Sydney Spokes Style

From the outset the spirit of the club was informal & casual. Spokes aims to focus on social cycling & never bog its members down in bureaucratic committees & decisions. This stuff goes on in the background by the rotating office bearers. But Spokes’ priority is having fun cycling whilst giving gays & lesbians the opportunity to make friends & expand their social circle.

Meetings are always done in a social, fun setting. The quarterly ride calendar is created at the Planning Dinner in a restaurant. The club style is friendly, consensual, easy-going & open.

Spokes 1994 AGM at Frank & Peter’s
(Robert Nash, Ken Ryan, ? Alvic P obscuring Les Clements, David Smith)

The Bent Spokes Awards were a feature of the AGM lunch for many years in the mid 1990s. Cheering, fun & laughter were a feature of these presentations as contributions & achievements of club members were acknowledged by everyone at the AGM. 

Throughout the years there has been a number of long term gay & lesbian romances cemented whilst riding with Spokes. But for most past & present members of Sydney Spokes, the club has offered a tremendous amount of enjoyment messing about on bikes whilst long & enduring friendships are formed.

Sydney Spokes Historical Mile Posts

1987 - The first official recognition of the club – a notice in the 1987 Mardi Gras Festival Guide describing our first Mardi Gras event.

1987 Mardi Gras Winners.
Photo taken at the end of Spokes’ first Mardi Gras festival event.

1988 – 1st Sydney Spokes T-shirt designed. The T-shirt was white cotton & it featured the club name & a small pink triangle overlain with the front of a racing bike.

1991 – 1st Prize Mardi Gras Parade – Best Community Float

Brett Heil was the organiser: Three cyclists (Michael I, Chris and Ken Ryan) who ‘towed’ Reg’s ute with floating ropes of helium balloons. Patrick featured on the upmarket bike raised high on the back of the ute with Sydney Spokes riders down both sides. Other members circled on their bikes. The Channel 9 Sunday Evening News, then the highest-rating program on Sydney television, led its Mardi Gras coverage with footage of the Spokes float.

1991 Mardi Gras Best Community Float
(Ken, Chris & Geoff C on bicycles)

1991 Mardi Gras Best Community Float
(Rod S, Chris M, Stephen W, Ken R, Chris)

© 2011 Sydney Spokes