Brisbane Archives - Page 3 of 8

08/05/201919/05/2019

Transferring Alison’s sailing insights to BikeHack19

My last post was an invitation to Brisbane’s upcoming BikeHack19 event. I have had a lot of interesting responses and conversations with friends and colleagues about this event and suggestions for pitches.

I asked Alison Turner, a dear friend, if she would like to come to BikeHack19 with me.

Alison and I have worked on a number of creative projects before. She not only has a head for business and project managing, but she is a skilled artist in her own right and I have called on her (many times!) when working on this-or-that thing either to cast her discerning eye over an idea, to practically help solve a design issue or just to join in making whatever it is I’m working on.

She is great company, a skilled artist, a flexible thinker and killer at scrabble – everything you want in a project buddy!

Unfortunately though, Alison can’t come to BikeHack19.

But the offer got her thinking.

Alison worked for Australia Sailing for many years and was in charge of training and increasing participation in sailing in Queensland. So unbeknownst to me, she set her business prowess and program insights to good work. After doing some research of her own, she used her experience promoting sailing participation to the BikeHack19 cycling challenge and brainstormed some ideas.

The next time I saw Alison, she presented me with her brainstorm (see below) and explained it in detail – it was spot on.

Transferring Alison’s sailing insights to BikeHack19. Bicycles Create Change.com. 8th May, 2019. — Alison and her BikeHack19 brainstorm.

We chatted about the similarities in crossover of participation issues between sailing and cycling – and how much transferability there was between the two sports.

I love having people like Alison in our community. She is an example of those who not only freely give their time and ideas to friends, but who are equally excited to apply the same effort and passion to building a more cohesive and active community – what a gift!

I am very appreciative to Alison.

Thanks so much for your ideas and time!

I will definitely be taking these ideas to BikeHack19.

Alison’s initial brainstorm

Key organizations:

Sport Aus/Aust Sport and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

Clearing House for Sport

Using as background the Gemba Report 2012:

Cycling had (in 2012) 17% participation joint third in the 15 sports Surveyed with swimming the top at 33% and sailing at the bottom with 2%
Gender ratios in cycling were 18% male and 15% female
Cycling participation declined from 31% in the 5-9 year age group, 27% in the 65-75 year age group
39% of participants cycle more than once a week
Of the top 15 sports, cycling is third with 8.8point eight% participation and frequency (after gym and swimming)
Future interest insight going showed 5% really interested, 10% neutral, and 69% not interested
Barriers to cycling participation – cost, lack of equipment and who to participate with
Cycling was NOT in the top 5 sports noted as being:
- ageless
- innovative
- Australian
- exciting
- fun
- has integrity
- accessible
- community
- cool
- exclusive
- for older people
- for younger people
- gaining in popularity
- International
- popular or safe

General comments

Sponsorship for programs are likely to be remembered
In my sports males are more dominant
Competition is a very small percentage of participation in sport
Health is improved if participants find enjoyment in the sport
Are there any junior cycling programs like Auskick or Surf Groms or Surf lifesaving Nippers?
Future participant needs should be considered

04/05/201909/05/2019

BikeHack19 Invite

Brisbane is hosting Australia’s first-ever hackathon about bike riding BikeHack19 later this month.

In a similar vein to a 3 Day Start Up or tech Hackathons, this event is focused on solving a problem. In this case, the cycling challenge is…..

How can bike riding be more accessible and appealing in Queensland so people ride bikes more often?

This event is not focused on changing policy, but it is an exploration of any other possibilities that could include bike tech, gamification, design, data, support services or new business ideas.

Anyone over the age of 18 can participate as long as they are not a government employee.

When I went earlier this week to BikeHack19’s info night, I was sitting next to a tech start-up entrepreneur on one side and an engineer on the other. Other people I spoke to came from widely diverse backgrounds including sociologists, researchers, students, town planners, public health academics and programmers. I was surprised at how few cyclists there were.

Here’s the event schedule.

BikeHack19 is promoted as being an opportunity to meet new people and expand networks. As well as working with fellow hackers in teams over the weekend to process their ideas, there are also industry experts, advisors and funders on hand to suggest and mentor teams throughout the process.

Previously, I participated in a 3 Day Start-Up (3DS) intensive which ran 40 Griffith PhD candidates through an entrepreneurial practical intensive on how to develop aspects of their PhD research into a start-up business. It was fun, but very intense. Five key reflections emerged for me from my 3DS experience – insights that I will need to revisit as I consider if I will participate in BikeHack19.

It was interesting to see some of alternative views about BikeHack19’s purpose and objectives being voiced on Reddit. In many cases, online forums and interest groups have a wealth of ideas and comments on localised issues.

Ideas, resources and profiles

A long list of relevant data and an array of resources have been collated to help generate the best ideas – here is a few:

BikeHack19 provides a comprehensive list of data and resources – check it out!

Queensland Bike Strategy’s recent bike riding updates and case studies.

To help focus and refine ideas, the organisers commissioned Enhance Research to look into the issue using a 3-phase research design. They collated findings into 3 ‘profiles’ on the common type of bike riders in Queensland and their motivation.

These profiles (see them below) inform the three challenge categories and can be used as a stimulus ‘target market’ for the teams.

Cash Prizes

Overall, there is $25,000 in prize money – much more than other similar events.

The $25,000 is divided into four cash prizes.

Overall team with best idea: – $10,000

One (1) overall winner prize of $10,000 for ‘best overall idea’ and three category winner prizes ($5,000 each) will go to the teams that come up the best ideas that address each of the three categories:

Active Transport – $5,000 prize
Happy, Healthy Families – $5,000 prize
Tourism and Recreation – $5,000 prize

Winners will be determined by a judging panel on the Sunday night. Prize money will be distributed to each member of the winning team, equally with no strings attached.

What is expected by the end of the weekend?

There are no hard and fast rules on what is expected as a finished ‘product’ to be pitched in the final presentation on Sunday evening. The focus is more on teams working through stages of ideation, process and development of solutions to the challenge.

So if you have an idea about how to get more Queenslanders on bicycles – check out BikeHack19 and pitch your idea.

Who knows maybe your idea will win!

To be part of BikeHack19 will cost you $30. Register here

BikeHack19 is proudly presented by Fishburners Brisbane in collaboration with Aaron Birkby, and is supported by Aurecon and the Dept. of Transport and Roads.

Here are the three profiles:

All images from: BikeHack19 or from the event info night PPT by Enhance Research.

26/04/201907/05/2019

Six Day Brisbane Final

On the weekend I went to the Anna Mears Velodrome for the Six Day Series Final Brisbane.

OMG.

It was AWESOME!

I’ve never been to Six Day cycling event before. I was there at the invitation of World Bicycle Relief (Australia). It was my pleasure to help them out for the event. Not only was I supporting a good cause, but I got to watch some incredible racing, meet my favourite inter/national cyclists, chat with some big-wigs and mingle with cycling-mad punters all night! Horray!

The Anna Meares Velodrome is the perfect stadium for this kind of event. I was stoked to see some of the world’s best track cyclists in live action – especially how they whiz so confidently around the 48-degree velodrome banks – eck!

There are excellent views and seating all around the outside of the track as well as a walk tunnel that went under the velodrome and let you into the centre. Inside the velodrome, there was a bar, a few trade exhibitions, the DJ stage, the podium/race ramp, and activities on one side, and the athletes compound on the other.

As support of the riders and in the spirit of the event, I wore my recycled bicycle parts and inner-tube outfit. This outfit includes a cog steampunk-style hat, a bodice of inner tubes interwoven across the front, a bike chain chandelier belted skirt and a necklace of made of inner tubes and BMX parts. A genuine (be)spoke outfit! (*aw dad!*). It was the perfect thing to wear. Lots of people stopped to ask about it and see the details. It was lovely to see how much people appreciated the effort, materials and appropriacy of the outfit for the event.

The music and light show was an unexpected bonus. The DJ played a continuous stream of banging beats supported by impressive party-style lighting. The whole overall effect was like being in the ultimate sports-and-dance club = a very exciting party atmosphere. People were even dancing. Beers, Beats and Bikes!

The place was packed each day. There were families, couples, groups of friends and kids galore. I talked to people who had come diligently every day and others who had no idea what the event was but had been given a ticket so came along to check it out. Everyone agreed it was a wonderful format to experience cycling. The atmosphere as electric, the races were so close you couldn’t help but be affected by the environment, excitement and energy of the action.

I also had the chance to chat with a few of my favorite Aussie cyclists like Amy Cure and Olympian Shane Perkins. Considering they had just finished racing and had much to do (and lots of people to talk to), I was impressed that they still made time to come into the crowd and mingle, have a chat and hang out with some of their fans after racing. What true champs!

The race formats included various scratch and points races including Madison, Elimination, Derny Racing, Women’s Omnium, 200m Time Trials and Kirin. Some of the formats like the Madison were new to me, but after I understood what it entailed (see video below), the racing took on a whole new intensity.

Cyclists like Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and Australian superstars Callum Scotson and nine-time World Champion Cameron Meyer (who won the Six Day London event in 2017) have competed at the European Six Day Series.

I had a brilliant time and will definitely go again.

A huge thank you to Dagmar, Ali, Scott and World Bicycle Relief for the opportunity to go to this event and for making my time there so enjoyable.

04/04/201915/12/2019

PhD Researcher Intern Wanted

As part of my PhD research and work at Griffith University, I get a few opportunities to work on research projects. At the moment, I am at capacity and full workload so no new work for me. But one PhD researcher/ intern vacancy come across my desk this week I thought might be interesting for a few Brisbane-based PhD readers. Here it is. Good luck! NG.

Project details

Applications Close: 24th April 2019
Reference: APR – 849A
Payment: $3,000 per month stipend
Location: Spring Hill, Brisbane QLD (although travel may be required)
Duration: 4 months
Proposed start date: May/June 2019
Contract company: APR Intern

Project Background

Veterans, particularly younger veterans without Gold Cards, report significant challenges in accessing appropriate General Practice support, as well as medical specialists related to chronic medical conditions and surgical services. Finding medical specialists who understand the package of health issues faced by veterans can be a challenge. Finding medical specialists who are also willing to engage with the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) payment system, where healthcare is eligible for DVA funding, is a second and significant challenge.

Often, veterans report that they have attempted to navigate the complex civil healthcare system only to find their referred specialist is unwilling to provide services at DVA rates. This forces the veteran to return to their General Practitioner for a new referral, or in many cases, veterans drop out of the health system until their condition deteriorates where healthcare costs are known to escalate.

Research to be Conducted

In Phase 1 of the project, a series of questionnaires, surveys and feedback tools will be applied to the younger veteran target population. These questionnaires and surveys will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face, telephone and online survey instruments. Using a combination of Likert scale and open questions, these surveys will allow the team to refine the set of issues and barriers for the second Phase of the investigation.

In Phase 2 of the health project, the project team will combine the results of desktop research with the initial survey results attained in Phase 1 to further refine the areas of investigation. The Project Team will then interview and survey a number of health specialists to understand their attitudes to veteran healthcare and issues they see in providing care to this population.

Deep-dive interviews will also be conducted with younger veterans in this second phase of the project to better understand the summary issues and barriers identified through the surveys conducted in Phase 1.

Skills Required

We are looking for a PhD student with the following:

ESSENTIAL

Mixed method research experience, but particularly qualitative research
Strong experience in stakeholder engagement and communication

DESIRABLE

Health system understanding and experience

Expected Outcomes

This project will result in a clear understanding of the issues and barriers preventing ease of access to civil healthcare for younger veterans, as well as their attitudes toward access of both GP and medical specialist healthcare.

The results of this project will then allow a clear roadmap of strategies to address barriers to access, from both the provider side (health specialists), younger veterans and for funders (DVA).

We anticipate that the project will also involve recommendations and strategies around care coordination and case management, given the complexity of the civil healthcare system, and such strategies would also include their own engagement and communication strategies to increase the awareness of suitable services for younger veterans.

Additional Details

The intern will receive $3,000 per month of the internship, usually in the form of stipend payments.

It is expected that the intern will primarily undertake this research project during regular business hours, spending at least 80% of their time on-site with the industry partner. The intern will be expected to maintain contact with their academic mentor throughout the internship either through face-to-face or phone meetings as appropriate.

The intern and their academic mentor will have the opportunity to negotiate the project’s scope, milestones and timeline during the project planning stage.

We recommend that you liaise with the Graduate Research School (GRS) and/or Higher Degree Research (HDR) Placements Office at your university, prior to submitting an application, to validate your eligibility to participate in the APR.Intern program.

31/03/201920/04/2019

Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival 2019

This guest blog post by Jen Sheean is about the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival. Onthe night, The Style over Speed crew rode from Brisbane city to the cinema at St Lucia, where the incredible cycOZ performed an infectious bicycle-inspired percussion set on arrival (see end photos). Last year, Bella and I entered our film Leki, which took out the People’s Choice Award. This year, I gave my tickets to Jen, a fellow singlespeed MTBer who had not been to the festival before. Not only did Jen have a good time, but she kindly wrote a summary of the films shown. Thanks so much Jen! See you all at the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival next year! Enjoy! NG.

Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival 2019

Thanks to the generosity of Nina, my husband and I spent a slightly wet Friday night at the Schonell Theatre in UQ enjoying the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival.

It was a wonderful night and very well-attended. As I understand it, the change this year to a bigger venue meant that the previously sold-out event still had some tickets available. This is a great development because, in my opinion, more people should head to it and see what it has to offer.

I plan to go again!

The first half of the night saw some announcements from Mark Bailey, the Minister for Cycling (as I understand is his preferred title having moved on from being mangocube), about the newly opened Gateway Bicycle Path and some upcoming projects for more bicycle paths in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. Announcements of more paths are always a happy thing in this somewhat cycling challenged city of ours.

Space for Cycling is the organiser of the event and they should be congratulated on how smoothly it ran. Their drive to push for safer ways to travel by bicycle in the CBD appears boundless – and I hope they see some decent success soon.

After the formalities, it was on to the short films competing for prizes, including the People’s Choice Award which was won last year by a film in which the indefatigable Nina was heavily involved.

Brisbane Bike Bites

These short films must be no more than 5 minutes and have some connection to both Brisbane and cycling. There was a range of approaches to these very broad criteria but that just added to the fun.

The first film was called I Love to Ride My Bicycle. It was a spiffy 1:37 long but it had everyone laughing from beginning to end. The concept was simple but brilliantly executed.

The next was The Gate. Another simple concept but the credits were the real star of this film. They were full of tongue-in-cheek references greatly appreciated by the audience – so much so that they (the film makers not the credits) took out the People’s Choice Award.

Pedal-mentry provided a fascinating look at a club that is populated by people who have customised their bicycles. Some of the creations were totally whacky! But the individuality shown by all of the bicycles is a testament to the creativity of their owners.

On the Fly followed a ride around Brisbane. Then it had a cat at the end. I really liked the cat.

Club Song Film was true to its name. It showcased the vocal talents of a penny farthing club. They all dressed in era-specific garb and seemed to be having a jolly old time in their singalong around the piano.

Inspired by a similar era, A Jaunty Jaunt took out first prize. The highlight was the juxtaposition of the olde time costume and penny farthing bicycle of the main character and his meeting with his modern day counterpart. It was a truly fun concept.

Finally, the last bite sized film was The Epic of Spring Hill. This faux-documentary about an intrepid pair attempting to summit Spring Hill was a delight from start to finish. The bike skills on display while riding City Cycles were impressive but I particularly liked when they decided to climb the steps up to the summit using a rope and the lead climber thought briefly about cutting the rope holding his companion. Spoiler alert: They did reach the summit by bike but it appears their claim to be the first to do so has been disputed.

The Main Feature

These very clever short films were followed by the main feature. The Bicycles of Wrath is a film in which 5 mates from Victoria decide to follow, by bike, the route taken by the ill-fated Joad family in the Steinbeck novel, The Grapes of Wrath.

It was beautifully done and showcased the generosity of those with little to give in a way that nicely mirrored Steinbeck’s underlying theme. I truly enjoyed it. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in Steinbeck, bicycles, travel or human nature.

We left the event wondering how it is we’d never been before.

That said, we will be there next year and I recommend you consider going as well!

09/03/201918/03/2019

Holi Festival of Colours on two wheels

What is Holi Festival?

Last weekend was Holi Festival. Holi Festival is one of the most anticipated and celebrated Hindu festivals. It is also called the Festival of Colour of the Festival of Love.

This uber-participatory event traditionally celebrates unity and forgiveness. The spreading of colours represents new beginnings, and overcoming hatred and jealousy.

The festival lasts for a day and a night. It starts on the evening of Purnima. The first evening is called Holika Dahan/Choti Holi and the following day is Holi.

Holi is globally celebrated and is famous for the explosion of colours (dyed corn starch) and being a day of rejoicing and dancing.

Traditionally, handfuls of colour are thrown over people as they dance. More recently, this has been adapted to fit with a DJ set. The DJ will whip happy dancers into a frenzy and coloured powder will be thrown about and shot out of purpose-made cannons during cresendos. Damn good fun!

A main drawback of the day for me was the massive amount of small plastic bags used to package the colours – that, and too many people ‘forgot’ to put their empties in the bin …grrrrr. So, I just incorporated into my dancing a series of lunges and oh-so-coordinated-and-elegant ground sweep moves to I pick up as many as I could – back on track!

Brisbane Holi Bike Ride

The Brisbane Holi Festival of Colours on two wheels ride.

Each year in Brisbane, my favorite Holi Celebration is the one community event at Seventeen Mile Rocks. Last year I had a great time. It is so much fun….AND includes a bike ride! Woohoo!

This year, the Seventeen Mile Rocks Holi event was part of Brisbane City Council’s BrisAsia Festival 2019.

As well as immersing yourself in Indian culture, there is a community bike ride that starts at the festival HQ and returns in time to see the music, entertainment and frivolity begin.

This 5 km ride is a great way to bring community together and is family-friendly. The route is an easy-paced, flat, bike path ride alongside the river and is a suitable for all ages and stages.

They have a mechanic onsite who offers free bike safety checks. Traditionally, most riders wear white everyday clothing in anticipation of afternoon antics. A good general rule is not to bring any valuables, clothing or items you don’t mind getting stained, wet or damaged.

Many riders decorate their bikes and it is a fun way to get more little kids interested in riding. When I take Leki my flower bike, I am always swamped with people coming up for a chat!

It is lovely seeing your fellow riders dotted around throughout the day – and they often magically appear in front of you through a cloud of vibrant colour – smiling and dancing and waving to you. Awesome!

Here is a quick look at what it’s like – if you’ve been before, you know to be wear glasses and keep you mouth closed!

See you all there for the ride and festivities next year!

Video: Devin Super Tramp

04/03/201909/03/2019

CWRB Breakfast Event

This week, I attended the Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) first event for the year – the Climb Every Mountain Breakfast.

Last month, I posted about this event and how much I was looking forward to it. The breakfast was hosted by Olympian and cycling commentator Katey Bates who was joined by panelists Aussie cycling legend Loren Rowney and Media guru Jane Aubrey. Unfortunately, Chief CWRB Jordana Blackman couldn’t make it. It was a great way to start the day, the morning was glorious and I really liked the early breakfast format. I got there just ahead of time, signed in and headed out onto the Ship Inn deck to grab a coffee and mingle.

The format allowed for social time on arrival for the first half an hour, then we sat down for breakfast, where we got to meet a whole new group of people at the table. Then the panel took to the stage for a discussion and Q & A, and prizes were given out at the end.

I didn’t have to rush off for work so was also able to hang around and chat some more at the end as well which was an extra bonus!

The view overlooking Southbank from the deck was a wonderful backdrop. The coffee kicked in early and people were mingling and networking. I had a couple of lovely chats to new people and made sure I sat with people I hadn’t yet meet when we sat down for breakfast.

The panel discussion was very interesting.

I like the discussion-style, open, unscripted approach. The stories, challenges and success that Loren Rowney and Loretta Bayliss each shared were poignant, heartfelt and honest. They both have had such different interests, approaches, trajectories, choices and struggles.

Loren spoke of what happened when she was selected to be on the Australian Olympic Cycling Team, how she has dealt with her infamous crash and what she has been working on since.

Loretta drew on her love of mountain climbing, the importance of her ‘tribe’ when building an IT company and the role her children have had in shaping her understandings of life and herself.

Katey was a consumate host: there were laughs and contrasts, a good variety in questions, and she expertly linked panelist insights back to the collective audience.

There is a real power in hearing personal experiences first-hand!

There were many highlights, but a few standouts were the personal nature of the event, the vulnerability of the speakers, the friendliness of the attendees, and having a social event that doesn’t involve alcohol.

My favorite aspect of this event was simply having the designated time to meet and talk to a new group of women who I would otherwise not have met – and that we all had a common passion out of which other connections, ideas and topics emerged.

A big thank you to all those who attended – and to the organisers for putting on such an enjoyable and interesting event.

What a wonderful inaugural #CWRB event to kick-start the year!

10/02/201928/03/2019

Upcoming Brisbane Bicycle Short Film Festival

It’s on again!

The 2019 Brisbane Bicycle Short Film Festival is fast approaching.

This year, it’s on Friday 29^th March at the Schonell Theatre (UQ) St Lucia, Brisbane.

This Bike Festival is a great night out and Space for Cycling Brisbane does a great job of putting this festival together.

It’s not surprising that tickets sell out quickly.

To start the night you can join the Style not Speed social ride to get there. On arrival, there is usually some bicycle-themed entertainment and a chance to mingle and chat about all things bikey.

The festival is divided into two parts.

The first half showcases the finalists of the Brisbane Bike Bite entrants. These are local short films of no more than 5 mins and are often the most popular part of the night.

Last year, Bella and I entered our film Leki, which ended up winning the Brisbane Bike Bites People’s Choice Award 2018.

Watch our winning film Leki here.

Best of luck to the locals entering the 2019 Brisbane Bike Bites competition!

After intermission, the second half of the festival is a screening of an international bicycle advocacy feature film.

This year it is The Bikes of Wrath.

This film’s synopsis is 2600 kilometers, 420 dollars, 30 days, 5 bikes, 3 cameras, 2 guitars, 1 voice, and one of the most influential novels of the 20th century – The Bikes of Wrath is a story of adventure, physical struggle, human connection, cultural commentary and the American Dream.

Looks super interesting!

So, if you have not done so already – get your tickets!

And see you there on the night!

09/01/201905/02/2019

Climb Every Mountain – CWRB Event

If any Brisbane riders are looking for some extra motivation or want to meet some like-minded people, Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) have just announced their first event for 2019 – it’s a breakfast panel!

I’m looking forward to this event and have already got my ticket.

If you don’t know who CWRB are, or have not yet heard about the Climb Every Mountain Breakfast Event – then read on!

Climb Every Mountain - CWRB Breakfast Event. Bicycles Create Change.com. 9th Jan, 2019. — Image: Chicks Who Ride Bikes

What is CWRB?

Chicks Who Ride Bikes is a social network connecting women around the world through a shared passion for cycling.

Founded in Brisbane in 2013, CWRB is the fastest growing women’s cycling community IN THE WORLD!

CWRB hold some great events and work hard to build a welcoming and engaged community. Head Chick Jordana Blackman must be one of the busiest people I know because I not only run into her at cycling meets, races and CWRB events, but she is also often travelling all over the country (and beyond) working on all manner of major cycling tours, events and media junkets…Impressive!

For this event, CWRB is hosting a breakfast with a panel of three Aussie female cycling icons.

I really like the idea of merging breakfast with the panel event.

The panel has a great line up (see below) and I’m keen to hear the speakers unique experiences, advice and stories. It will also be good to meet other attendees.

Here are the event details that CWRB released this week.

The Climb Every Mountain Breakfast

Join us for a lovely breakfast and coffee, meet some like-minded ladies and ‘climb your mountain’.

The event is hosted by Olympian and cycling commentator Katey Bates who will be joined by a panel of legends including Chief CWRB Jordana Blackman, Aussie cycling legend Loren Rowney and Media guru Jane Aubrey.

The panel will share the ups and downs of their life and career, their strategies to tackle challenges, embrace the stumbles, and come out on top… or at least come out with a smile on their face and some good stories to tell!

We’ll have some incredible door prizes and our full range of 2019 CWRB kit to try on.

The Host

Katey Bates
An Olympian and world champion cyclist, Katey loves her cycling like Eskimos love their ice. Fuelled by a passion for two wheels, she scaled the heights of international cycling.

Her stacked results sheet is highlighted by winning a coveted rainbow jersey with world championship victory in the points race, Commonwealth Games GOLD at back to back games, and a green and gold National champions jersey o the road.

Katey is one of only two Australian women to represent Australia at the Olympics in both track and road cycling, and since retirement, works in broadcasting, commentating on major international cycling events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Tour Down Under.

The Panel

Jordana Blackman
Chief Chick at Chicks Who Ride Bikes, Jordana was drawn to cycling after a shock cancer diagnosis in her 20s. While in recovery, she saw a poster for a Ride To Conquer Cancer event at her local cafe, and decided to challenge the 200km in 2 day ride ….. but there was just one problem.

After buying her first bike (and falling off it on more occasions that she’d like to remember), she rode her first charity bike event alongside her partner and 2,000 other fundraisers – each of which had been touched in some way or another by cancer.

She spent a lot of time training on her own or on an indoor wind trainer because she couldn’t find a group of girls to ride with at her pace, so when she moved interstate in 2013, she decided to create a Facebook group to make friends and meet other women who rode, and Chicks Who Ride Bikes was born.

Loren Rowney
Over half a decade, Loren Rowney was a highly sought after rouler in the international cycling scene. Riding for the world’s best teams including Mitchelton-Scott and Canyon/SRAM, as well as wearing the green and gold for the Australian National Team, Loren was known for her tactical know how, resilience, and ability to make her team mates smile.

An avid blogger about mental health and the challenges she has faced while transitioning from a professional sportswoman to civilian, Loren remains a keen road and MTB cyclist, with a passion for seeing women achieve equal rights and equality in sport.

Jane Aubrey
Over the last two decades, Jane’s career has spanned journalism and production working on the world’s largest sporting events including Olympic & Commonwealth Games and has held media and operational roles in UCI teams, WorldTour events and the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race.

A former Editor at Cyclingnews and Cyclist Australia & New Zealand, Jane has also worked in the Public Affairs Unit teammates Department of Defence of Australia, and as Media Manager for Basketball Australia and Athletics Australia.

Now providing consulting advice in communications and public relations, Jane’s spare time is spent preparing to take on some of the world’s highest mountains and she’s working on a plan to conquer the Seven Summits.

Register for tickets

The breakfast is being held at the Shipp Inn (Southbank) on Thursday 28 February 2019 at 7:00 am – 8:30 am AEST.

Tickets are $43.29 per head. Click here to book.

See you there!

19/11/201828/11/2018

Nao’s Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking

This touching guest post comes from Bicycle Create Change’s Research Assistant Nao Kamakura. Nao has recently completed her residency with BBC and is currently traveling Australia, then home to Japan. Here, Nao reflects on her time as a new international student in Brisbane and how hard it was to meet locals. Nao found a commonality with others when riding her bike and this post recounts some of the memorable times she had – thanks to her bike. We can all relate to moments in this post. Thanks for sharing Nao – happy travels and enjoy your rides! NG.

Nao's Reflections on bicycles, aBrisbane and networking. Bicycles Create Change.com. 19th Nov, 2018. — Nao on a bike ride in Brisbane. August, 2018.

Nao’s Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking

Today, I would like to write about my bicycle experience in Brisbane.

Ever since I first came to Brisbane, I have always looked for authentic opportunities to meet new people, make some local friends and build my network. This is because I came to Brisbane alone and didn’t know anyone.

Bicycles helped me communicate with new people

When I first started as Nina’s researcher, I went to a networking event held in the city. Of course, I didn’t know anyone.

Some people are very good at communicating with new people, but unfortunately, I am not that kind of person.

My mind was always fighting – I want to go to this event, but I really don’t want to go!! In addition, I was still worried about my English speaking skill.

So I was a bit nervous.

In my mind, I felt a little bit of panic, things like “With whom should I talk to first?” or “What should I talk about?”.

Then, one person came late and he said “Sorry I’m late and sweaty – it’s because I came by bicycle”

Chaaaance.

I told him that I was a research assistant for a Griffith academic and I was investigating mountain biking.

That was how I could start a conversation with him – about bicycles. It was as easy as that.

Coincidently, he had just finished his PhD at the same University and he told me all about his research. This kind of communication was very interesting for me. But it was only made possible because of bicycles.

This small bicycle conversation led me to build an interesting network.

Evenso, at this early stage, I still didn’t have a special interest in bicycles – yet.

Nao's Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking. Bicycles Create Change.com. 19th Nov, 2018. — Image: Freepic

In the workplace – ‘the bicycle girl’

A few weeks later, I bought a bicycle.

To finish my studies, I had to do a workplace intership. I wanted to use the bike to get to there because my student concession travel card had expired. Basically, I just wanted to save money.

It was 6km from my home to the company. The road included some slopes and hills, so it was not easy for me to ride the bike for the first few weeks.

At work, people noticed that I rode there and home each day.

Work colleagues started to talk to me about bicycles and riding.

I was surprised.

I wouldn’t have known what to talk about with these same colleagues if I didn’t have my bicycle. But now, people were starting a conversation with me and they wanted to keep talking about it!

Everyone recognised me as ‘the bicycle girl’.

This meant I had many conversations and met even more new people.

One time, a colleague invited me to join a bicycle event with her – and she also asked me to go to Fraser Island with her!

What a miracle! Lucky me!

Riding a bicycle helped my communication and confidence in this new work environment. It was a very special opportunity that I would not have experinced without a bike.

Out and about

As for getting used to riding a bicycle, I started to use my bike as ‘recreational equipment’.

I often went to the farmer’s markets near the city on my bike.

Cycling became my new hobby in Brisbane.

On the way to go to markets, I could see that Brisbane’s scenery is very, very beautiful.

Just riding along the riverside made me happy.

It was during this time that I realised the full attractiveness of bicycles.

This is just my personal opinion, but I REALLY love riding bikes now.

It puts me into a positive mindset.

When I sold my bicycle (because I had to move out), I was extremely sad….without my bicycle I felt naked!

This website’s title is ‘Bicycle Creates Change’ That is very true.

‘Change’ depends on the person. My bicycle helped me to communicate with people and that was a big change for me 🙂

Nao Kamakura