The stories that make up the bigger story of cycling set into the district of Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Western District of Victoria and set into the general life of that district.

Volume 1 traces the story of cycling from 1869, the year of its effective birth in the colony of Victoria to 1914. Part 1 – Velocipedes – 1870s; Part 2 – High Bicycles – 1880s; Part 3 – Safety Bicycles – 1890s; Part 4 – Federation 1900-1914.

Volume 2 covers the period from 1914 to the middle of 1945. Two world wars bookmark a period of rapid growth and rehabilitation and a period of economic depression. During this time the bicycle maintained it’s general use by most people.
Hubert Opperman and Bruce Small under the malvern Star banner stand prominent in racing, in record setting and in promotion of cycling generally. In Geelong the Drome carnivals of Mick Hede and Eugene Cowly focus attention of Western District racing.The professional Geelong West club is joined by amateur clubs throughout the district and by the end of the second war women are racing in Geelong. Touring becomes noteworthy and Bike Hikes are precursors of later mass rides to be recorded in Volume 3.

Volume 3 Covers the period from mid 1945 until the middle of the 1980s.
Carnival and road racing in Geelong in the 1940s and 1950s were richly endowed with local hero Russell Mockridge and fellow Australian world champion Sid Patterson. Olympic and Empire Games representatives Barry Coster, John Hine, Don Wilson and Peter McDermot appear in the 1950s to 70s and amateur John Hine wins the Warrnambool classic in 1980, a mile stone win for that race.
Touring on bicycles became a newsworthy topic during this period. The work also includes trading activity.
On the roads the motor car reigns supreme but with the Geelong Bike Plan of the late 1970s, the first such plan in the country, cycling begins to emerge as a legitimate form of everyday transport for the future. By the middle 1980s this turnabout has taken root and a new cycling world continues to expand.


Includes bibliographical references and index.