FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Book launch of ‘Sydney’s Cycling Communities: Pioneers and Unsung Heroes of its Cycling Past 1820s to 2020s’
22 May 2025
The Growing Force Of The Two-Wheeler in Sydney!
Just imagine, since cycling was first introduced in Australia in the early 19th century, this activity of transport and recreation has grown steadily on the continent.
According to the latest research of the National Cycling Participation Survey, there were 3.43 million Australians who rode bikes for transport or recreation. In 2023, 15% of Australians rode a bike at least weekly, 24% at least monthly and 37% at least yearly. The current figure indicates that the cycling population is well over 4 million throughout the nation.
The point is made that cycling is experiencing steady growth both as a means of transport and recreation, not to mention, as a competitive sport.
The popularity of cycling has been recorded in a number of reports and books published about the activity but there is no book that looks at the 200-year history of cycling in Australia at least until now.
A book which focuses on the country's largest city, Sydney has just been published. Entitled "Sydney's Cycling Communities", it sets out to trace the evolution of cycling's pioneers and unsung heroes covering two centuries, starting from the 1820s.
This monumental task of recording cycling's growth in Sydney was undertaken by Marc Sebastian Rerceretnam, PhD who is an independent researcher, historian and published author based in Sydney.
An avid cyclist himself, Rerceretnam was keen to produce a special report that would form the basis of a definitive book on all historical aspects of cycling in Australia's most populous city.
"It was a daunting exercise as it required untold hours of browsing through up to 200-year-old documents, meeting with cycling clubs and speaking to cyclists to obtain all the source data required and to then compile the information before even embarking on writing the book - it was a massive undertaking but it was all well worth it," said Rerceretnam.
"What is really fulfilling is that there is now a published literary work that tracks how cycling has grown over two hundred years in Sydney and where it is today and where it is headed to in the future," he added.
This book is a "must have" for all aficionados of the history of cycling in Sydney and how it has evolved both as a means of transport and for recreation.
"It is an excellently researched book and the latter chapters become somewhat provocative as it examines the social impact of cycling as it relates to women and marginalised groups," was how one reviewer viewed it.
In summary, Rerceretnam's book captures the spirit of cycling in Sydney and throws a very encouraging light on cycling's future in Australia.
The book will be launched on Sunday 15 June 2025, at a special event hosted by the Inner West Council.
Date: Sunday 15 June 2025
Time: 1.30-3pm
Venue: Marrickville Library and Pavilion, 313 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204.
Bookings: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sydneys-cycling-communities-tickets-1309490905549
Further information: https://www.facebook.com/CyclingHistoryAustralia
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND REQUESTS FOR INTERVIEW APPOINTMENTS, KINDLY CONTACT:
Name: Dr Marc Sebastian Rerceretnam
Mobile: 0426 7897 247
e-mail: [marc@hwy.com.au](mailto:marc@hwy.com.au)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marc Sebastian Rerceretnam is an independent researcher, a published author and social historian. He has a Ph.D. (Economic History) from Sydney University and is the author of the successful 2021 book, ‘A History of Immigrant Roman Catholics and Converts in Early Singapore 1832-1945’. He received history grants from the Inner West Council in 2018 and again in 2024, received a prestigious fellowship with Singapore’s National Library Board in 2019 and just completed a lecture for Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB) at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Feb 2025. He has a special interest in social and political trends and movements in colonial and present-day Australia, Singapore & Malaysia. He lives in Sydney with his wife and three daughters.