The supported touring format requires a temporary event operation to move between regional communities with the riders. Volunteer roles have included catering, hydration, campsite operations, route support, rider assistance, luggage and equipment handling and other logistical functions.
In 2016, approximately 350 volunteers supported several thousand Great Vic participants. ABC News described the event operation as a temporary "mobile city".[9]
Volunteers have also supported Around the Bay, Peaks Challenge Falls Creek and other Bicycle Network events. Around the Bay involved 525 volunteers in 2009, when 15,609 cyclists participated.[2]
Volunteer activity extends beyond event operations. Volunteers have maintained equipment, assisted with bicycle counts including Super Tuesday, contributed to advocacy and administrative activities, and was on Bicycle Network's board.[8]
More than 2,000 volunteers contributed to Bicycle Network activities during the twelve months to May 2020.[8] Some volunteers have maintained involvement with Bicycle Network events and activities for more than three decades.[10]
For the year ended 30 June 2025, Bicycle Network reported that more than 1,000 people had contributed through its volunteer program.[5]
Finances
[edit]Bicycle Network is funded through a combination of membership, donations, cycling events, behaviour-change programs, campaigns and other products and services.
For the year ended 30 June 2025, the organisation reported operating revenue of approximately A$10.16 million, total income of approximately A$10.26 million and an operating surplus of A$214,601. It reported total assets of approximately A$5.59 million.[5]
The surplus followed an operating deficit of approximately A$1.18 million in the previous financial year.[5]
The 2023–24 financial report recorded revenue of approximately A$4.55 million from rides, A$3.41 million from memberships and donations, A$1.05 million from behaviour-change programs and A$745,000 from campaigns.[11]
Advocacy and programs
[edit]Bicycle Network advocates for increased bicycle use for transport and recreation and for improvements to cycling infrastructure, road safety and active-transport policy.
Its advocacy has included campaigns for separated bicycle infrastructure, safer road environments, minimum passing distances, bicycle parking and increased government investment in active transport.
Cycling infrastructure
[edit]The organisation campaigns at local, state and federal levels for the construction and improvement of bicycle routes.
Bicycle Network has participated in planning and advocacy associated with numerous Victorian cycling projects, including metropolitan bicycle corridors and infrastructure delivered through major transport projects.
In 2025, Bicycle Network participated in a campaign opposing proposed reductions in cycling-infrastructure expenditure in the City of Melbourne. The council's final budget restored A$6 million to its four-year cycling program, bringing the planned allocation to A$15 million.[12]
The organisation has also campaigned for greater Victorian Government investment in Strategic Cycling Corridors.
Minimum passing-distance laws
[edit]Bicycle Network was among the organisations that advocated for minimum passing-distance legislation for motorists overtaking cyclists.
Victoria introduced minimum passing-distance laws in 2021, becoming the final Australian jurisdiction to establish such requirements.
The Victorian law requires motorists to leave at least one metre when passing a cyclist on roads with speed limits of 60 km/h or lower and 1.5 metres on roads with higher speed limits.
Bicycle User Groups
[edit]Bicycle Victoria began encouraging the establishment of local Bicycle User Groups in 1990.
BUGs developed in municipalities, workplaces and other communities and combined cycling advocacy with recreational and social activities.
Many groups subsequently became independent from Bicycle Victoria while continuing to cooperate with Bicycle Network on advocacy, bicycle counts and other campaigns.
Ride2Work
[edit]Ride2Work is a behaviour-change program encouraging people to commute by bicycle and encouraging employers to provide facilities and policies supporting bicycle commuting.
The program originated in Victoria and later developed into a national initiative.
National Ride2Work Day continues to be held annually.[13]
Ride2School
[edit]Ride2School promotes active travel among primary and secondary school students.
The program works with schools to encourage cycling, walking and other active modes of transport and has included bicycle-education programs and school infrastructure support.
Academic research has evaluated the program's effect on active travel, finding varied outcomes between participating schools.[14]
Ride2School remains a national Bicycle Network program.
Parkiteer
[edit]Parkiteer is a secure bicycle-parking program operated by Bicycle Network in partnership with Victorian transport authorities.
The first Parkiteer facility opened in 2008. The network subsequently expanded to more than 150 locations at railway stations and transport interchanges throughout Victoria.[15]
Parkiteer facilities provide secure, undercover bicycle storage and are intended to facilitate journeys combining cycling with public transport.
Cycling events
[edit]Mass-participation events have been a major component of Bicycle Network's activities, public profile, volunteer program and revenue.
Three long-running events developed distinct roles within Australian recreational cycling: the Great Victorian Bike Ride as a large supported multi-day touring event, Around the Bay as a mass-participation single-day ride, and Peaks Challenge Falls Creek as a high-difficulty alpine endurance event. Detailed histories of the events are covered in their respective articles.
Great Victorian Bike Ride
[edit]The Great Victorian Bike Ride, commonly known as the Great Vic, was established by the Bicycle Institute of Victoria in 1984 and became one of Bicycle Network's defining events. More than 200,000 people had participated by 2025, including approximately 60,000 school students.[1]
At its peak the Great Vic attracted several thousand riders and required a large travelling operation involving temporary campsites, catering, medical services, luggage transport, mechanical and route support and hundreds of volunteers. ABC News described its operation as a temporary "mobile city".[9]
The event also became an important means of engaging with regional Victorian communities, with its route changing between editions and overnight camps established in different towns. School participation became a distinctive part of the event, enabling school groups to undertake a supported multi-day cycling and outdoor-education experience.
Around the Bay
[edit]Around the Bay, originally known as Around the Bay in a Day, was established by Bicycle Victoria in 1993 and developed into one of Australia's largest single-day mass-participation cycling events.
Participation grew from approximately 2,700 riders in the inaugural event to more than 16,000 at its peak.[2] In 2009, 15,609 cyclists were supported by 525 volunteers, and the event raised A$1 million for The Smith Family.[2]
The scale of the event made Around the Bay a prominent feature of Melbourne's recreational cycling culture and an important part of Bicycle Network's public profile. Its range of route distances enabled both recreational cyclists and experienced endurance riders to participate, while its association with The Smith Family gave the event a substantial fundraising role.
Peaks Challenge Falls Creek
[edit]Peaks Challenge Falls Creek was established by Bicycle Network in 2010 and developed into one of Australia's most demanding mass-participation road-cycling events.
Although not a professional UCI road race, its approximately 235 km (146 mi) course and more than 4,000 metres of climbing create demands comparable with a mountain stage of a professional Grand Tour.[3] The course includes Tawonga Gap, Mount Hotham and the final ascent to Falls Creek.
The event attracts elite amateur riders and former professional cyclists and incorporates individual timing and King and Queen of the Mountain classifications. It represents the high-endurance component of Bicycle Network's event portfolio.
The 2026 edition attracted a record field of approximately 2,500 riders.[16]
Other and former events
[edit]Bicycle Network has organised numerous other cycling events during its history.
Former events have included the Great Escapade, a supported interstate or international touring event, and the Great Melbourne Bike Ride.
The organisation has also developed newer recreational events, including Gravel Macedon.[13]
Tasmania
[edit]Bicycle Network expanded its Tasmanian operations through the 2014 merger with Bicycle Tasmania.[4]
Bicycle Network Tasmania conducts advocacy, community rides and cycling programs and participates in state cycling-policy discussions.
Its activities include engagement with the Tasmanian Government and local councils on bicycle infrastructure, road safety and active transport.
Policy positions and controversies
[edit]Bicycles on trains
[edit]In January 2008, the Victorian Government prohibited bicycles from many peak-hour metropolitan train services.
Bicycle Victoria initially attracted criticism from cyclists over its response to the restrictions. Following campaigning by bicycle users, the organisation clarified and changed its public position.
The Victorian Government reversed the ban approximately six weeks after it was introduced.[17]
Helmet policy
[edit]Bicycle Victoria historically supported Australia's compulsory bicycle helmet laws.
In 2018, Bicycle Network reviewed its position following consultation, research and a survey of riders.
The organisation subsequently advocated a trial allowing people aged over 17 to choose whether to wear a helmet while riding in low-risk environments separated from motor traffic, such as bicycle paths and trails.[18]
The proposal represented a change from the organisation's previous support for compulsory helmet requirements in all riding environments and attracted debate within the Australian cycling community.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "2025 TAC Great Victorian Bike Ride Ride Guide" (PDF). Bicycle Network. 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Around the Bay". Bicycle Network. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Peaks Challenge Falls Creek". Bicycle Network. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Bicycle Network Annual Review 2014 (PDF) (Report). Bicycle Network. 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bicycle Network Incorporated Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2025 (PDF) (Report). Bicycle Network. 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Bicycle Institute of Victoria". Trove. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Current details for ABN 41 026 835 903". Australian Business Register. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Bicycle Network: A history of volunteering". Bicycle Network. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 Lee, Jeremy (13 December 2016). "Great Victorian Bike Ride: A cycling holiday of lycra and long distances". ABC News. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Celebrating 30 great years". Bicycle Network. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ Bicycle Network Incorporated Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2024 (PDF) (Report). Bicycle Network. 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Town Hall abandons bike budget cuts". Bicycle Network. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Bike events". Bicycle Network. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Evaluation of the Ride2School Program in Victoria, Australia". Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/816961. PMC 3628214.
- ↑ "About Parkiteer". Parkiteer. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Peaks Challenge: more than $50K raised for Ride2School". Bicycle Network. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ Lucas, Clay (15 February 2008). "Minister lifts bicycle ban on peak-hour trains". The Age. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Change Australia's helmet laws and let people decide". Bicycle Network. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2026.