The Gold Coast SUNS and Metricon Stadium welcomed over 1,500 cyclists to the Club’s team base, as the AFL’s #1 venue for match-day experience transformed into the activities hub for the Gold Coast Festival of Cycling for the first time in 2013.
Run by three-times Tour De France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen, the move to Metricon Stadium and the surrounding Carrara precinct proved to be a masterstroke for the exciting Gold Coast event.
A family fun run, for all ages and skill levels, kicked off the two-day cycling bonanza on Saturday morning with the 2k, 5km and 10km courses personally designed by former Gold Coast Titans champion Mat Rogers and premier endurance runner Jackson Elliott.
Other events on the Saturday included a Cycling Criterium Series – an anti-clockwise circuit with different skill categories including Elite Racing, Celebrity Challenge and High School Teams Challenge.
With hundreds of footy fanatics also flooding through the Gates, the AFL Grand Final was broadcast live on Metricon Stadium’s big screen, providing further entertainment for participants and spectators.
Then on Sunday, over 1,200 riders departed for Robbie’s gruelling 117km “Gran Fondo” around the majestic Gold Coast Hinterlands, as some of the country’s top cyclists tackled the challenging time-trial track.
V8 supercar ace Jamie Whincup, World Superbike champion Tory Bayliss and dual Olympian Courtney Atkinson were among the big names to don the lycra over the weekend’s festivities, with Atkinson winning Saturday’s 10km fun run in a swift 30 minutes.
At the Gold Coast SUNS team base there were plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertainment, including a Kids Activity Zone specialising in fitness and nutrition, a kids Mini Cycling Fondo, live entertainment on-stage and an AFL Playground where kids could test their kicking and handballing skills.
Metricon Stadium Manager David Bennett who also competed in the event said it was great to welcome new patrons and deliver a venue experience at Metricon Stadium outside of its usual SUNS match-day operations.
“As a community-based organisation we are continually exploring different stadium opportunities, so that we can be more than just the home of the Gold Coast SUNS,” Bennett said.
“We have a world-class entertainment facility that can cater for a variety of venue purposes including music concerts, community events, and festivals.”
Auld, a cycling enthusiast, is hopeful the Gold Coast SUNS invested community supported would assist McEwen in making the cycling tour an annual community event.
“It really is a fantastic event for our city, so hopefully our Football Club can help build it at Metricon Stadium.”
