Where to ride

So, you ride to uni, you come to all our events and you still want more? Good for you!

This page lists some of MUCyc’s favorite rides in and around Melbourne, which are perfect for the weekend or after classes.

Feel free to share your favorite courses here.

Beach Rd (Route 33) (climb)

The Mecca for cyclists. On any given weekend there will be thousands of cyclists on this route, of all shapes and sizes. This ride offers beautiful views and sometimes awful winds, however it is a charm to ride throughout the whole year. The flat course has only minor bumps and so lends itself to all manner of rides, be it a leisurely social ride or a flat out training session.

Beach rd is at its most colourful best on the weekends with every café on the route populated by Euro-Poseurs (the good kind) with their new European pro kit and ‘handmade in Italy’, expensive, carbon steed.

The road does offer some great early weekday rides however it is best to try and avoid the commuter traffic heading back into the city in rush hour.

Whilst the traditional turnaround points are Mordialloc and further on at Frankston, the Nepean Hwy offers access all the way to Sorrento at the end of the peninsula. Some sublime riding is found on the hilly roads around Mt Eliza and Mt Martha. Arthur’s Seat at Dromana (3km at 8.1%) offers stunning views and a challenge for all the mountain goats out there with some steep hairpin sections.

Beach rd offers something for every cyclist.

Kew Boulevard (route map)

This is the perfect training ground if you fancy some hills without having to go all the way out of town. It is fairly quiet most of the time, though again in peak hour you should be mindful of maniacs in cars.

The surface is quite rough so a spare tube and pump (or friend with spare tube and pump) are necessary

The beautifully winding road offers lots of variation and some good views, but is perhaps a bit short for a long ride. Many riders do multiple laps to get in the k’s. From Uni, you can access the Kew Boulevard by riding along Johnston Street, up Studley Park Rd, turning left before you get to the top.

There are many side streets which have very steep grades including Yarra st and Hodgson st.

Interesting fact: The Boulevard was used for a time trial course in last year’s Herald Sun tour. Some graffiti supporting Simon Gerrans still remains.

Richmond Boulevard (route map)

The Kew Boulevard connects to the Richmond Boulevard (and the Velodrome). At the end of the Boulevard, near Burke Hall, turn right down Walmer st, get onto the bike path at the bottom of the road and cross the footbridge. Immediately turn hard to your right as you come over the bridge going down the ramp onto the Yarra trail. Follow this trail until it comes back up to road level about a km down the road at Richmond Boulevard.

Wide and fairly quiet, the Richmond Boulevard connects Burwood Road and the freeway. It is used by several organisations as a Duathlon course, and like the Kew Boulevard it is popular among road cyclists for laps. MUcyc will use the Richmond Boulevard for criterium training sessions throughout the racing season.

The road surface is not perfect, but even with cars parked on the side there is plenty of room, and there is always the actual bike path next to the river, if you want to be extra safe (road cyclists will find this too bumpy).

Opposite the Scotch College Boatsheds you can choose to turn onto the underpass trail that follows the Monash fwy to the Hawthorn Velodrome, or continue on the path into Fed Square.

Hawthorn Velodrome (map)

Located within Smith Reserve, Glenferrie Road Hawthorn.

Probably not any official size, it’s perfectly smooth, banked and often filled with cyclists. Pop down to draft behind some Triathletes or Timetriallers in training, or have a race against some businessmen having a race after work. Perfect for the training session where traffic may be an issue (ie sprint training)

Easily reached via the Yarra trail, which continues out to Lilydale, or in towards the city.

Albert Park Lake (route map)

While this site is best for road cycling when the Grand Prix is on (and they close the roads), it is pretty quiet most of the time. It is smooth tarmac, wide, circular and perfect for time trial practice or training (if you just like to ride and not worry about where you are going or lots of lights).

Its about 5km long, and there are some traffic lights so it’s not as simple as a velodrome, but does offer better scenery. Mountain bikers may prefer to use the gravel path bordering the actual lake, if you are happy to dodge joggers, dogs and swans.

Kinglake (route map) (climb)

Whilst there is no actual lake at Kinglake (so don’t take your bathers), it still remains one of the best spots for cycling around Melbourne. The ride is rewarding with a number of small bergs giving the legs a workout on the way there and the Kinglake climb presenting a worthwhile challenge.

The course slides away from the city grind into a rural setting once you get out onto Diamond Creek Road. From there it’s rolling hills and beautiful big gum trees the whole way out. Kinglake National Park is serene and offers some magnificent views.

This is one of the few manageable rides from the urban centre that encompasses such a rural aspect.

The climb at Kinglake (7.46km at 4.8%) begins from the “Winding Road 6km” sign. This sign comes immediately after the first steep uphill/downhill section. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this short hill is in fact the climb as some people (you know who you are) may have been fooled into believing. The climb itself carves along the left hand side of the mountain twisting and turning for the first 5 or so km at a gentle and consistent grade. The road then turns left onto a straight plateau section before winding its way to the right through the rainforest. The road then straightens out for a few hundred metres and the climb ends at the 60km/h signs as the road crests into the town of Kinglake.

The Dandenongs (climbs)

On a sunny day the Dandenongs are undoubtedly the best place to ride in Melbourne. On the mountain itself you feel so far removed from the city below as you wind through canopies of trees and ferns. As you break through to the SkyHigh Observatory at the highest point on Mt Dandenong, a stunning vista of the city from bay to bush opens up below.

Canterbury Road and Burwood Hwy service Mt Dandenong from Melbourne’s inner East. Both are wide and have fairly high speed limits so they are best avoided in the busiest hours of the week but are perfect for an early morning weekend spin. Otherwise you can catch the train to Boronia, Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey or Belgrave stations or drive out and get in some solid k’s on the mountain

The easiest roads for training on the mountain are Mountain Hwy to Sassafrass (gentle grade, twisting road – the famous 1/20 climb), Mt Dandenong Tourist Road from Sassafrass to Ridge rd. Whilst the roads are fairly steep up Ridge rd to the Observatory, the steep pinches are quite short and well worth the view at the top.

If you are a fan of the Tour de France, this ride will give you a chance to pretend you are in the Alps, though it’s a lot flatter, and the surrounding greenery is gum trees and ferns. Still fun though!

Enjoy a coffee and snack at the cafe at the top, before the fun ride back down. Be mindful of locals in their utes, who don’t mind overtaking you even if you are in the middle of the lane and it’s a blind corner.

There are many ways to skin a cat however so if you prefer a greater challenge you should take on Olinda-Monbulk rd, the climbing portions of Mt Dandenong Tourist rd and the famously steep Terry’s Avenue. As Mt D is one of the closest, most accessible mountains to Melbourne, it is the hotspot for training for local climbers and as such every road has a named climb with distinct start/end points used for timing uphill efforts. After all this is where a certain Cadel Evans grew up.