{"id":497668,"date":"2026-02-25T03:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497668\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T03:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:06:11","slug":"auscycling-launches-taskforce-to-support-the-future-of-road-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497668\/","title":{"rendered":"AusCycling launches taskforce to support the future of road cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Road\u00a0racing\u00a0in Australia faces many challenges. This is a message\u00a0we\u2019ve heard\u00a0consistently from\u00a0members,\u00a0clubs, officials, and event organisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Across the country,\u00a0we are hearing that\u00a0road racing participation is declining and fewer club races are being staged.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the cost and complexity of delivering safe events on public roads is rising quickly, driven by traffic management, permits, policing and insurance, alongside increasing compliance demands and the loss of traditional venues in some areas.<\/p>\n

Add in volunteer fatigue,\u00a0a crowded\u00a0calendar and rider safety concerns, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0clear these\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0isolated issues:\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0systemic pressures on the road cycling ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To respond,\u00a0AusCycling\u00a0is\u00a0launching an\u00a0AusCycling\u00a0Road Taskforce\u00a0\u2013 a dedicated project team\u00a0established\u00a0to develop evidence-based recommendations to support a sustainable and thriving road racing ecosystem in Australia.<\/p>\n

\"ALeadership and oversight\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Taskforce will be led by Shane\u00a0Mattiske, an experienced sports executive and former President of Randwick Botany Cycling Club.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The work will be overseen by the AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner, EGM of Transformation Nick Hannan, and EGM of Clubs and Community Enhancement Kipp Kaufmann \u2013 supported by a steering group that will guide progress and ensure alignment with organisational priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoad racing is a really important part of our cycling landscape,\u201d said Mr Mattiske. \u201cI know clubs, officials and event organisers are putting an incredible amount of energy into delivering\u00a0road racing despite many challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see this project as an important initiative focusing on what can be done to create a more sustainable road racing system for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Taskforce is about listening properly, being clear-eyed about\u00a0the issues, and then focusing on practical improvements that can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a0What the Taskforce will focus on\u00a0<\/p>\n

The AusCycling Road Taskforce will build a clear picture of\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0happening on the ground and why, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n

participation and engagement trends, including\u00a0evolving\u00a0rider expectations and event behaviours;operational and financial sustainability, including the rising costs of delivering events;compliance and regulation, including permits and traffic management requirements;volunteer and workforce capacity, including retention and workload pressures; andsystem factors such as calendar clashes, safety concerns, and access to suitable venues.<\/p>\n

The primary output will be a set of evidence-based options and recommendations including clear implementation pathways, potential pilots, resource\u00a0implications\u00a0and measures of success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A\u00a0A genuine, wide consultation process\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like\u00a0AusCycling\u2019s previous\u00a0major reviews<\/a>, this work will be shaped by structured consultation and external comparisons, combining feedback and data with learnings from other sports and cycling nations.<\/p>\n

During March and April\u00a02026, the Taskforce will undertake a significant consultation process, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n

a national survey for clubs, members,\u00a0officials\u00a0and stakeholders; andtargeted focus groups with stakeholder segments (including clubs of\u00a0different sizes, state offices, officials, commercial\u00a0organisers\u00a0and riders).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Taskforce will also engage with key partners that influence road event delivery,\u00a0including relevant government and road agencies, land managers, and other organisations involved in road event approvals and safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A\u00a0Focusing where we can deliver\u00a0<\/p>\n

Road cycling\u2019s challenges have built up over decades, and no single project can fix everything at once.<\/p>\n

The Taskforce will take a prioritisation approach:\u00a0identifying\u00a0the changes\u00a0AusCycling\u00a0can\u00a0control\u00a0directly and implement quickly, alongside longer-term reforms that may require\u00a0influencing\u00a0governments,\u00a0regulators\u00a0and industry partners.<\/p>\n

AusCycling will also consider opportunities to evolve the sport and reflect the\u00a0unchangeable underlying trends that impact road cycling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t promise every issue will be solved overnight. But we can promise we\u2019ll listen, be transparent about what we\u2019re hearing, and focus on practical improvements that support clubs and organisers to keep racing happening,\u201d said\u00a0AusCycling\u00a0CEO Marne Fechner.<\/p>\n

The Taskforce\u2019s recommendations are due to be submitted to the AusCycling Board in July 2026.<\/p>\n

Photos: Con Chronis and James Raison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Road\u00a0racing\u00a0in Australia faces many challenges. This is a message\u00a0we\u2019ve heard\u00a0consistently from\u00a0members,\u00a0clubs, officials, and event organisers.\u00a0 Across the country,\u00a0we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-497668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}