Bicycle Queensland has announced the return of its city to coast cycling event, the Downer Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge 2021. Celebrating its 16th year, the event will cycle back on Sunday, October 17th inviting Australians of all ages to get on their bike and join in.
This year, attendees can sign-up for one of three distances—the classic 100km Brisbane to Gold Coast, 40km from Brisbane to Logan, or 60km from Logan to the Gold Coast.
Riders choosing the 100km challenge will commence at the starting line on the Eleanor Schonell Bridge (Green Bridge) in Brisbane’s Dutton Park. Moving through 15km of uninterrupted, traffic-free Busway, participants will then follow a combination of service and suburban roads all the way out to Southport Broadwater Parklands.
Riders taking part in the 40km challenge will start alongside the 100km distance participants and move through the Busway before finishing up at the first rest stop located in Logan.
Riders participating in the 60km challenge will begin their ride at the Logan rest stop, joining the 100km group and travelling all together down to the Gold Coast finish line. Dotted along the route will be a myriad of rest stops offering food and drink, as well around-the-clock medical and mechanical support stations for all riders.
The Downer Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge is one of Australia’s biggest charity cycling events, with over 91,000 participants to date. The popularity of the ride has grown year on year since its inception in 2005
and with last year’s event being cancelled due to COVID, Bicycle Queensland officials anticipate 2021 to be the biggest ride yet.
“The annual cycling challenge is a great way to bring the community together safely and to promote the many health benefits of riding,” says Bicycle Queensland CEO, Rebecca Randazzo. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid
cyclist, new to the sport, or someone who just enjoys the occasional ride—the event is open to all levels of experience and we encourage you to register and join us for an unforgettable day.”
“At BQ, our biggest goal is to get more people riding more often. We really want to use this event to inspire people to get on bikes, be it for sport or for fun, and to experience our beautiful state in a different way.”
Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate is also excited about the event. “Our two cities share in the thrill of so many sports and charity events – and the Downer Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge is up there with the best. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy the company of thousands of other cyclists and a great way to build up an appetite to enjoy all of our city cafes and restaurants once here.”
For this year’s event, Bicycle Queensland is excited to support Stronger For Longer, a volunteer-run organisation that works in partnership with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to support promising prostate cancer research. Affecting 1 in 7 Australian men and claiming the lives of 3,500 people each year, Stronger For Longer play a critical role in reducing these statistics through innovative and life-changing treatments.
“Downer is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate, and we are dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our people,” says Pat Burke, Head of Facilities and Asset Services for Downer; this year’s main
event sponsor. “The B2GC challenge not only promotes healthy communities by encouraging a healthy lifestyle, but through its support of Stronger For Longer will help to raise awareness for important prostate cancer research. We’re pleased to partner with Bicycle Queensland for this year’s event and help to shine a light on a key men’s health issue in Australia.”
Registrations are now open. For all ticketing information and pricing, visit the official event website here.
All efforts will be made to reschedule the event instead of cancelling in the
case of a COVID-19 outbreak. Ticket transfers to the rescheduled date will be free. If the 2021 event is cancelled – you will have the option to transfer to the 2022 event or transfer your registration fee directly to Bicycle Queensland.
