marc sebastian rerceretnam

Cycling as a pastime and sport has been around since at least the 1820s, a mere decade after the European invention of the ’hobby horse’, the pedal-less two wheeled predecessor to the bicycle. The new technology encapsulated speed and personalised freedom and was a sensation in the Australian colonies by the late 1800s. Unknowingly, Australians were at the forefront of bicycle development. It was an advantage that was tragically ignored and eventually lost to manufacturers in Europe.

This book examines the changing social perceptions and status of ’a cyclist’ in Australia’s most populus city. The history of cycling in Sydney is a product of the social, economic and political landscape of the day. At any given time, it is not difficult to see in the sport and culture of cycling a reflection of the prevailing ideas and stories surrounding what it means to be an ’Australian’.

One of the key objectives of this book was to uncover the hitherto overlooked and understudied considerations of ethnicity, gender and social class, and how the evolution of these social constructs have impacted cycling’s movement from organised sport in the late 19^th century to its emergence as a practical means of transport, pastime and sport today.

This book provocatively breaks away from the well-traversed ’winner takes all’ approach to sports history and delves into this once masculine and privileged world of cycling. Winners are recognised at the time of their commemoration; however, with hindsight and analysis, the author uncovers other ’winners’ - ones, he argues, that are more historically significant and deserving, and vastly more interesting.