Gong Ride Changes and Improvements

The 2008 Gong Ride was our most successful yet, attracting a record field of 13,600 riders and achieving the highest fundraising to date. With this however came some operational challenges that made the ride less enjoyable for some riders than previous years.

As part of our ongoing commitment to our supporters and maintaining a high quality event, we’ve reviewed last year's ride, had detailed discussions with the RTA, NSW Police and our volunteers, and listened to all your feedback and suggestions.

As a result this year's ride will have some significant changes which we are confident will ensure the Gong Ride remains the best organised and most rewarding ride in Australia. Please take the time to read about these changes below.

We are proud of The Gong Ride’s reputation as the best organised ride in Australia and we want to maintain this reputation so all participants continue to have an amazing experience.

Entries capped at 10,000

To maintain the safety and enjoyment of participants, local residents and other road users and in consultation with the NSW Police and the RTA, this year’s event will be capped at 10,000.

Priority entry for 2008 fundraisers

Multiple Sclerosis Australia stages the Gong Ride to raise funds to support our work with and for people living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Last year almost $2.1 million was directly fundraised by riders on the Gong Ride.

Because numbers are now capped at 10,000 we know that some people are going to be disappointed and we want to ensure that the 6,500 people who fundraised through the ride last year get first chance to secure entry.

2008 fundraisers will therefore have priority entry to the ride until 14 August.

The event will open to non fundraisers and new Gong Riders, who pledge to raise a minimum $200, on a first come first served basis on 15 August.

Pre Entry only – no Enter on the Day option

To avoid congestion at the start sites and acknowledging the 10,000 cap on entries we will not be offering Enter on the Day this year.

All riders must pre-enter to take part in the ride.

Please note that the Royal National Park which is closed to traffic on the day will operate on a no bib – no entry basis and unregistered riders will not be permitted access.

Improvements to flows and start sites

The cap on numbers will ensure that the congestion experienced by some riders on some parts of the course last year will be significantly reduced or eliminated.

We are also introducing some other measures to reduce congestion and assist the smooth flow of riders. These include:

Earlier start time

The first riders will be permitted to leave the 90km Start at Sydney Park, St Peter’s at 6:00am which is daylight. This will allow us an extra 15 minutes to start the ride and help improve the flow at the start and first section of the course.

Coloured bibs for different start times

This year riders will be given a bib colour coded to your allocated start time. Please do not arrive at the start more than 30 minutes ahead of your allocated start time.

Separate locations at Sydney Park for teams and individual starts

To improve the flow at the 90km Start we will operate two start locations.

In addition to the traditional start location for Teams we will have a new location for individuals a few hundred meters away. Please refer to the Start site map on the website and in your Ride Guide for details.

New 58km Start site at Engadine

We’re moving the 56km short course option back to its original location at Cooper St, Reserve, Engadine. This will reduce the impact of the second start on the main course and ensure a smoother, better ride for everyone. It also adds two kilometres to the short course!

Improved safety measures – including no bib/ no entry to the Royal National Park.

We’ve undertaken a review of the course and will be introducing additional traffic control and safety measures along parts of it. This will include additional diversions for vehicles, increased traffic management infrastructure and other measures.

Your behaviour plays a major part in the safety of the event. Please ensure that:

Bikelift changes

Some people experienced delays with the BikeLift service last year.

This year BikeLift will only be available as a pre-paid service – no tickets will be sold on the day.

In addition we are scheduling additional trucks and coaches so that we are not dependent on vehicles returning from Sydney to transport bikes.