'What a wild ride' – AusCycling’s One Year Anniversary

We sat down with AusCycling’s Chief Executive Officer, Marne Fechner, to reflect on a remarkable year for all cycling disciplines in Australia.

"Can I say what a wild ride?" Fechner said of her first nine months at the helm of AusCycling.

"It’s been pretty extraordinary, the community has been really generous in their willingness to have a conversation and share their stories and that in itself is really important for us as cycling is a diverse community."

The highlights

During Fechner’s first nine months in charge, the Australian Olympic and Paralympic team represented the country and AusCycling in Tokyo, with 34 athletes competing in over 70 events.

"I can't forget how much these events mean to Australians and how they make you feel. There were highlights and lowlights, watching Logan win the very first BMX freestyle gold medal for men and then the trauma of seeing the handlebar mishap for our team," Fechner said.

"So that was really something that will stick in my mind. I'm glad it was in my first 12 months; experiencing a Paralympic and Olympic Games.” Fechner said regarding one of her moments of the year.

"The other things that that stick in my mind are moments and opportunities that we've had to come together as a sport and have a conversation about where we should be in the future.

"We’ve undertaken this really rich exploration of what does cycling and riding a bike mean for Australians and the answer is, it means a considerable amount, whether it be from a health perspective, an environmental perspective, there are all of these really rich passionate things that come from a joy of riding a bike and that freedom of riding a bike."

Lachie Ambrose - General Manager of Road Events

"Bringing AusCycling together has been a lot of work and a lot of learning. For me, what has made it worthwhile is seeing so many shared faces across events and disciplines. It's not just the organisation that has come together, but the people who ride bikes, irrespective of type or intent, and this truly encapsulates what we set out to do."

Craig Campbell - Manager Clubs, Community and Sport Development ‑ Victoria

"The thing I’ve enjoyed most about the first year of/transition to AusCycling is seeing clubs from different disciplines collaborating. A great example of this was Northern BMX club and Brunswick Cycling club adding BMX to the Latrobe Classic earlier this year."

Rik Fulcher - Acting Director of Operations - Australian Cycling Team

"I’ve been excited watching the AusCycling project progress from the discussion phase to the implementation phase to reality, and now celebrating its first birthday. It is what Australian cycling needed and has given the organisation and me renewed enthusiasm and direction."

The biggest obstacles

Fechner began her role as CEO in February and in that time has seen some wonderful moments in the sport but come across a smattering of obstacles along the way.

"I think probably the biggest challenge for us as an organisation, with 18 entities coming together, is that the sport didn't stop, all of the expectations of what we would deliver as this new entity was the combined sum of all the parts," Fechner said.

"We’ve been flying the plane, and we've been trying to build a new plane at the same time.

"So, for me, it's been very much how do we continue to meet the expectations of a community that have done things in a certain way, and we’re delivering things differently.

"I think that's the most important thing as custodians of what is an amazing activity. It’s not only a sport, but it's almost like a lifestyle."

On the horizon

As we head into the second year as one organisation and with Cycling NSW now on board, Fechner is optimistic about the next 12 months.

"2021 has very much been around, consolidating the organisations and bringing it together, lots of transition pain points for everyone," Fechner said reflecting on 2021.

"2022 offers this opportunity to get back to doing what we love, to really articulate the way forward for AusCycling.

"It will be about how do we inspire and add value to the community through what we do, whether that be events and racing, whether it be our participation programmes, through our Australian Cycling Team, education programs around coaches and commissaires. So, it’s really being able to understand what we're trying to achieve and bringing people together.

"It’s a real privilege to be working in the sport at such time of significant change and we are ground-breaking in terms of what we're doing and trailblazing for sport in terms of its governance reform.

"I'm pretty passionate about making sure that we get those runs on the board, and we demonstrate that it can be done and it can be done well."

2032 Olympic Games

A couple of days out from the 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony, the IOC announced that Brisbane will hold the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the first Games in Australia since Sydney 2000.

Fechner says a home games provides such a diverse range of opportunities for athletes, coaches and the wider cycling community and is excited at the potential to grow the AusCycling community.

"It's the 13, 14, 15-year-old riders that are riding bikes now that could be on a podium in 2032. So how are we inspiring them and how are we nurturing them through all of the different pathways and environments that can take you to road to track to BMX to mountain bikes? I think that’s going to be a real adventure." Fechner said.

"As an organisation, (the 2032 Games) will be about having partnered with the industry to drive real change, having worked with governments to make sure that our infrastructure supports safety in commuting and participation in the sport.

"It will be about ensuring that we've got great infrastructure and places to play all across the country, that we're making a red-hot contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals from an environment from a gender equality - all of those types of things. And ultimately, that there are more and more Australians who love riding a bike."

12 months of AusCycling

While AusCycling’s first anniversary marks a period of intense change, Fechner also sees it as an opportunity to reflect on what can be done better over the next 12 months.

"COVID-19 has made things complicated, but if I had a magic wand, I would travel and be able to meet people. Meeting via a screen is just not the same as being with people in their environment. That’s one thing that I would love to be able to change," Fechner said.

"There’s been so much work done in 12 months and we possibly could have done a better job at telling the story of that work to our community, which is so diverse and really passionate."

Warren McDonald - Para-cycling Technical Director

"Becoming one greater entity under AusCycling has been like getting the family back together. We are stronger for it and riding is in our veins no matter what bike you ride!"

Sean Muir - General Manager | Major Events and State Manager - Queensland

"One year on, through the challenges and triumphs, it continues to be is an honour to work within a dedicated and passionate AusCycling team. The future of cycling is bright."

Gary Shaw - General Manager | Clubs ‑ BMX & State Manager ‑ Northern Territory

"I’ve enjoyed the challenge of the first year and I’m encouraged that great progress has been made in laying the necessary foundations for an exciting future."