The Melbourne to Canberra G2 event acquired its name due to a Queenslander wanting to establish a premier SE Queensland cycling race, but faced with the problem that the major cities of the southeast refused to be associated with each other.
The Gold Coast accused the Sunshine Coast of being too family working class; the Sunshine Coast said that the Gold Coast White Shoe Brigadiers were too glitzy; and Brisbane objected to...
Read moreThe Melbourne to Canberra G2 event acquired its name due to a Queenslander wanting to establish a premier SE Queensland cycling race, but faced with the problem that the major cities of the southeast refused to be associated with each other.
The Gold Coast accused the Sunshine Coast of being too family working class; the Sunshine Coast said that the Gold Coast White Shoe Brigadiers were too glitzy; and Brisbane objected to sharing the limelight.
All seemed lost, but then somebody came up with the idea that if the race started near Melbourne St on the Gold Coast, finished at Canberra Arcade on the Sunshine Coast; then it could be called the Melbourne to Canberra G2, and none of the cities would need to officially associate with each other. So that’s what they did.
Staying the night in several Gold Coast glitzy hotels, those who avoided the many trappings of Gold Coast entertainment arrive in Labrador at 10am, to go on the fast 250km dash to the Sunshine Coast.
After a quick circuit pass the many marinas and inlets and through the main Surfers Paradise strip, the cyclists head towards Brisbane, avoiding the 110kph zone M1 motorway whenever possible.
Once in Brisbane, the race detours into South Bank, which came into fame after the 1988 World Expo (arguably one of the most successful Expos - having attracted more people than was living in Australia at the time), cycle pass the “Wheel of Brisbane” by the Brisbane River, cross the river to have a quick look at the specialist cycling path which runs up the river, and then head into the northern Brisbane suburbs. Here, the race seeks out every possible small incline, all while heading for the almost 3km long Ted Smout Memorial Bridge (Ted Smout having been a WW1 veteran who was on the scene when the Red Baron was fatally shot down), which takes the race into the seaside city of Redcliffe.
After Redcliffe, the race continues north along secondary roads, still seeking out every small incline as they pass the Glass Mountains, with the intent of putting some hurt into sprinter legs. Indeed, despite the highest point in the race being a mere 87 metres above sea level, there’s almost a full kilometre of recognised altitude gain.
Finished with tiring the sprinters, the race journeys into the Sunshine Coast, where those sprinters with enough strength remaining in their legs race the last 14 kms along the shore from Mooloolba to Caloundra, hoping to be first pass the Canberra Arcade, where the winner can bask in glory on the sands looking out into the Pacific Ocean.
As a race, it’s had a similar turbulent time on the OCM calendar as the cities have had with each other, first appearing in season 4, with a hiatus after season 25. However, despite this, its status as the only recognised one day race featuring either the Gold or Sunshine Coasts, makes it an attractive proposition for many to feature as part of the OCM calendar.
