Ride2Work Day: The Up-hill Battle

This week, Australia had an inaugural National Ride to Work Day with 30,000 participants across 3,000 workplaces. Atlassian was one of them.
Our Sydney office is well-equipped for cyclists — bikes can frequently be seen parked in our lower level. Staff can bring their bikes into our building’s rear entrance and hop into one of the showers.

Bicycle Parking – “Before”
To support Ride to Work Day, Atlassian installed new bicycle parking — our office now looks more like a Bike Shop than a workplace!

2007 Ride to Work Participants and new Bicycle Parking
Eleven Sydney staff members participated in the event, giving a cycle-powered ratio of around 12%, many of whom had their first ride to work. Sherali rode from as far as Manly (15km) and Scott from as close as Pyrmont (2km). We also have regulars such as Justin who rides from Homebush Bay and Conor who pedals from North Ryde (17km).
John, our Chief Financial Officer, found himself a little lost navigating the freeways on the way to work, even calling his wife for assistance when he succumbed to the hills. Showing an amazing measure of determination, he managed to find his way to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and ride to work under his own steam — congratulations!
I personally found that my morning ride from Chatswood was just as fast as public transport, but without the crowded carriages. Buoyed by enthusiasm, I decided that I shall make cycling my default transport method — that was until I attempted the trek homewards, only to find that Sydney has very poor cycleways and practically non-existent signage for cyclists. It was late, getting dark and I had no idea how to get home, so I also had to call my wife for a pickup. I think next time I’ll consult a map before attempting the journey!
To round off the event, the office hosted a BBQ to restore depleted energy.

After-Ride BBQ Breakfast
A couple of regular riders couldn’t make the event, so we’re hoping that we can win an award next year for the workplace with the largest proportion of staff cycling to work. Mmm, maybe we should give priority to hiring cyclists in future?