DM LIFE Gravel Bikes 728 Bec Rowlands 1

Cycling

Pedal power

Bike riders are spoiled for choice in the region. Choose from family-friendly trails, scenic gravel adventures, challenging road rides and hardcore mountain biking.

The Federation Trail, which runs parallel to the Melbourne–Lancefield Road, is a shared path suitable for the whole family that passes classic Australian architecture and rolling farmland.

Popular road routes include the Mountain Climb Challenge up Mount Macedon – only for the fit riders out there – and Barringo Beauty, which follows 48 kilometres of quiet country roads with great views of Mount Macedon.

Mountain biking has really taken off in the region, with 60 kilometres of trails designed by world-class experts at Djuwang Baring/Creswick Trails and 35 kilometres at La Larr Ba Gauwa near Harcourt. Here, you’ll find beginner options plus trails for any dare devils out there. Or hit the old-school cross-country trails at Wombat Forest, just outside Woodend.

The Goldfields Track is a gravel trail stretching from Ballarat to Bendigo. Along its 210-kilometre length, you’ll pass forests, farmland, historical site and gold-rush-era towns.

Challenging is one word to describe Riddells Revenge, a 57-kilometre cross-country route that’s uphill for the first half before the downhill hits.