Brisbane Cycling Festival to return bigger and better in 2022

The largest multi-disciplinary cycling event in Australia returns bigger and brighter in 2022, with a jam-packed line-up of rides, races, events, expos and entertainment to light up Brisbane from March 24 – April 14, 2022.

Brisbane will play host to the first combined Oceania Cycling Championships from March 27 – April 11 at multiple venues across Brisbane, in what is a major coup for the cycling-mad Sunshine State.

Oceania Championship titles will be contested across the eight disciplines of BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, Mountain Bike Cross Country, Mountain Bike Downhill, Para-cycling (road and track), Road (time trial and road race) and Track. The Oceania Gran Fondo Challenge will also be contested as a non-championship event.

The Brisbane Cycling Festival’s core events everyone knows, and loves will also be on offer across the 20 days of the Festival, delivering an action-packed program of events for professional and amateur riders of all ages and abilities.

Brisbane’s reputation as the home of track cycling down under will be on full display when it hosts the 2022 AusCycling Track National Championships for Juniors, Elite and Under 19, Para-cycling and Masters at Anna Meares Velodrome, Chandler from March 24 – April 14.

Spectators from across the country will visit Brisbane to witness the nation’s best riders and future Brisbane 2032 stars in action in Australia’s largest domestic track cycling event.

Away from the track, the 2022 AusCycling National Road Series returns as part of the Tour de Brisbane on Sunday, April 10.

Brisbane’s unique calling card as the only city centre stop on the AusCycling National Road Series calendar has seen the Tour de Brisbane grow in popularity over two previous editions, with the trademark fast and technical course including the iconic Mt Coot-tha climb.

Riders of all abilities will also have the opportunity to ride through Brisbane like never before on Sunday, April 10, courtesy of the Tour de Brisbane Gran Fondo, which navigates 110km of fully closed city roads across a variety of course distances.

Tour de Brisbane aims to raise $200,000 for The Common Good charity in support of heart and lung transplant research at Prince Charles Hospital.

Off the bike, the Spokes n’ Jokes afternoon of tall tales and big laughs with prominent voices of Australia’s cycling, comedy and musical community will be hosted on Friday, April 8, launching the Festival Village weekend from April 8 - 10.

The citywide celebration of cycling comes together around the King Street precinct and Brisbane Showgrounds with the free pop-up Festival Village welcoming riders and spectators alike, and is home to a free Active Lifestyle Expo which will be showcasing wellness; nutrition; health; fitness; education; new trends; the latest and greatest cycling technology; products; learn-to-ride camps; come-and-try sessions; e-bike demonstrations; food trucks; and live entertainment.

The party atmosphere of the King St Kick It Street Criterium, Cyclo-cross, King Street Sprints, Car Park Climb, Trials, plus many more events also return as some of the in-demand events of the Festival, which are all run in close proximity to the Festival Village.

AusCycling Chief Executive Officer Marne Fechner welcomed the expansion of the Brisbane Cycling Festival.

“The Brisbane Cycling Festival is the perfect embodiment of all that AusCycling represents and showcases everything that cycling has to offer, from the fun of community events, through to the intensity of our elite riders,” Fechner said.

“The inclusion of the first combined Oceania Cycling Championships to the Brisbane Cycling Festival is an exciting addition to the schedule, and one which will showcase the best talent from across the Oceania Region.

“I look forward to another captivating three weeks of cycling in the Sunshine State, in what will be Australia’s first international cycling event in two years."

Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Brisbane Cycling Festival would be a significant event for professional and amateur riders alike.

“Our cycling infrastructure and enthusiastic riding community makes Brisbane the obvious choice to stage high calibre, multi-discipline national and international events,” Mr Hinchliffe said.  

“The Brisbane Cycling Festival is a major feature of the State’s It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

“Events like the Brisbane Cycling Festival bring competitors, support crew and spectators to our city who make significant contribution to our visitor economy and recovery from the global pandemic.

“Over the next decade, major sporting events will be an important part of Southeast Queensland’s preparation for Brisbane’s transformational 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said after yet another challenging year for all sporting events it is fantastic to see the Brisbane Cycling Festival back for 2022.

“The Brisbane Cycling Festival will help bring the excitement and energy of live sporting events, back to Brisbane and be a major boost for our city’s economic recovery,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Brisbane’s world-class infrastructure and enviable climate make Brisbane the ideal destination to host this cycling spectacular and it will be great to see spectators and athletes travelling to take part in the action.”

NX Sports Director Mike Crawley said, "we are pleased to continue building the Tour de Brisbane rides and races in beautiful Brisbane City and the wonderful Queensland state."

“Our program is expanding with a new middle length distance and a focus on inclusion with opportunities for those with additional needs.”

Crawley expects 10,000 participants next year on Sunday, April 10 at the Tour de Brisbane.

“The Community Ride and Walk across the iconic Story Bridges is a definite highlight and we invite all of Brisbane to become involved in their City’s event and join us," Crawley said.

Brisbane Cycling Festival Director Aaron Flanagan said that the Brisbane Cycling Festival will cement its position as Australia’s biggest and most exciting multi-discipline cycling festival in 2022.

“The Festival originally launched in March – April 2019 and it was July 2021 before we finally had the opportunity to run our second edition of the festival after numerous pandemic challenges,” Flanagan said.

“The July event was exciting for us as we realised a vision to create a Festival Village hub at the Brisbane Showgrounds and surrounding King Street precinct for the Tour de Brisbane weekend that enabled us to deliver exciting events and activities for the community across all forms of cycling; as well as the Active Lifestyle Expo providing opportunities for the industry to showcase its product and services to participants and visitors alike.

“We are expanding this program in 2022 and introducing themes for each day of the village weekend.

“Across the three weeks of the festival, Brisbane will come alive with over 100 festival affiliated events from free learn to ride activities right through to opportunities to spectate and enjoy world-class racing either at the Anna Meares Velodrome or on the roads of Brisbane through the Oceania Championships or National Road Series.

“It really will be an action-packed three weeks for Brisbane that will create significant economic benefits for our city.”

The 2022 Brisbane Cycling Festival is proudly supported by Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency and the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.