Your safety and the safety of all our riders participating in the events and spectating at the many events across the Festival is our number one priority. We want you to enjoy either participating or watching the event and get home safely.

We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe. Listed below are the various measures that we are putting in place to keep everyone safe. We’ve then included a list of things that every one of us can do to keep us all safe.

SAFETY MEASURES

  • Queensland Police will be on course to help manage the closure of Great Barrier Reef Drive and other locations across the course
  • Traffic Services are a professional traffic management company who will be managing the road closures in conjunction with Queensland Police, and managing traffic around the course
  • Queensland Ambulance will have two ambulances on course ready to provide aid if required. There will also be first-aid responders on moto’s to quickly respond to any incidents.
  • Bicycle mechanics will be available at registration areas in both Port Douglas and Palm Cove to assist with any last-minute bike safety issues
  • SIS electrolyte hydration, water and snacks will be provided at all Aid Stations to keep you hydrated and fuelled throughout the event
  • We will have a staggered start, with each self-selected speed group starting the ride with short intervals to spread out the field from the start
  • Signs and event staff will be placed at locations where you need to exercise more care on descents or corners to make you aware of these potential hazards
  • The bicycle speed limit along Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove is 20kmph. There are numerous speed humps along this section of road and extreme care must be taken when crossing these as they have large rocks set into them which make for a rough ride. Please take extra care while crossing the speed humps.
  • At the Event Officials discretion, riders may be withdrawn from the event if they are outside the designated cut-off times and their safety cannot be reasonably ensured
  • No headphones/AirPods to be used while riding to ensure you can hear calls made by other riders
  • A local community marketing campaign will be conducted to inform the local community about the event and any potential traffic interruptions
  • Riders competing in the Hemingway’s Brewery Sprint will be set off two riders at a time and there will be a median strip between each rider to reduce any chance of collision

While every effort has been made to mark out and officiate the course route, it remains the riders responsibility to be conversant with the ride route. Cyclists are reminded that road cycling can be considered a dangerous sport and whilst all reasonable care is taken by organisers and officials when organising an event, all participants have an equal responsibility to ensure they take all reasonable care by adhering to the road rules and other conditions imposed by ride officials, ensuring a safe ride environment for all concerned.

WHAT CAN RIDERS DO?

Ensure your bike has been recently serviced, your tyres aren’t worn with holes, your brakes work, your gears work smoothly, there is nothing loose on your bike, there are bar ends inserted in the ends of your handlebars, you have two drink bottle cages on your bike and it is safe to ride.

Ensure you have an Australian Cycling Standards helmet (sticker is located on the inside of the helmet).

Ensure the helmet fits on your head securely. If you are unsure, please bring your helmet to registration and check with our bike mechanics. You MUST be wearing your helmet whenever riding your bike in a Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival event.

Wear comfortable cycling clothing suitable for the ride you have entered.

Ensure your repair kit contains a minimum of 1 new tube, tyre levers, C02 canister and valve head or a bike tyre pump

You must always stay in the left-hand lane and never cross the white line into oncoming cyclists. Riders will be travelling in both directions along most of the course, so please ensure you stay in the left-hand lane.

Although Great Barrier Reef Drive is fully closed to traffic there may still be official vehicles or emergency service vehicles using the road. Please stay to the left of the lane and pull off the road if you hear emergency service sirens approaching to ensure you allow easy access for these vehicles.

Some roads will be open to traffic. Please stay in the bike lane or left-hand shoulder of the road to allow traffic to pass safely.

Obey all directions of Queensland Police, Traffic Controllers and Event Officials.

No more than two riders side-by-side, unless overtaking.

Please ride on the left-hand side of the lane and allow faster riders to pass you on your right side.

Don’t pass riders on the left side! Always come around the riders on their right. If they are in the middle of the lane and you can’t get past, please call out “Passing, please move left”.

No headphones/AirPods to be used while riding to ensure you can hear calls made by other riders.

If you need to come to a stop for any reason (puncture, other mechanical issue, legs just need a rest etc) please call out nice and loud “Stopping”, raise your left hand to indicate that you are moving to your left and slowly pull over to the far left of the shoulder of the road and come to a stop.

If there is space to stay fully off the road while you are stopped, please use this space to allow other riders to pass safely. Then, once you are ready to start again, allow plenty of space between riders to allow you to gain your momentum and join the ride once again.

Call out nice and loud if you see anything on the road that may impact you or the riders behind you. For example, if there is a large rock in the lane and you plan to pass this with the rock on your right side call out “Rock right”. If you hear this call, then please pass the call back through the group you are riding in.

You will be riding with many people you have never ridden with before. To help reduce the risk of touching the wheel in front of you we suggest you allow a 1 metre gap between your front wheel and the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. This will allow you more time to react to any changes in speed from the riders in front.

Stay hydrated and fuelled on the ride. If your body begins to dehydrate the first part of your body that is affected is your brain, which can slow down your reaction times. Drink before you get thirsty and drink often. There are plenty of Aid Stations along the course to refill your drink bidons.