More Sydney Routes

Sydney's Best Road Bike Rides

BAY RUN: 1 - 2 HOURS

A light to medium intensity ride that takes in Sydney's inner harbour. The ride has a relatively easy exit out of the CBD with the majority of the subsequent ride being off-road on shared bike/pedestrian pathways. The ride is easily shortened or lengthened to suit your time-frame, fitness and riding preferences. Best avoided after 8am on Weekends. 

See the route here

 

CITY TO CENTENNIAL PARK VIA THE ROCKS AND ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS SYDNEY: 1 - 2 HOURS 

A light to medium intensity ride that takes you down under the Sydney Harbour Bridge before heading across town to the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Royal Botanic Gardens. From there the ride heads to the wharves at Woolloomooloo, before climbing up through Kings Cross and then on to Centennial Park via the picturesque inner city suburbs of Elizabeth Bay and Paddington. Once at Centennial Park you can do was many circuits as your schedule permits. From the western gates of the Park, it takes approximately 15 minutes to return to Livelo HQ in the CBD. 

See the route here

 

CITY TO CENTENNIAL PARK: 1 - 2 HOURS

A shorter version of the ride above. Perfect if your schedule is tight and you just need to get a few k's in those legs.

See the route here

 

CITY TO BRONTE BEACH VIA WATSONS BAY: 2 - 3 HOURS 

Medium Intensity. A classic Sydney ride if ever there was one. You leave the city via a loop around under the Harbour Bridge and through the historic Rocks district. Then it is on to the Opera House, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Botanic Gardens. From there the ride heads out through Sydney's classic harbour suburbs of Elizabeth Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay and on to Watsons Bay. From Watsons Bay you climb up to Vaucluse via The Gap and on to Bondi Beach, Tamarama Beach, and Bronte beach. The climb out of Bronte Beach will remind your legs that Sydney has a few good hills to keep them in good condition. From here it is back to the Livelo HQ via Centennial Park. If your schedule permits you can join the cycling masses and complete a few loops around Centennial Drive. It will take approximately 15 minutes to return to the city from the park. 

 See the route here

 

CITY TO BALMORAL: 1 - 2 HOURS

Medium intensity. The ride begins with the spectacular crossing of Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge. But the fun doesn't stop when your reach the Northern end of the Bridge. First though, you will have to dismount your bike to come down the stairs on the Bridge’s northern exit. From there continue on through the leafy north shore suburbs of Neutral Bay and Mosman before arriving at your destination- beautiful Balmoral Beach. Enjoy the descent down to the beach, because the climb out will be just as memorable. Our ride back to the Bridge takes us to one of Sydney Harbour's hidden treasures, Chowder Bay.

See the route here

 

CITY TO LA PEROUSE: 1.5 - 2 HOURS

Easy to Medium intensity. A staple of the city riding scene, La Pa is the perfect for a quick spin on largely flat terain. Your route takes you south of the city via Oxford Street, past the Sydney Cricket Ground and Randwick Racecourse to the Northern edge of Port Botany. The return trip brings you back to the city via Centennial Park and the ride can extended with extra laps of the parks bike circuit.

See the route outbound here

See the route back to the city here

 

CITY TO KU-RING-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK (WEST HEAD): 4 - 6 HOURS

If you feel like stretching the legs, our 120km ride north of the city to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is the perfect ride. The ride unfolds with a dash over the Sydney Harbour Bridge after which you warm the legs as you ride the through the leafy lower north-shore suburbs of Kirribilli, Mosman and Seaforth. Your route then takes you along Sydney's Northern beaches to the entrance of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. If this wasn't place wasn't already Sydney's cycling mecca, it certainly is now that the roads have been re-surfaced with lovely smooth hot-mix. Mix in some of Sydney's best climbs, descents and scenery, and little if any traffic, and we know you'll want to stay and ride here all day.

See the outbound route on Strava here. To view, request to follow us. 

 

MANLY TO KU-RING-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK (WEST HEAD): 4 HOURS

This is a alternative to the route above. You catch the Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and start the ride from Manly. This cuts out a lot of navigation and makes for  a much easier to follow route. As per the Strava a route it is 80kms. If you would like to make it a little longer you can add the Akuna Bay loop on your way back from West Head or ride all the way back into the city as per the route above.  Here is the link to start the ride from Manly. 

See the route here. To view, request to follow us. 

THE GORGES: 2 HOURS 

People who know describe this as Sydney’s best ride (take look at the profile).

The decent from Berowra down to Berowra Waters is as spectacular as the ferry ride across the river is serene. Enjoy that serenity, because the next 4kms is solid climbing before bombing the hairpins down to Galston Gorge and tackling the epic switchbacks that take you back up to the Old Pacific Highway. We recommend taking the train from the city to Berowra to start this one (Town Hall or Wynyard Stations are easy options, the trains run regularly and the trip takes approximately 3o to 60 minutes depending on the time of day you travel. Timetable is available here

For a truly epic ride, combine The Gorges with Berowra to Wisemans Ferry below (you may want to pack a banana or three)

See the route here

 

BEROWRA TO WISEMANS FERRY: 2 - 4 HOURS

Like The Gorges, this ride starts at Berowra and once again we recommend taking the train (although it is possible to ride, particularly if you want to leave the city very early in the morning). 

The route is the Old Pacific Highway and you join it on Sydney’s northern edge. The OPH was replaced as the major route north in the 80s and has been a mecca for cyclists of all kinds since. The long descents and climbs are have good gradients, not to sharp that you can't get a rhythm going, but sharp enough that sections will have you looking for that extra gear (that won't be there - you're already in it). The ride takes you down to the spectacular Hawkesbury River and finishes at Wisemans Ferry (which has a Reptile Park if you want a nature break before turning around and heading back). As suggested above, combine this ride with The Gorges for a truly memorable day out cycling in the Australian bush, who knows, you may even see a Kangaroo or Koala.

See the route here

 

WATERFALL TO WOLLONGONG: 2 - 4 HOURS

A lovely ride through the Royal National Park in the cities south. Once you exit the park the rides gets more spectacular as you ride through the escarpments beach-side towns, taking in ocean sky-bridges and long beach side bike paths. The ride ends in Wollongong and most of our clients choose to take the train back to Sydney from Wollongong. Of course if the legs are feeling good you can turn around and ride back to Waterfall. Another easy options for extending the ride is to actually start the ride in Sutherland, this ads an additional 15km of riding before at the start of your journey before you turn into the park. (You will be riding ion the large shoulder of the Princess Highway, the major road to Wollongong. This is a popular road for cyclists.)

We do not recommend riding out of the city to start this ride. The roads around Sydney Airport cannot be avoided and are hazardous for cyclists. Instead, make it easy and take the train to Waterfall from Wynyard or Town Hall Stations. Timetable is available here

The ride includes some spectacular climbs and descents. Once you exit the park there are plenty of cafes in the little beach side towns that you ride through. We can provide some recommendations if you require.

See the route here

 

BLUE MOUNTAINS AND BEYOND

We too love the idea of riding up Sydney's majestic Blue Mountains, but we also know the ugly truth of the first 100km (if you try to ride it from the Sydney CBD). Instead, we recommend riding 100m to you closest train station and take the train to the picturesque mountain top town of Leura and starting your ride from there. You can cruise around the mountain top and descend down to Hartley and return if you like a 80km ride with a solid 10km + of climbing. For the experienced you can take a left at Hartley and head out to the famous Jenolan Caves. This makes a round trip of approximately 160km with plenty of climbing. If you attempt this ride take lights, extra tubes, nutrition and prepare for changing weather conditions. Some of the roads are very narrow with some tourist traffic including buses. 

See the route out here

 

SYDNEY - THE BUCKET LIST 

If you like it long, this is the ride for you. Combining four classic Sydney rides, West Head, Akuna Bay, Bobbin Head and the Gorges. The ride out of the city is 140km with significant sections of climbing.   

1. The ride starts by heading out of the city to West Head. You can head back to the city (or Manly for the Ferry) from there or;

2. Add the Akuna Bay Loop to the West Head ride if you want to increase the distance and climbing. When you climb out of Akuna can take a left back on to McCarrs Creek Road to take you back to Church Point and the city or;

3. You can add Bobbin Head to his by not taking the left onto McCarrs Creek Road, instead continue along McCarrs Creek Road to Terry Hills and then take the right onto Mona Vale Road and continue on to Bobbin Head for more beautiful scenery and climbing. After Bobbin Head you can return to the City the way you came, e.g. via Church Point. I would avoid the temptation of taking Mona Vale Road all the way; for the last 5kms there are sections with very little shoulder and a fair amount of traffic in an 80km zone. If you do want to take a more direct route back to the coast, take the right into Forrest Way or Powderworks at Elanora Heights for a quick descent down to the coast.

 4. Finally, it you only have one day to ride in Sydney and you want to tick all the rides on your bucket list you can add The Gorges to the Bobbin Head loop. You would be best riding back to Curl Curl the same way you road out, or again take the Forrest Way Powderworks option if you want to make it more direct. The other option, which is a good one, is to take the train from Asquith train station back to the city. Beer time. 

See the route here

 

Garmin Guide

Livelo's Guide to Using the Garmin GPS to follow a course can be found here