Motorcycle Rider Wins Australian Commuter Competition In 2021

Two wheels best.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Nov 15, 2021 at 3:50pm ET

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What’s your preferred method for commuting? If you love getting exercise on the way in, and you don’t have too far to go, riding your bicycle can be a great way to go. Ebikes are cool, too, and are more forgiving if you’re not keen on getting super sweaty during your commute. Obviously, since we’re RideApart, we’re going to be all about the motorbikes. Still, all of these are good choices when there isn’t snow and ice on the ground, right?

On November 10, 2021, Australian bicycle advocacy group the Bicycle Network held its National Ride2Work Day. It’s the start of summer in Australia, so both bicycle and motorcycle advocacy groups are eagerly encouraging their members to get back out on two wheels and go. There’s an added urgency to their pleas in 2021, due in part to most of Australia having faced lengthy pandemic-related lockdowns in recent months.

Anyway, all competitors for the 2021 Bicycle Commuter Challenge during National Ride2Work Day departed from a car park in Hobart, Tasmania during peak rush hour. One drove a car, one rode a bicycle, one rode an e-bike, one rode a ferry, one rode a bus—and one, of course, rode a motorcycle.

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Which commute was quickest without breaking any laws? The winner, as you may have guessed by the mere fact that we’re writing about it, was the lone rider on a Moto Guzzi V7! Damien Codognotto rode his bike from Kangaroo Bay to the Brooke Street Pier finish line in just about 13 minutes. He’s also a spokesperson for the Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia, and he was just as pleased as he could be to show how great motorcycles can be for commuting.

Five Australian Members of Parliament attended the event, and were waiting at the finish line to congratulate contestants as they completed the challenge. The photo shows winner Damien Codognotto standing alongside Alison and Renate from the Bicycle Network, who organized the challenge. For his part, Codognotto wrote in a social media post, “It was a well-run event. A credit to Bicycle Network.”