Ride Ballarat Community Loop to enhance the summer of cycling

Do you want to take part in a family-friendly, casual bike ride around Ballarat? 

Well, now you have your chance! 

The inaugural Ride Ballarat Community Loop is set to be held on Friday 6 January, with Ballarat’s newly created bike routes to be the centrepiece of the ride. 

The family-friendly ride will feature two optional loops for riders to choose from: 

• The 10km Lake Wendouree Loop, starting at the Ballarat Railway Station, including an anti-clockwise lap of Lake Wendouree and finishing in Sturt Street. 

• The 5km City Loop, starting at the Ballarat Railway Station, including a short clockwise journey around Lake Wendouree and finishing in Sturt Street. 

Both rides will have escorts from the Ballarat-Sebastopol Cycling Club. 

People who participate in the ride will receive a free ice cream upon completion and find themselves in the centre of Ballarat for one of the biggest events of the year. 

The criteriums event as part of Federation University Road National Championships will be held in the CBD in the afternoon and evening of 6 January, with Australia’s best cyclists in action. 

The community ride will finish near the criteriums course, where bike racks will be made available for Community Ride participants. 

The ride celebrates the recently opened cycle routes which have been developed as a part of Ride Ballarat an initiative of The City of Ballarat to improve cycle offerings for visitors and locals alike. 

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Belinda Coates encouraged Ballarat families to take part in the ride and experience the cycling routes they might not be familiar with. 

“The whole idea of the day is for it to be a family-friendly activity that everybody can participate in,” Cr Coates said. 

“The Ride Ballarat routes have been highlighted for a few weeks now, but this is the perfect way to get out and experience them. 

“The Road Nationals criteriums are an amazing spectacle and to be able to tie the two events together is fantastic. 

“And of course, who doesn’t love a free ice cream?” 

Ride Ballarat is a City of Ballarat initiative that was launched in December to highlight Ballarat’s safe cycling routes, while taking users on a tour past many key attractions in the city.  

It is an initiative supported by Neuron Mobility, who have launched a fleet of 12 e-bikes for hire in the city for the summer period. 

The four routes of varying length that total almost 19km that form Ride Ballarat are:  

• The City Ride (5km) 

• The Lake Ride (6km) 

• The Victoria Park Loop Ride (5km) 

• The Arch of Victory Ride (2.4km) 

More information about Ride Ballarat can be found on the Visit Ballarat website. 

The Community Loop will commence at 2pm at the Ballarat Railway Station. 

Participants must register at the Ride Ballarat Trail Head opposite the Ballarat Railway Station before 1.45pm on the day of the event to participate in the ride. 

There might be a very limited number of e-bikes for hire, but people are encouraged to bring their own bikes and helmets. 

There will also be a trailer for bike storage at the completion of the course on Sturt Street, but riders will need to bring their own bike locks.