Cyclist t-shirt created after bumpy ride in 2021

SPORTING clubs across the region are still feeling the financial effects of the pandemic, but the Geelong Cycling Club is taking a more creative approach to reinjecting necessary funds back into the organisation.

Race director and committee member Sam Phillips alongside fellow cyclist and designer Lincoln Stolz have collaborated to create a brand-new t-shirt inspired by what it means to be a cyclist in the Geelong, Surf Coast and Bellarine regions.

Having missed two-straight racing seasons due to the pandemic, which is the main revenue stream for the Geelong Cycling Club, the club had to come up with a creative way to re-activate its 150-member organisation financially according to Mr Phillips.

“Obviously with the interrupted seasons due to the pandemic we have had to cancel races and, in the process, lost our access to funding, but a lot of our costs still remain,” Mr Philips said.

“Things like our website infrastructure, our van that carries all of our signage and what have you, and timing systems. All these things we still need to pay for.”

When deciding on ways to raise funds, Mr Philips and the club thought of adhering to the more mainstream modes of fundraising. Methods like a chocolate drive or the classic Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. They decided otherwise.

“The shirt is designed with a map of the regions with the idea that it appeals to a much broader base than just club members,” Mr Phillips said.

“That’s when we started getting the world out to the broader cycling community about the shirt because it’s something a lot of cyclists can relate to.”

The shirt features pictures of the local wildlife such as kangaroos, cockatoos and seagulls, as well as a cup of coffee nestled within the Corio Bay.

Regions are also labelled from The Otways and the Surf Coast, to the Bellarine and Geelong, and out-west as far as Meredith.

Each shirt starts at $44 and can be accessed from the Geelong Cycling Club’s website.

Head to geelongcycling.com to purchase your t-shirt today.