How riding to work is becoming a pursuit of the wealthy

Australia's band of commuter cyclists is growing.

Melbourne is Australia's ride-to-work capital.

More than 100,000 people now ride to work after an 8.8 per cent increase between 2011 and 2016, analysis of the latest census by consultancy firm SGS Economics and Planning shows.

The typical bike commuter is a male, white collar worker who lives four to eight kilometres from the central business district. They also tend to earn significantly more than average.

Melbourne is Australia's ride-to-work capital – it had 29,000 commuter cyclists in 2016, about 27 per cent of the national total. Fitzroy North, Carlton North and Brunswick East were among the suburbs with a big share of bike commuters.

Read Matt Wade’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “How riding to work is becoming a pursuit of the wealthy.”