Dear Club Presidents,

Special General Meeting

The outcome of the recent Special General Meeting marks an important moment for AusCycling and for our community of clubs across the country. We want to thank all Club Presidents and members who took the time to engage in the process, share perspectives, and contribute to a constructive dialogue about our future. The strength of our sport has always come from its people, and we are reminded how passionate, invested, and committed our community is to seeing cycling thrive.

As we look ahead, our focus is firmly on building stronger relationship and a more connected organisation that better supports clubs at every level. A key priority for the Board and Executive is to deepen our engagement with you. Listening will remain central to how we operate, and we are committed to creating more consistent, meaningful opportunities for clubs to have a voice in shaping the direction of AusCycling. This will be an ongoing approach to how we work together. Opening up better lines of two-way communication will be prioritised.

We heard that there’s a lack of connection with AusCycling’s Strategy2032 and we need to address this before the end of the year to ensure that we’re collectively clear about what success looks like and the role we each play in delivering that success.

In parallel, we are preparing to launch the refreshed AusCycling membership platform in the coming months. This work has been shaped by extensive research, consultation and feedback from across the community, and is focused on delivering a more contemporary, flexible and valuable membership proposition that better reflects what riders and clubs need today.

And then there are smaller things like adding a search function to the website to make it easier to find information; working with the membership team to ensure we’re getting to calls, particularly in peak periods and responding to emails within 24 hours; and coming up with new ways to ensure you know who to contact within AusCycling with regard to your query whether it be events, integrity and complaints, coaching and officiating, finance, membership or anything else.

It has been an incredibly strong start to the year on the events front. Across disciplines, we have delivered a successful portfolio of national and international events that have showcased the depth of talent in our sport and the capability of our clubs, volunteers and event teams. Our focus now turns to an exciting second half of 2026, highlighted by Brisbane hosting the UCI BMX World Championships. This represents a significant opportunity to shine a spotlight on Australian cycling on the world stage, inspire the next generation, and create lasting benefits for the sport domestically.

Alongside this, the team is undertaking a comprehensive review of our National Series events to ensure they continue to evolve and meet the needs of participants, clubs and stakeholders. This is very much a listening-led process, grounded in learning from recent experiences and identifying where we can improve the quality, consistency and impact of our event offering.

We are also progressing important work through the Road Taskforce, with focus groups and stakeholder meetings already underway. This initiative is centred on understanding the challenges and opportunities within road cycling and working collaboratively to shape a stronger, more sustainable future for the discipline.

We look forward to coming together again at the AGM on 30 May, where we will share a more comprehensive view of organisational performance, progress against our strategic priorities, and the opportunities ahead. This will be an important forum to continue the conversation and provide greater transparency on how we are delivering for the sport.

We want to ensure there is a strong sense of optimism about what lies ahead. The Board and Executive are united in their commitment to listening, learning and working even more closely with clubs to build a sport that is inclusive, sustainable and successful at every level. We heard that transparency, accountability, and stronger engagement with clubs were important to you, and they remain central to our approach. Together, we have a real opportunity to shape the next chapter of AusCycling and we are looking forward to doing that alongside you.

Sincerely,

Craig Bingham, Board Chair

Marne Fechner, Chief Executive

Additional Projects & Updates

Annual General Meeting

We look forward to coming together at the Annual General Meeting on 30 May, which will provide an important opportunity to share a broader update on organisational performance, strategic priorities and the progress being made across the sport. The AGM will continue to be an important forum for dialogue with clubs. One of the important matters to be considered at the 2026 Annual General Meeting is an update to the Constitution to embed 50:50 gender equity in the Board.  As of 30 May, all sports that are funded by the Australian Sports Commission will need to demonstrate that they meet this requirement for the Board, Finance Audit and Risk Committee and the Nominations Committee or risk losing 50% of their funding immediately.  This represents circa $8.5m. Federal and State / Territory funding represents around 65% of AusCycling’s revenue – performance, participation and major events. The proposed changes to the Constitution embed gender equality and is the safest way to remove the risk of the sport’s funding being cut. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

• Overview of the Proposed AusCycling Constitution Amendments

• National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy

We encourage all eligible members to participate in the meeting by registering to attend on the 30 May or if you can’t attend there is the option to submit a Proxy. If you don’t think your Club has received the information, please email agm@auscycling.org.au.

Road Taskforce

The Road Taskforce, led independently by Shane Mattiske, continues to progress, with focus groups, data evaluation, and stakeholder engagement sessions underway across the country. This work is focused on ensuring we understand and have an evidence base about the current challenges and opportunities within road cycling and importantly it is about identifying practical, sustainable pathways forward for the discipline. This is a collaborative and listening-led process that brings together clubs, riders, event organisers and key stakeholders to help inform future priorities and decision making. We appreciate the strong level of engagement from the community to date and look forward to sharing further updates as the work progresses.

Project Ascent

Project Ascent continues to advance as a key initiative focused on strengthening the future foundations of cycling pathways in Australia. The project is centred on identifying opportunities to improve junior participation pathways and performance, in partnership with clubs and ensuring the sport is well positioned for long-term sustainable success. Over recent months, work has continued across research, consultation and strategic planning phases, with insights from clubs and stakeholders playing an important role in shaping the project’s direction. Further updates will be provided as initiatives move into implementation phases later this year.

Membership Platform Rollout

Preparations are continuing for the rollout of the refreshed AusCycling membership platform, which is scheduled to launch in Q2. This work has been informed by extensive research and consultation across the cycling community and is focused on delivering a more contemporary, flexible and user-friendly membership experience. The new platform is designed to better reflect the evolving needs of riders, clubs and participants, while also improving administrative efficiency and creating greater long-term value for members. Additional information, including transition support and rollout timelines, will continue to be shared with clubs ahead of launch.

Upcoming Club Child Safety Workshops and Resources

AusCycling has partnered with Safe Sport Solutions to deliver child safety workshops and supporting resources to help clubs build safe and inclusive environments.

The following webinars are currently scheduled:

• Webinar 1: Child Safeguarding – Creating a Child Safe Club and Managing Incidents
  Wednesday 8 July – 8:00pm to 9:30pm

• Webinar 2: Incident Prevention – Child Safe Risk Management and High-Risk Activities
  Tuesday 14 July – 8:00pm to 9:30pm

Further details, including registration information, will be shared closer to the workshop dates. In the meantime, clubs can access existing resources via the AusCycling Integrity webpage or contact the Integrity team at integrity@auscycling.org.au.

Clubs in Focus

In 2026, we launched our Clubs in Focus Series – a chance to profile some of the fantastic work being done across the country in our clubs and by hard working volunteers and officials. We would love to continue to celebrate and profile these stories. Please reach out to media@auscycling.org.au if you have a story from your local club or would like to celebrate an in individual in your club. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to shine a light on the great work being done in our cycling community.