The faces getting Aussie kids back on their bikes

Earlier this week, AusCycling officially launched AusBike, the new nation-wide bike education program designed to give kids aged 5 to 12 the foundational skills needed to build their confidence and competence, so they can enjoy a life of freedom and adventure on two wheels.

The program has been developed with the assistance of government funding through the Australian Sports Commission, and we are proud to have the support of our ambassadors to help make AusBike a household name.

Health and wellbeing expert and mother of one Michelle Bridges has connected strongly with parents. Michelle has spoken about wanting to have the peace of mind and confidence that her son Axel has the skills needed to enjoy time on their bikes together. This is exactly what AusBike is about!

Australian professional cyclists, Logan Martin, Matt Glaetzer, Paige Greco and Tiffany Cromwell have backed the program, sharing their stories around how cycling has positively impacted their lives.

These ambassadors have been excited to support the next generation of riders - only wishing there was a program like AusBike when they were kids. They have all shown us the opportunities available on two wheels.

To learn more about the AusBike program, click here.

Get to know your AusBike Ambassadors

Michelle Bridges

After becoming a certified fitness instructor at 18, Michelle Bridges captured public attention in 2007 when she appeared as a personal trainer on Channel Ten reality TV program The Biggest Loser.

Possibly Australia’s most well-known personal trainer, Bridges has subsequently appeared on television and in the media as a national commentator on health and wellness issues, contributing to publications such as Prevention, Body + Soul and Women’s Health.

“Having my son enrolled in AusBike allows him to learn how to ride a bike correctly, gets him moving and being active, all while having some fun at the same time, and I know that with the accredited coaches he is being taught the right way to ride to not only build confidence on two wheels, but to do it safely," Bridges said.

Bridges is also a prolific author, having penned 17 health and fitness books, and in 2015 released her first workout compilation album through Sony Music Australia.

Photo: AusCycling

Bridges is co-founder and owner of the 12 Week Body Transformation, one of Australia’s most trusted health and fitness programs, and in 2012, launched her own fitness and leisure apparel brand, MBActive.

She has advocated for various charities over the years, including the RSPCA, and is a sought-after corporate speaker who is often engaged to talk about motivation, fitness, nutrition, and exercise.

Bridges resides in the Southern Highlands of NSW with her son Axel.

Logan Martin

Logan Martin’s BMX Freestyle journey began at the age of 12 when he followed his brother Nathan to the Crestmead Skate Park south of Brisbane.

By the age of 15, Martin was showing signs of his phenomenal talent and first travelled overseas to compete in 2012, winning his debut international event.

The Queenslander won the International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) World Series title in 2015 and 2016, and the next year Martin claimed the inaugural BMX Freestyle world title at the UCI Urban World Championships in China.

Photo: SWPix.com

In 2019, Martin won dual X Games gold, Urban Games gold, and a World Championship silver behind teammate Brandon Loupos, followed by another gold at the 2020 AusCycling National Championship.

2021 was a standout year for Martin, defending his national title and claiming a second career rainbow jersey, winning the 2021 UCI World Championship in France. Martin then captivated the nation by becoming the first-ever men's BMX Freestyle Park Olympic Champion at Tokyo 2020.

Martin went on to win the 2022 UCI World Cup, and this year has claimed the Oceania and National Championships, while taking silver at the recent UCI World Championship in Glasgow.

He and his wife Kimberley have two children, Noah and Luna.

Paige Greco

Born in Melbourne with cerebral palsy, Paige Greco began competing in para-sport in primary school. She initially focused on para-athletics but switched to cycling after missing her goal of competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Greco moved to Adelaide in 2018 to complete a degree in Exercise Sports Science and focus on her cycling with the South Australian Sports Institute.

In 2019, she made her first international team for the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, where she set three world records and became C3 World Champion in the 3km individual pursuit and 500m time trial, and a silver medallist in the women’s C3 scratch race.

Remarkably, that year Paige also qualified for the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, where she won the Women’s C3 time trial.

Photo: AusCycling

Back on the Track, she successfully defended her C3 individual pursuit crown at the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships and won the first gold medal of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, winning the C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit, breaking her own world record in the process.

Paige would then go on to claim bronze medals on the road in both the C1-3 Time Trial and the C1-3 Road Race, and in 2022 won World Championship bronze on both the Road (C3 Time Trial) and Track (C3 Time Trial).

Paige was a dual medallist at the recent 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, winning bronze in both the Women C3 Individual Pursuit on the Track, and in the Women C3 Road Race.

Paige was awarded the Para Female Track Cyclist of the Year by Cycling Australia in 2019, and in 2022 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Matthew Glaetzer

Matthew Glaetzer began his junior sporting career with a National Championship silver medal in the pole vault at age 14. However, injury forced the Adelaide youngster in a new direction, and after choosing triathlon and excelling on the bike, he joined Central Districts Cycling Club in Adelaide.

Just six months later, the emerging sprinter represented Australia at the 2009 UCI Junior Track World Championships, and by the end of 2010 he had won two junior world titles.

Glaetzer celebrated a maiden elite rainbow jersey in the team sprint (with Scott Sunderland and Shane Perkins) at the 2012 World Championships and added 2014 Commonwealth Games gold (keirin) and bronze (team sprint) before claiming sprint silver at the 2016 World Championships.

Photo: AusCycling

In 2018, Glaetzer again achieved victory at the World Championships, claiming his first sprint world title taking silver in the time trial, and added two more gold (keirin and time trial) and a bronze (team sprint with Hart and Constable) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

In 2019, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous growth but bounced back to finished fourth in the team sprint (with Matthew Richardson and Hart) at his third Olympic Games in Tokyo.

He added two more gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (team sprint and 1000m time trial), and at the recent 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Glaetzer took a silver in both the Men’s 1000m Time Trial and Men’s Team Sprint (with Leigh Hoffman, Richardson, and Thomas Cornish).

Tiffany Cromwell

Tiffany Cromwell has been one of Australia’s most enduring cycling stars. Over three decades, she has represented Australia at major international competitions and continued to adapt and develop her style, becoming a cross-discipline rider in recent years.

Cromwell announced herself in 2006, when she won the Junior Time Trial National Championships, and took bronze in both the road race and criterium the same year.

In 2012, she finished second in the Elite Women’s National Championships road race, and two years later, rode into fourth place at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Cromwell then led Australia as the Team Captain in the road race at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, supporting the gold medal ride by Chloe Hosking.

Photo: Getty Images

Cromwell has represented Australia at 11 World Championships, finishing as high as fifth at the 2014 Worlds in Spain, and competed in her first Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, finishing 26th in the Road Race.

Cromwell has ridden professionally most of her adult life and has recorded stage wins in Giro d’Italia Femminile (2012 & 2016), and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2013).

In 2021, Cromwell transitioned to Gravel riding and immediately tasted success, winning the Belgium Waffle Ride in the USA.

Cromwell currently rides with Canyon//SRAM Racing team and describes herself as a foodie with a passion for design and fashion.

Read more about the AusBike program.

Main image: AusCycling