The Weekly Rider - Aaron Mulkearns

Aaron Mulkearns is the Weekly Rider! With a love of all things BMC, Aaron loves nothing more than getting on the front of the group and powering!  He gives everything 110% and off the bike loves to encourage others to give it their all.  Watch out racers, Aaron is a force to be reckoned with on the crit circuits...

Name – Aaron Mulkearns

Lives – Essendon, Victoria

Dream bike – that’s a hard one. When I first started riding I rode with this guy that had an Astana team issue BMC Promachine. It was a hot looking bike and I wanted one. I now own a BMC SLR01 Teammachine with a bit of a custom build to it, and I think it’s pretty sick!!

Favourite local ride – I call myself a local down on the Surfcoast. I’ve been going down there my whole life, I have house in Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road, the riding there is my favourite. With some testing climbs, beautiful descending 'S' bends, you can't beat it. It has to be one of the best places to ride a bike in Australia, if not the world and it's only one and a half hours from Melbourne.

My current cycling goal is – to get back racing in 'A' grade after 5 years not competing. I forgot how much fun it can be... the little butterflies you get in your stomach when you sit at the start line, it is a good feeling.

When I am on the bike I - as cliché as it sounds, I feel free. Riding for me has become a way to vent, challenge and push myself. 

I have always had a very strong competitive side and I like giving my all, I love the hurt after a solid day or week on the bike. To see the results give me huge feeling of self-gratification and gives me a great feeling of happiness.

How did your love for bikes come about – I have always loved bikes. It was what you did as a kid with the kids in your street, riding to school, how you got to your mates house before having a car, it gave you that freedom to go somewhere. Those time when you always said to who you were with, "I’ll race you there…."

Share a cycling memory – The first race I ever did was with Footscray cycling club out at their Hoppers Crossing circuit. I was put in ‘e grade’ to start but said "I think ill go alright in ‘C' Grade" as there were some guys I knew there that I had been riding with that raced in ‘A' Grade, so the club agreed.

I was wearing brand new white socks with colourful rings on them not having any idea they were the World Champion rings... these 3 blokes gave it to me on the start line. I felt sick, so when the race started and we'd done the first few laps, I thought this isn’t too bad I'll have a go. So I went for a break by myself... I ended up lapping the field and that day I thought I was the World Champion when I won the race.  Mind you I never wore those socks again!! Otherwise doing the GORC team time trial with 6 of your mates is pretty damn rad to.

I love to ride because - It is extremely social and I have made some great friends through the sport from all different walks of life. 

I think it is also one of the only sports in the world where you can go out riding or training and you can see a pro on the road and ride and talk with them. Down the coast I have ridden with Phil Anderson a few times and I’ve chased Cadel Evans a few, just sitting next to them is a story you can tell for life.

It also lets me combine my love of coffee, finding a good coffee after a ride with good company or even by yourself, it’s awesome….