Operatic bike troupe hits Harbour Bridge

Sydney is swelling with a bicycle revolution, and if you haven’t yet been motivated to hop on your bike, this might inspire you.

Over 250 cyclists will peddle over the Harbour Bridge on Sunday, led by Opera Australia’s sopranos, mezzos, tenors and baritones.

The singing troupe on wheels are hoping to achieve a new Guinesss World Record and will be belting out Waltzing Matilda.

Guinness World Record’s Australian spokesman, Chris Sheed, said: “Singing, cycling and the Sydney Harbour Bridge – can a record have three better ingredients?”

“I feel a little bit in love with this record category as soon as I heard about it, and I’m glad my colleagues at head office felt the same way.”

Bicycle NSW CEO, Omar Khalifa will be among those leading the choir on bikes and believes the event will highlight the fun side of cycling:

“We are so excited about this Guinness World Record attempt. What a great way to enjoy a day out in the most picturesque city in the world and within sight of the Sydney Opera House and help set a world record,” Mr Khalifa said.

It’s part of Bicycle NSW’s annual Spring Cycle event and this year it has a mandate to set an official Guinness World Record: Largest Number of Singing Cyclists. The world record attempt will commence on Sunday October 16 and is part of the City of Sydney’s inaugural Sydney Rides Festival. This week-long bicycle celebration, which launched last weekend, will conclude on Sunday with a closing event at Pirrama Park in Pyrmont.

The festival is promoting bicycling through music and other cultural events and aims to normalise the idea of bike riding, so it becomes an easy and accessible lifestyle choice for Sydney-siders.

Highlights for the rest of the week include the Bicycle Film Festival, an outdoor event held at the Sydney Opera House showcasing short-bike-films from around the world.

An art exhibition inspired by vintage bike posters opens at Somedays Gallery in Surry Hills today.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore and the City of Sydney have been trying to encourage commuters to ride their bikes more often in an effort to curb traffic and public transport congestion.

By Anastasia Mangafas