Gang of e-bike riders attack cyclist

Thursday, 26 February 2026 10:03

The triathlete said his "brand new bike" was a write-off after the attack.

Long-running tensions between local sports clubs and young e-bike riders have reached a boiling point after a cycling triathlete had a bucket of gravel and water thrown at him at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast.

Video of the incident shows Ryan Billingham unable to stop as he rides directly into the deluge.

"My brand new bike is a write-off," he told 9News.

Luckily, Billingham himself was not physically injured.

"I feel very lucky but it can be a matter of days or a matter of time until somebody comes off way worse than I did," he said.

It wasn't an isolated incident, with multiple sports clubs having come into conflict with the young e-bikers at Runaway Bay Sports Precinct.

Theresa Theaker from the T-Rex Triathlon Club accused e-bike riders of smashing athletes' glasses and pushing them off their bicycles.

Travis Harker from Runaway Bay Cricket Club said riders had also been known to interrupt ongoing matches.

While Madison Bland of the Gold Coast Cycling Club said the club had made the drastic decision to move all Runaway Bay training and race events to its Nerang facility.

"It's not all of us that ruin it though," one young e-bike rider told 9News.

"I think they should also make a track where we could just ride."

The local council is planning to add a BMX track and junior criterium track as part of the Runaway Bay Sports Precinct Master Plan.

But in the meantime, authorities are taking action

"The city will be moving to restricting the access of e-devices in a trial that commences on the 2nd of March," councillor Shelley Curtis said.

Police said a 15-year-old boy was being dealt with under the Youth Justice Act for the incident involving Billingham, while another boy is under investigation after video of the incident was posted online.

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