Roller racing, le Tour and (non-French) beer

Tour de Rollers returns to RCCSYD, celebrating le Tour in style.

Well over 100 people crammed into Rapha Cycle Club Sydney to watch 32 brave guys and gals channel their inner sprinter and race for glory. After the dust settled it was first-timer Marc Sundstrom taking the chocolates in the guys division, while serial winner Lizanne Wilmot showed the other girls how it's done.

However, it wasn't all blistering racing action. In between heats the beers flowed and French-inspired cheese boards and snacks were heartily enjoyed. Then, after the racing was done, the large crowd stayed back to enjoy a cracking 20th stage of le Tour, screaming 'Allez! Allez!' at the TV screens as Quintana threatened to upstage Team Sky's best-made plans on a classic Alpe d'Huez hilltop finish.

You can find out more here or in our FAQs. Or, skip straight to the event photos.

How the racing works

You will be the first to experience our new roller racing app, which opens up a world of exciting new racing possibilities.

For this event we will be offering head-to-race racing, as well as team racing (new).

Head-to-head racing will feature a number of heats, culminating in a finals series for the top 8 men and women. The finals will follow a knockout format, leading to our grande finalé with prizes up for grabs.

There will also be a concurrent teams competition for groups of 4 who want to team up to win. You can form teams around your Club, riding mates, or a bunch of ring-ins to stack your deck. You still race solo, with each team member’s fastest time across the event added to the team total. The team with the lowest (fastest) total time will be crowned the winner.

Racing schedule

FAQs

What the heck is roller racing? – Roller racing is part sport, part carnival on wheels. In a nutshell, you get on a stationary (locked fork) bike and race an opponent to determine a winner. But what it’s really all about is having fun.

Can anyone have a go? – Absolutely! The bikes are super adjustable and can cater for almost anyone (over 18). Whether you’re a seasoned pro – or have never ridden a bike before – you’re guaranteed to have a ball.

Can I race my friends? – Absolutely. When you register nominate the victim, em, friend you want to race. From there, though, your journey through the tournament lies in the hands of fate.

Is there anything I need to bring? – No – just yourself. You can race in whatever you like (we run toe straps – so no cycling shoes required), costumes highly recommended!