There is no better way to feel more alive than cruising on your bicycle with the wind blowing through your hair. It’s all about pushing your tired legs to move harder because the pleasure is far more overpowering than the pain.
Welcome to Canberra, the cycling capital of Australia, where kilometres of endless biking paths are spread through the city and around it. There are approximately 50 biking paths in and around the city, catering to the casual cyclist, right up to the competitive biking enthusiasts.
One such biking path is Lake Burley Griffin, a very popular cycling path running around the perimeter of the lake, measuring almost 28 km. The path is divided into 3 loops. One may decide to cover the whole circuit in one go or do one at a time, making pit stops along the way, to enjoy the many attractions that Canberra has to offer.
But there’s more to Canberra’s lakes, than Burley Griffin. To the north of ACT lies Lake Ginninderra, and to the south, Lake Tuggeranong. Both have dedicated cycling paths, where one can experience a leisurely cruise or a gruelling training session.
Canberra takes biking very seriously, encouraging more and more people to bike. Transport Canberra is investing heavily in Park n Ride and also introducing more buses where you can bring and place your bike on the bus if you want to integrate bus and bike travel. Canberra also organises the toughest biking event of Australia called the Fitz Challenge which has cyclists pushing their limits to cover 255 km with 5000 m climbs.
Cool fact: A higher percentage of people in Canberra use a bicycle as the main form of transport than anywhere else in Australia.