In a first for the city, bike hire is now being offered to those wanting to see the sights of the region.

Greg Bell from Belly’s Bikes has been planning the project for many years.

Now, finally, he’s off and pedalling.

“I’ve been looking around for the right type of bikes to buy and finally sourced a Mongoose all-rounder which does look the goods with its rack at the back, mud and chain guards and all the extras you’d want in this type of set-up,” he said.

“There’s 27 gears and three different size models, so you can climb even the steepest of hills.”

Mr Bell said the city – and region – is ready to be explored by bike.

“There will be a weekend rate as well as daily hire,” he said.

“These days Bathurst has a maze of cycleways, but there’s also any number of scenic rides through the countryside you can tackle.

“It’s something that’s popular in places like Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Amsterdam in Holland.”

In the past, he said, council had produced a pamphlet detailing the preferred cycling routes around the region.

“I hope something like this bike hire will make them think it’s something worth reinvigorating,” he said.

“We know that cycling is big money for the city these days thanks to the B2B [Blayney to Bathurst] and hopefully visitors will come back and do some exploring on two wheels.”

Bathurst Regional Council’s director of environmental, planning and building services David Shaw said council has, for many years, been adding to the number of cycleways and walking paths in the city, depending on when funding is available for its community access plan.

He said the success of the B2B has put Bathurst on the map as a cycling destination and the development of the ambitious new bike park being built on the Vale Road can only add to the city’s reputation as a bike-friendly region.