![Road closures have meant a bit of extra planning to make family life run smoothly this week. Road closures have meant a bit of extra planning to make family life run smoothly this week.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/40ed5aaa-299c-467f-82b1-516618e55fc1.jpg/r0_178_2506_1587_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Like many residents, I've been a bit daunted about UCI week and how my family would manage to get around.
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While I love riding my bike, I know next to nothing about competition cycling. We've never had an event this size in the city, and - with opaque or changing information about road closures over the past few months - it's been hard to understand exactly how everything will work.
I work in Wollongong, my partner works in Sydney and we've got two small kids. Like for many parents, even on a normal week, managing kids, day care, work and life in general can be a juggle.
![How we navigated road closures and got around the city amid UCI races How we navigated road closures and got around the city amid UCI races](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/1eae7d68-b443-4b58-a727-758adf56d83c.jpg/r0_0_4734_3156_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
I also live in hilly Mount Ousley, a suburb where the main roads are closed each day this week.
From Thursday to Sunday, when Ramah Avenue closes for the road races, we will be unable to leave the suburb during most daylight hours (unless we park a couple of kilometres away, which isn't very convenient for small people's legs, the pram and added paraphernalia that comes with babies, so we're just planning to work from home and check out the race from the streets surrounding our house).
But, so far, we've actually found getting around and enjoying race week to be a breeze - it just takes some planning and forethought about the different road routes you might use.
Here's how we've managed - and some tips for how you can cross from north to south in Wollongong despite central roads being closed.
On Saturday morning - when roads were shut from 7.30am-12pm - we decided to visit grandparents in Dapto, which meant getting on to the M1 from the New Mount Pleasant Road exit. An easy five minute diversion from our normal route along Mount Ousley Road.
There were some hiccups getting home, as roads stayed shut about an hour longer than advertised, and a u-turn in Fairy Meadow and unexpected detour north meant we ran the gauntlet with our toddler's nap time.
But roads were open in the afternoon, so we got out to visit friends in Corrimal with no problems.
On Sunday, roads on the Wollongong City race route were shut from 8am.
Knowing we wouldn't have the chance to get out of Mount Ousley next weekend, we decided to chance it and head into town.
Again, this meant a diversion through Mount Pleasant to get on the M1, and then a drive south to the Figtree exit to access the Princes Highway and west Crown Street.
There were no traffic queues and Wollongong Central parking stations were eerily quiet. With two hours free parking on weekends, we decided we would run errands and then wander down Crown Street to grab lunch.
![Dumfries Avenue in in Mount Ousley. Picture by Anna Warr. Dumfries Avenue in in Mount Ousley. Picture by Anna Warr.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/950a8ef6-c879-4378-9588-534e4dd80a75.jpg/r0_265_5184_3191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The weather was spectacular, and Wollongong was definitely looking its best. There were people enjoying brunch in the new outdoor eating areas in the lower part of the mall, and our kids enjoyed running through the giant inflatable sculptures.
We kept walking towards the eateries in lower Crown Street, and from there we could see the road closures on Corrimal Street.
Our four-year-old got a new bike for her birthday, so we thought it would be good to show her the fastest women's cyclists in action.
Walking along the CBD streets, even with a pram and little legs, was fun as riders whooshed past every couple of minutes and easy without traffic, so we decided to continue on to the Lang Park fan zone.
To get there from Crown Street, you need to use a footbridge at Harbour Street to avoid walking on the race track - but luckily people with prams, wheelchairs and reduced mobility were able to ask volunteers to lift the barriers at a safe time to cross.
Once we were inside, the atmosphere was - in the words of our four-year-old - "fantastic". The sun was shining, the lines for food were reasonable, the portaloos were plentiful and clean, the playground was open, and it was easy to snag a good spot to watch the finish line or set up in front of the big screens.
For kids - and adults - it was an unique experience to see Wollongong's foreshore area transformed into an international racing finish line, and worth a short walk and a couple of road detours.
To get back to Mount Ousley or anywhere north of Wollongong, the best way out of the CBD is to head to west Crown Street and turn right on Mount Keira Road, then onto the M1 from Robsons Road (or if this is backed up, you can head further south through Coniston and onto the M1 at Masters Road.
Then (for access into Mount Ousley, most of Fairy Meadow, Mount Pleasant, Balgownie or Tarrawanna) it's up to the Towradgi Road exit off Memorial Drive and through the back roads. Our drive home - which would normally take about 10 minutes - was 25 minutes instead.
![Professional cyclists and amateur bike riders are out in force this week. Picture by Sylvia Liber. Professional cyclists and amateur bike riders are out in force this week. Picture by Sylvia Liber.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/8786df11-1193-4c63-a16d-834b9bba1faa.jpg/r0_191_2604_1661_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
On Sunday afternoon while the baby napped, we settled in front of the TV to watch some of the men's time trials.
Our daughter shrieked with excitement as she saw our local streets, her favourite park and Wollongong's lighthouses and beaches - and we marvelled at how spectacular our home town looked on screen.
After a relaxing weekend enjoying the cycling, we were again a bit nervous about the start of the working week. But actually - so far - it's been easier than most Mondays.
Central Wollongong schools are in remote learning for the last week of term (commiserations to parents of older kids), and roads were open until 11.30am, so my 8am trip to the office took half the time it usually does.
To avoid getting caught in too many road closures this evening, I parked at the Mercury's Market Street office and walked my children to their central Wollongong day care centre.
Happily, the brisk walk to childcare and back helped me meet my daily exercise goal before work began (a lesson there for everyday life).
It remains to be seen how peak hour will be this afternoon, when road closures are in place until 6pm. But I've got comfy shoes to walk to pick up the kids, and a car full of snacks if we get stuck in traffic on the way home.
There are likely to be some inconveniences with the bike race in town, but it will all be gone next week, so if you can, I'd urge you to make the most of it.
Read more
- Live traffic, travel, event and results for Wollongong 2022
- All you need to know about 2022 UCI Road World Championships
- Cars towed as UCI clearways kick in
- The four questions UCI event organisers keep being asked
- What happens if it rains during the UCI Road Race?
- Where will I park, how do I get there and other UCI Wollongong questions answered
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