Meet the Veloroos: Going long for women’s cycling and cancer research

Meet a remarkable group of women doing remarkable things on bikes: they are the Veloroos, a small Australian collective who first came together in the mid-2010s.

Back then, they were like-minded former triathletes and UK expats who wanted to make a statement about women’s involvement in cycling.

And what a statement it was.

“In 2015, we rode across America in RAAM, the Race Across America,” foundation member Julie-Anne Hazlett tells AusCycling.

“We won and broke the record at that time. It was a 19-year record that had been standing, and we broke it. So that's kind of where we started.”

Race Across America is an ultra-distance road race that takes participants on a 4,800km journey that spans the width of the continent. Before the Veloroos, Australia had never had an all-women’s team in the event.

Julie-Anne Hazlett (photo: Brain Cancer Collective)

“(We did it to) put it on the map and get women to do things that they really want to and inspire women to get out there and achieve some goals,” Hazlett says.

More groundbreaking success followed the RAAM ride. The Veloroos returned to Australia and competed in 24-hour races, such as Revolve 24 in Adelaide, which they also won.

In 2017, the team returned north for the 2,200km Race Around Ireland. Not only did they win it, they also broke the record by 19 hours.

Then, in 2019, the Veloroos joined forces with another all-women team – the InternationElles – and rode every stage of the Tour de France a day ahead of the men’s race, “to prove that women could do it,” as Hazlett puts it.

And, when the Tour de France Femmes began in 2022, the group was there to support the event.

The power of the peloton

However, long-distance rides are not the only way the Veloroos inspire women to get cycling.

Their latest cause has been to lead the Bike Ride for Brain Cancer, a two-day ride that covers 220km over two days from Sydney to Wisemans Ferry and back, raising funds and awareness for brain cancer research.

Twenty-eight riders took part in this year’s ride in May, raising just more than $87,000 for the Brain Cancer Collective. Over its five years, the ride has raised more than $1 million.

Brain cancer survivor and advocate Ross Bowles again took part, alongside journalist Rupert Guinness. The Veloroos were appointed as ride captains to lead the peloton.

It was a memorable edition: the Bike Ride for Brain Cancer managed to avoid the torrential rains that inundated Sydney on the first day of the ride. However, they weren’t so lucky on the return leg. After covering 42km, the heavens opened and the group was forced to abandon, completing the remaining distance on trainers.

While she’s ridden for other worthy causes, Hazlett says there’s something special about Bike Ride for Brain Cancer that makes it unique.

“All of the riders are very connected to the cause. There's a lot of people who have had someone – their wife, their child, their mother, their father – someone has died that is very close to them, and so they have experienced that,” Hazlett says.

“A lot of the stories that get shared on the ride are extremely touching. So, it's bringing a group of people together who have all been impacted in some way by brain cancer and understand what that can do to your family, and so that really brings people together.”

"The social aspect is key"

Hazlett herself has a personal connection to the cause.

“In my family, my cousin's daughter had brain cancer, and another cousin on the other side, unfortunately her granddaughter died as a baby from brain cancer as well. And I've had some friends who have had tumours, and so I guess it's a charity that means a lot to me,” she says.

While the Bike Ride for Brain Cancer is over for another year, Hazlett remains a passionate advocate for bringing more women into cycling.

“It's nice to see more and more women getting on bikes and racing, and from a health perspective, it's great, but from a social perspective, it's a fantastic sport,” Hazlett says.

“You get to see some amazing scenery around where you live, and you can see a lot more than what you would if you were just out walking or running.

The 2024 Bike Ride for Brain Cancer (photo: Brain Cancer Collective)

“I think the social aspect is key, especially for most of the cyclists I know, because you just meet so many people. I've done sport all my life, but I think in cycling it is probably much more obvious than in any of the other sports that I've done, that team camaraderie.

“If you're riding before work – because for most of us, I guess, in Sydney, that's definitely when we ride – it’s seeing some friends, getting out in the fresh air, seeing some beautiful scenery, and then going for coffee and having a chat.”

The Veloroos next plan to participate in various gran fondos across NSW, where they’ll be bright and distinctive in their pink kits designed by Veloroos member Nicole Stanners.

“Once you're a Veloroo, you're always a Veloroo,” Hazlett says.

“It's absolutely about getting more and more women out there and showing that we can be as strong as the men in many ways, and just having fun and encouraging more and more people to get on bikes.”

To donate to the Bike Ride for Brain Cancer, sponsor a rider or register your interest in the 2025 ride, visit: https://www.bikerideforbraincancer.com.au

Main Image: Laura Henry/Brain Cancer Collective