Blessing of the Bikes books Geelong for 2023

GEELONG will host Australia’s single largest motorbike riding event with the Blessing of the Bikes locked in for October 29, 2023.

Organisers say they are confident more than 5,000 riders from around the state will make their way to Cunningham Pier for the eighth running of the event, which has previously been staged at Phillip Island in the lead up to the MotoGP.

Originating in America 50 years ago, the Blessing of the Bikes is a memorial for riders who have lost their lives, an awareness raiser for road safety, and a fundraiser for Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation that seeks to promote organ and tissue donation.

The foundation’s managing director Allan Turner set it up after his daughter Zaidee died aged seven from a cerebral aneurysm and donated her organs and tissue to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“Council are very impressed, they’ve been very good,” Mr Turner said of meetings with the City of Greater Geelong about the event.
“It’s the first time away from Gippsland, riders are impressed with the city as a backdrop, all those restaurants and venues will be jumping, this will provide a lot of custom for them,” he said.

A show and shine bike event will be held in the expo centre of the Cunningham Pier, hard rock’n’roll band Dirty Rats will provide a soundtrack to the day, and riders will be blessed with holy water by an ordained priest to keep them safe on the roads.

Mr Turner said he did not believe there will be a need for road closures as a result of the event, suggesting instead that traffic management would be employed locally to handle the thousands of riders who are expected to attend.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said after council officers met with event organisers last week, the city gave them the green light to proceed.

“Due to its fundraising efforts and promotion of road safety messages, the city is generally in support of the Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation run event,” he said.