By Danielle Kutchel
Get on yer bike and see the city from a different perspective with a meandering weekend bike ride.
Organised by Pakenham local and sustainability advocate Max Godber, the community bike ride will take off at 10am from Federation Square on Sunday 11 July.
It has been designed to be family friendly and will follow mostly separated bike paths across Melbourne back to Pakenham.
It will also pass multiple train stations along the way, including Malvern East, Hughesdale, Oakleigh, Huntingdale, Clayton, Westall, Springvale, Sandown Park, Noble Park, Yarraman, Berwick, Beaconsfield and Cardinia Road – so riders can hop on or off the convoy as needed or if they feel tired.
Originally the ride was set to go ahead on World Bike Day on June 3, but was forced to be rescheduled due to the snap Covid lockdown.
The 70km ride will be taken at a manageable pace for kids and those with less confidence or experience.
Mr Godber said the riders would arrive in Pakenham around 6-7pm and recommended everyone attending bring their bike lights and a reflective vest if they have one.
A shared lunch and snacks will be available during the day including tea and coffee, and dinner – a “feast”, Mr Godber promised – will be available for those who make it as far as Pakenham.
In a unique twist, he and some of the other riders will be cycling along on their tall bikes – elongated, hand-built bikes that are sure to catch the eye of passing pedestrians and motorists.
But Mr Godber said anyone joining the convoy could ride whatever bike they feel comfortable on.
“We’re planning for about 15 to 25 riders to join us and we have connected with a few different Bicycle User Groups across Melbourne, so we’ll have riders from all over Melbourne joining us,” he said.
For more information or to connect with other riders, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/394098005335264/?ti=ls
