PICTURE it: a cool breeze hitting your skin and the cheers of the crowd spurring you on as you ride by. You are racing against no one but yourself.
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That could be you on May 11, 2024, when the inaugural Bathurst Cycling Festival gets under way at Charles Sturt University.
The deadline for registrations is nearing, and Rotary Club of Bathurst president Robert Barlow is keen to get as many people as possible signed up to cycle.
While the event might sound like something for pro cyclists, it is much broader than that.
Children as young as two years of age can participate in the event, with there being three different rides on the day.
"It's very much about a community event, and the community of course includes young and old," Mr Barlow said.
"Getting kids on bikes is a big aspiration of mine."
The schedule
The first component of the day is the Together for Life ride, which is inspired by the event's charity partner, Lifeline Central West.
Starting a 12pm, children up to the age of 13 years, supervised by their parents or guardians, are able to ride laps of a safe, age-appropriate course.
It will be followed up by the One Hour ride at 1pm.
As the name suggests, participants have one hour on the course to see how far they get, with most people expected to do either one or two laps.
Mr Barlow has said this ride is "aimed at people that might be getting the old mountain bike out of the shed that they haven't used for a few years".
People as young as 14 years old can ride in the One Hour.
The last ride of the day, which starts at 2.30pm, is the #BathurstGravel, a two-hour ride that's all about endurance and is by no means a race.
Participants will see how many laps of the course they can do in that time.
Mr Barlow said people are welcome to participate in both the One Hour and the #BathurstGravel.
"If you enter in the #BathurstGravel, you could do a reconnaissance lap in the One Hour," he said.
Anyone interested in participating in any of the three events can register via the Bathurst Cycling Festival website.
People are asked to sign up at least three days before the event, to ensure they can receive the all the event communications from the organisers.
A spectator sport
Mr Barlow wants to create a warm community atmosphere around the event, and part of that will include having market stalls.
"We've linked in with the Tarana market group, who put on a regular market every month out at Tarana, and Annie Cook from Tarana is helping us put together the regular stallholders out there and some more specialist stalls that are attuned to our health and wellbeing stance," he said.
It's hoped people will also help cheer on the riders as they pass by.
"The riders ride through the market stall area and the festival, with the music close by," Mr Barlow said.
"Each time you go around on the lap you get that sense of community, riding through the village, literally."
Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
