How to use Events on Ride the State

Looking for what's on this weekend — a club crit, gravel gran fondo, enduro, BMX gate, trail day, or just a social bunch? Ride the State's events finder is a national cycling calendar — grassroots to gran fondos, road to enduro — not a race-only list.

This guide shows you how to find events across every discipline, what happens when you tap Interested or Going, how organisers can list for free (and upgrade for more reach), and a light path into racing and licensing if you are new. Pair it with rides, clubs and trails near you, then save what matters with a free account.

Jump in: Events · Discover Rides · Clubs · Bike trails near me · How to use the Trip Planner · FAQ · Create a free account

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Find events on Ride the State

Open the events finder. Headline on the page: Every race, ride and festival. Sub: A national cycling calendar — grassroots to gran fondos, road to enduro.

We collate club races, gran fondos, enduros, gravel events, charity rides, festivals and more. Details on a listing usually include dates, location, distances and entry links where they are available. Listings are reviewed before they go live — same idea as adding a ride or club via the contribution tools.

Basic listings are free. Organisers can tick a promotion option if they want Ride the State to feature and promote the event further (more on that below). Line on the page: List your event for free — promoted placements available.

Browsing the calendar is free. A free account unlocks saving favourites, Trip Planner, Ride Rewards and more — see the FAQ.

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Event Finder — step by step

Use the finder in this order and you will cut the noise fast.

1. Pick a view

Toggle between:

• Grid — card layout (default)
• Map — see where events sit
• Calendar — scan by date

2. Choose when

Switch the when filter:

• Upcoming events
• Completed events
• All events

Handy when you are looking ahead, or checking what just ran.

3. Search

Two search surfaces sit on the page:

• Search by location — including Use my location when you want events near you
• Search by name, club, series or location — placeholder: Search events, clubs, series or towns…

4. Open filters

Tap Show filters (then Apply & hide filters when you are done). Filters include:

• Disciplines
• Clubs
• Rides / trails
• States
• Series
• Month
• Date range controls (Clear date range when you need a reset)

Event-type chips cover Race, Training, Social, Come and Try, Clinic and Other (with a Show all types style control when types are narrowed).

Active filters show as removable chips — clear one, or clear the lot, without starting again.

5. Read the grid sections

Promoted and community listings are grouped on the grid, for example Principal events, Gold events, Silver events, Bronze events and Community listings. Scroll the sections that match how you hunt, then open a card.

Empty state when nothing matches: add an event and it'll appear here once approved.

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Filters and disciplines — not race-only

The events finder is built for all kinds of cycling, not just pin-a-number racing. Discipline filters include:

• Road
• Gravel
• MTB XC, MTB Enduro, MTB DH
• Cyclocross
• Track
• Time Trial
• BMX
• Training
• E-Bike
• Schools/Kids
• Coaching
• Social Ride
• Track Work
• Adaptive
• Multi-discipline
• Other

So yes — social rides, come-and-try sessions, coaching, schools / kids programs, trail and track work days sit alongside graded racing and big weekend events. Filter to what you actually want to do this week.

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Open an event card — what you'll see

Tap an event to open the detail view. Expect the practical stuff: when and where it is, discipline tags, distances where listed, and entry or info links when the organiser has published them. Cards can also show Club: and Ride: chips when those links are on the listing.

From the card / detail you can (controls depend on the listing level):

• Mark Interested or Going (needs a logged-in account)
• Add to trip — drop the event into a Trip Planner itinerary (full walkthrough)
• Add to calendar / Add to your calendar (downloads a .ics file)
• Share the event
• If it is your event — use Upgrade this event to ask about promoted placements

Public interest counts only show when there is a bit of momentum: "N interested" / "N going" appear when the count is 3 or more.

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Interested vs Going

You need to be logged in. On the event, look for the Interested? control (hover / label text along the lines of “Interested or going?” / “Mark interested or going”).

Button states cycle roughly like this:

1. Interested? — you have not saved it yet
2. Interested — you are watching it
3. Going — you are committed (the Going state shows in emerald)

On-site toasts confirm what you just did, for example:

• You're going to "{name}"
• Marked "{name}" as interested
• Removed from your events

Saved events stay with your account so you can find them again later.

Emails when you mark Going

Mark Going and Ride the State sends a confirmation email so you have a record of the event.

Closer to the date you also get reminder email(s) before it starts. The reminder looks like this:

• Header eyebrow: RIDE THE STATE — EVENT REMINDER
• Big title along the lines of "{event name} is tomorrow"
• When, Where, Discipline and Organiser (plus series name when it applies)
• Buttons for Event info and Entries (when an entry link is on the listing)
• A nudge to open your events on Ride the State and hit Calendar if you still want it in your calendar app
• Footer note that you marked yourself as going — and you can turn these reminders off any time in your profile settings

Keep an eye on the inbox (and spam) tied to your RTS account.

Add to calendar

Add to calendar downloads a .ics file you can import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook and similar. The calendar item includes a day-before reminder on your device (wording along the lines of "{title} is tomorrow"). That reminder lives in your calendar app — handy when you want the weekend locked in.

Plan a trip around the event

Going to a race weekend or a trail day away from home? On the event, tap Add to trip (you need to be logged in — logged out, that control sends you to sign-in with a return path into Planned Trips).

That opens Add to a trip — pick one of Your trips, or Or create a new trip if you are starting fresh (No trips yet — create one below. when the list is empty). When the event has dates on the listing, the dialog notes it can land on its event date; otherwise you can slot it into a specific day later.

For the full Trip Planner walkthrough — creating a trip, day-by-day rides, accommodation and stops, sharing with mates, and every other Add to trip entry point — see How to use the Trip Planner on Ride the State.

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New to racing and licensing?

If you are stepping from social rides into organised events, a few generic truths hold across road, MTB, BMX, track, gravel, socials, trail / track work and come-and-try:

1. Always read the event page — members-only vs open, licence type, grades, juniors rules and entry platform (often EntryBoss, Buncheur or similar) live there. The listing on RTS should point you at the same source of truth.
2. Club membership ≠ race licence. Being in a local club (fees, WhatsApp, kit) is separate from having the right AusCycling cover for a sanctioned race.
3. Most public trails are free to ride. Organised club and event fees still apply when you enter something on a calendar — see the FAQ.
4. AusCycling is the common path for competitive / insured club activity in Australia. Check current products on their site rather than treating any guide as a fee schedule:

• Become a member — overview of Ride / Club / Race pathways and free trial options where offered
• Race membership — typically what you need for state and national championships and higher-level racing
• Event licences — shorter cover for eligible sanctioned races if you are not ready for a full year
• Find a club — browse affiliated clubs, then cross-check on Ride the State Clubs

Fees and product names change — always confirm on AusCycling and on the specific event page before you pay. Membership or licence cover is usually separate from the event entry fee itself.

Come-and-try, skills nights, social bunches and trail / track work days often have softer on-ramps than a graded race. Filter for them on the events finder and read the listing. For more on why clubs matter (and how to try before you join), see Why cycling clubs matter. Extra reading lives on Resources.

(A BMX Australia deep-dive is waiting for its own guide — this one stays cross-discipline.)

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Organisers: list for free, upgrade when you want reach

Add your event

Organisers can submit via the contribution tools (Add your event on the events page). Verified copy on the submit flow:

Basic listings are free. Tick the promotion box below if you'd like Ride the State to feature and promote your event.

Checkbox: “I would like to be contacted to promote this event further.”

Success: “Event submitted — we'll review and publish shortly.”

Upgrade this event

Already live and want more riders to see it? On the event detail, use Upgrade this event.

• Tooltip: “Is this your event? Want more people to see it? Use this button and reach out.”
• Dialog: “Want more riders to see {event}? Tell us how to reach you and which listing level you're interested in.” plus a See what's included link to the partnerships PDF
• Form fields: your name, email, phone, preferred contact, and choose listing level(s)

Listing levels (as shown in product):

• Bronze — Logo, links and better placement
• Silver — Larger card, more detail and priority sorting
• Gold — Hero image, top placement and full promotion

Success: “Thanks — we'll be in touch.” / “One of the Ride the State team will contact you shortly about upgrading {event}.”

Partner and featured options are also covered in the FAQ — partnerships prospectus plus support@ridethestate.com.au. Promoted placements are available; free listing stays the default for getting on the calendar.

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Pair events with rides, clubs and trails near you

An event is better when you know where to warm up the day before and which club crew will be there — and Add to trip is the bridge from “I’m going” to a full itinerary.

• Bike trails near me — search by your location or any Australian town
• Discover Rides — Use my location, then filter by discipline and difficulty
• Clubs — find the local club, save the card, jump back to events
• Events — the national calendar again when you need the next date
• Trip Planner — open via Add to trip on an event, or Plan your adventure once you have an account
• Ride Rewards — perks for members once you are signed in

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Create a free account and save what's on

Ready to mark Going, keep a saved list, Add to trip, and build the weekend around the event?

Create a free account →

Then open the events finder, filter to your discipline, and build the weekend that actually fits how you ride.