Some places stay in your heart forever. For Sarah Riley, it was the Lilydale to Warburton cycle trails and the O’Shannassie Aqueduct. It was here, amidst natural landscapes, that she first experienced true freedom on a bike. These trails through stunning forests and hills became her training ground and eventually, her guiding light into the world of professional cycling.
Bicycling as a Path
As a child, Sarah loved to ride, but there were no specially equipped tracks, so she had to master the natural trails of Warburton. As the rider herself admits, this became a huge advantage. Riding on natural trails rather than artificial tracks toughened her up, taught her to get a better feel for the bike, and taught her to adjust to any surface.
“It was like a fairy tale – every descent, every turn opened up something new in front of me,” she recalls.
Over time, Sarah moved from regular cycling to more serious training. In 2014, she started road racing and then moved to mountain biking. Her tenacity and talent quickly yielded results – competing in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and winning a national marathon in 2015 were major career achievements.
Challenges That Toughen You Up
But the path of a professional athlete is never easy. Sarah faced a major challenge – after a severe bicycle accident, she broke her hip and temporarily lost the ability to walk. It seemed that her dream was in jeopardy. But character and love for the sport took over – exactly a year after her injury, she returned to elite cross-country and started competing at the highest level again.
However, fate again presented her with a challenge – two days before the next World Championships, Sarah broke her collarbone during training. This meant that her participation in the competition was postponed again. For any athlete, such a moment is a serious blow. But Sarah chose a different tactic:
“Sometimes it’s the journey that matters, not the finish line,” she says.
When her recovery allowed her to get back on her bike, one of her first trips was back to her favorite trails – from Mount Evelyn to Warburton. It was here that she got a sense of how dear those trails were to her, how much they had influenced her path.
Warburton is the future of cycling
Today, Sarah has become a true advocate for cycling in the area. She believes that Warburton’s nature trails and scenic landscapes can become a center of attraction for cyclists from all over the world. And if quality infrastructure is created here, the area could become an international cycling destination.
Several large-scale projects are now being planned in the region, such as the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination and the Yarra Valley Trail. Their aim is to develop a network of trails that will attract both professionals and amateurs. Applications have already been submitted for funding for these initiatives, and if they come to fruition, Warburton could become a world-class cycling hub.
Sarah Riley is convinced, “The area has the potential to offer unique trails that will suit beginners and elite riders alike. The more we develop cycling here, the more opportunities there will be for new generations.”