A brief history of EasyRiders
ER is an informal commuting group started by 5 guys from the north shore who were becoming frustrated with the rail or drive into the city, and wondered if there was a better way. They plotted a path from Wahroonga into town, and jumped on their bikes and rode. They were all of varying levels of ability at the time, and some hadn’t ridden the 20km or so until then. That legendary first ride was on Wednesday 29 November 2006.
These 5 subsequently became known as the "Founding Members" (FM’s). All are still frequently seen on the commute with the exception of one who is now in Hong Kong. The Group now contains more than 200 "members" and frequently gets 20-25 amassed at Gordon for the off.
The initial aim of ER which remains today is to informally promote cycling as a safe, healthy, social and timely alternative to other commuting methods. We pride ourselves on being open and accommodating to all, regardless of ability, with our adage being “only as fast as the slowest rider”. It makes no difference what you ride or what you wear. We have a growing number of success stories of ER’s who hadn’t ridden a bike since they were kids, never done a 20km ride, and who are now clocking up c200km on the commute each week and in some cases taking part in longer weekend rides.
We have a great mix of abilities within the group, from those starting out to those who ride (and are ride leaders) with clubs on the weekends, and one who rode competitively in Europe. This mix works well as we can easily leverage the knowledge and experience of others. Everyone shares good ideas whilst retaining a sense of humour throughout.
We promote polite, courteous sharing of the road with other users, in accordance with the law. We do suggest ER’s obtain their own insurance, with many having that insurance through Bicycle NSW membership. Whilst ER is not affiliated with BNSW (or anyone for that matter), the BNSW insurance can assist should it be required and membership of ER entitles you to a discount at BNSW. Separate insureance is particularly important now that the commute is no longer covered by workers comp in NSW.
Communication
Our primary communication is this website however we also have an ER Googlegroup.
We also have an active presence on Facebook (refer the button in the header) and Strava (refer the link on the home page), both of which you’re more than welcome to join (free).
The Routes
There are inbound commutes every week day leaving from the corner of Park and Werona Avenues in Gordon at 6.45am. The bunch typically exits the south side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHBS) around 7.30am. Many then head to the Bitter and Twisted in Kent St for a quick coffee before hitting the office.
Every Friday, in addition, there’s the Rhodes Route, which leaves from outside the dentist surgery at the corner of Kissing Point Road and the Pacific Highway in Turramurra, at 6.30am. This is a slightly longer route which usually arrives at Café XXII in Pyrmont around 7.45am for coffee.
Outbound routes and times vary however there’s always a 5.15pm and 6pm group leaving from SHBS. Other times can be found on the Calendar and more often than not you’ll find someone to ride home with.
Our typical routes are published on the Routes pages of this website.
The Social Scene
Apart from coffee every morning (which was voted in our 2011 Survey as "the best part about EasyRiders"), we convene other social gatherings including:
- celebrating landmark birthdays, weddings etc
- occasionally (i.e. every Friday) terminating the return route early at a north shore hotel
- first Tuesday of the month lunch club at a venue in the city typically featuring schnitzel and beer
- the ER Christmas Party and Annual Review
The Kit
As above, no-one’s bothered what you wear on the ride. Saying that, we do have our own kit which you’ll see many ER’s wearing. We’re now on our third tweak of the original design, which is yellow and red (or egg and tomato in ER parlance).
To make the kit affordable to as many as possible we have started sourcing our kit directly from overseas suppliers, and sell on to ER's at cost. We have some jerseys, knicks and bibs left over from the last order, all of which are around $30 each. Contact any existing ER member for details of how to acquire.
So that’s about it. Hope to see you out on the pedals soon and enjoy the ride. |
