04/11/2024
Principal Researcher, Dr Marc Rerceretnam received a $5,000 grant from Inner West Council to help towards the publication of my upcoming book on the 200-year history of cycling in Sydney c.1830s to 2020s.
Title:
'Sydney’s Cycling Communities: Pioneers and Unsung Heroes of its Cycling Past 1830s to 2020s'
Synopsis
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 matrix 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 “Australian”.
This book 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 critical analysis, the writer uncovers other ‘winners’ – ones, he argues, are more historically significant and deserving, and vastly more interesting.
