Overview
There are a total of 10 rides over 5 days. One main ride and one breakfast or dinner ride. If you do all of the rides you will complete around 288km. If you are attending please complete the Rider Information form.
Routes
Ride Report from the Rear – Canberra Takeover April 2026
Canberra is a fabulous place to ride your Brompton. No one will be able to convince me otherwise. I know I had a great time – and it was made more enjoyable by the people who came along for the ride & experience. Weather was perfect, cycling was perfect – what more can one say?…
Day 1 – Lyneham Shops and Capital Brewing
The ride starts at Lyneham Shops, explores Canberra’s highlights, includes a visit to Capital Brewing for lunch, and offers various scenic routes with rest stops.
Day 2 – The Embassy Ride and Verity Ln
Today’s ride explores Canberra’s Diplomatic Missions, includes coffee and lunch stops, and features a climb to Red Hill for scenic views before returning to the CBD.
Day 3 – Parliamentary Triangle and Bent Spoke
The ride explores Canberra’s iconic monuments, covering trails around Lake Burley Griffin, with stops for refreshments and visits to notable attractions until returning for dinner.
Day 4 – C9C7 Peripherique and Lolo and Lola
Today’s bike ride in Canberra, starting at 9:30am, explores northern and eastern regions, featuring rest stops, scenic views, and a lunch break at Cypher Brewing Co.
Day 5 – C5C4 Southern Explorer
Savoir French and C5C4 Southern Explorer offer a scenic ride through Canberra, featuring stops at key locations, including the Botanic Gardens and Kambah Village for lunch.
| Breakfast | Day | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Lyneham Shops 5km 53vm Lyneham Shops for breakfast your local shops during your stay. | Capital Brewing 40km 238vm Capital Brewing for lunch with time set aside for a visit to the National War Memorial | |
| Tue | The Embassy Ride 45km 582vm An exploration of the many Diplomatic Missions in Canberra with time set aside to visit the Royal Mint. | Verity Ln Market 11km 53vm The Sydney Building in Canberra CBD houses the Verity Lane Market a wide choice of food choices for dinner. | |
| Wed | Parliamentary Triangle 47km 332vm The long way round to the Parliamentary Triangle with time set aside for us explore some of our national institutions. | Bent Spoke 10km 68vm A cycling themed microbrewery for dinner in the trendy inner city district of Braddon. | |
| Thu | C9C7 Peripherique 50km 340vm An exploration of outer northern areas of Canberra after a short visit to Duntroon. Lunch at Cypher Brewing. | Lolo and Lola 13km 68vm A Filipino restaurant and a favourite of one of our riders. | |
| Fri | Savoir French 10km 78vm A lovely French Patisserie nestled in campus of The Australian National University. | C5C4 Southern Explorer 57km 505vm Exploring the outer southern areas of Canberra. Time is set aside to visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens |
Frequently Asked Questions
Given the oil crisis, is the Canberra Takeover going ahead?
Yes it is going ahead. Helen and I are both travelling by air to Canberra. So, unless there is a significant worsening in the crisis that prevent flights from going we will be there and riding.
For those who are going by land, my recent experience of driving to Melbourne was that while prices were consistently high along the entire route I did not observe any petrol stations without available fuel. I did, however, take a conservative strategy of topping up at my first stop to give me more range.
Are there any other costs associated with participating in the Canberra takeover?
Each rider is responsible for covering their own transport, accommodation and food costs for the trip. In addition, all riders will be asked to make a contribution to cover the costs associated with the our wonderful rider support (Julie). The per rider contribution will be based on the actual fuel costs for the support vehicle and accommodation costs for Julie. My guesstimate will be that the contribution will be around $50-100 per rider. This will be finalised after the last day of riding.
What else should I bring?
Other than your bike, cycling clothes, helmet and yourself, you might like to include in your luggage:
- a thermos and equipment to make coffee (or the drink of your choice). The first rest stop (and sometime the second stop) will be in a park location. You’ll be able to place your thermos of coffee/tea in the support vehicle. It is likely that on some days morning tea will be provided for a donation to a charity of Julie’s choice. In previous years we have had cakes, biscuits and scones. We will let you know on the night before if morning tea is being provided.
- a cycle computer or bike mount for your phone. All rides will have a GPX file that you should download. If you get separated it will be your key to returning to the group. We will not be running a tail-end Charlie or a sweep – so you’ll need to be able to navigate your own way. There will also be challenges and shortcuts provided as GPX route options that are unsupported.
- a sturdy lock. There will be opportunities to visit some of Canberra’s sights during the ride. You’ll need to be able to lock up your bike.
- front and rear lights. Each day there will be either a breakfast or dinner ride. You’ll probably need lights for those rides.
- a spare tube (or two) and toolkit. While we are all riding Bromptons and there will undoubtedly be someone to help you out, it’s always good to have some spares and toolkit to make repairs if you get separated.
- your own hydration and sunscreen.
Do I have to participate in each ride?
No. It is entirely voluntary. As all rides start and finish at the same location you can opt-out of any ride.
There are a total of 10 rides over 5 days. One main ride and one breakfast or dinner ride. If you do all of the rides you will complete around 288km. You’ll be asked to sign in and out of each ride.
I’d like to stay in a location a little longer?
No problems, there are so many great things to see in Canberra. If you would like to stay in a spot longer, just let one of the other riders know that you are stating AND check your self as ‘In’ on the relevant ride (i.e. the one you checked yourself as “Going” (the night before) and “Out” (before the ride) on Messenger. You will have access to the route to get yourself back to Alivio. Your return ride will be unsupported.
Where from and what time do the rides depart?
Each ride will leave from the Alivio Reception (see the Park Map).
If you would like to meet us somewhere along the ride, that’s o.k. please let me know the night before where you intend to meet. Please arrive with plenty of time – the riding group will only have planned stops at the rest stops.
Breakfast rides will leave around 7:30am. Day rides will leave around 9:30am. Dinner Rides will leave around 6:30pm. Actual departure times will be confirmed the night before the ride.
How many riders this year?
There are 13 riders this year.
What happens if I need support?
In the event of non-urgent support, please contact one of the support telephone numbers that will be provided before the first ride.
In the event of an emergency, please call 000 emergency services immediately. Then, contact one of the support telephone numbers that will be provided before the first ride.
We have asked all riders to share their locations via Findmy Friends of Google Maps with the two support contact numbers for the entirety of the Canberra Takeover.
We have also asked that you fill out the Rider Information which includes emergency contact details.
I would like to make a contribution for….
This year the charity supported by the ride is the Mildura Days for Girls.
If you appreciate the support provided on this ride please speak to Julie about making a donation for Mildura Days for Girls.
If you consume a scone or other delightful snack from the support vehicle during the rest stop, then a foldable donation would also be appreciated.
Can my friend without a Brompton Bike join us for one of the rides?
Yes, it would be great to meet some locals. We would, however, appreciate a foldable donation (“fine”) to the Mildura Days for Girls.