Brendan McDonnell

Some people get involved with cycling from a young age and some come into the activity later on in life. I was one of those that took to cycling from my first ride of a bike.

I didn't come from a cycling family, but I was given a bike for my birthday at 13. That was it for me and 52 years later I am still as passionate about cycling as I was at 13.

I lived at Balmoral in Brisbane and soon found that there was a local velodrome at Hawthorne Park and saw other kids going there on Sunday mornings. I joined in. These were training sessions for junior cyclists being run by Mike Victor OAM. After a few attendances at the track Mike spoke to my parents and convinced them I should race Track.

Ever since that leap into racing, I have been passionate about cycling. It wasn't just racing though. I found cycling to be a fantastic way to explore the world in which we live. Just getting out and riding and exploring is probably my favourite activity. As a teenager with meagre resources necessity drove me to building and maintain my bikes which is a passion that only grew bigger as I got older and had access to resources. I just love bike tech and building and adapting bikes!

As I grew into my 20's the career started to impact my racing. I did a lot of interstate travel and long stints in different capital cities. That was when I embraced one of my cycling passions which is called active transport these days but for me was just ride to work, shops and everywhere. I often didn't take a car when I spent months interstate, just a bike. I learnt useful things like in Adelaide: if you don't ride in the rain then you simply don't ride in Winter and tram tracks can be problematic in Melbourne. I had to ride.

As I got into my 40's I transitioned to racing crits. The criterium track at Murarrie was the go – every Saturday morning. Not quite the same as track racing but sure beat road racing on the hills. I didn't like hills then and not surprisingly still don't.

At this time, I also decided to get involved in bike clubs and administration. I became a commissaire for the Balmoral club and officiated at crit races at Murarrie. I wasn't that good especially when you had Louise Jones (UCI commissaire) beside you who could tell you the first 5 finishers of each race and I was struggling to pick first and second. 

I was also encouraged to join the Board of Cycling Qld for a while and that was where I got to truly understand the importance of volunteers in cycling as a sport or as a club. They are the backbone of any club or sporting group, and we often take their efforts for granted.

For me the future of cycling is all about the youth and their development as cyclists and road users. Well trained and active kids on bikes today will turn into higher levels of active transport in the future and better motorists. Advocacy for active transport is critical, and the community needs to get engaged to create a voice that can't be ignored. The Sunshine Coast Bicycle User Group (SCBUG) under Craig Humphrey's leadership and personal drive is a fantastic vehicle to give a voice to cyclists. I am very proud to be associated with this group, and I encourage all club members to get involved.