Taking the Buderim9 Challenge
Buderim on the Sunshine Coast is a small mountain, just kilometres from the beachside havens of Mooloolaba and Maroochydore. Many locals prefer to ride around the base of Buderim because the roads that lead to the top are painfully steep. But each year, a group of hardcore riders take the ultimate challenge, riding an event called ‘the Buderim9’.
Some famous faces have ridden it too. Alistair Mackellar, who’s just ridden his first grand tour with EF Education Easy Post at the Vuelta Espana, he did his first Buderim9 when he was 12. And Matt Hayman, Paris Roubaix Winner and Jayco Alula Sports Director, has done the Ride a couple of times and always brings along his Roubaix Rock for some great photos.
This community cycling spectacle is far from your average weekend social roll. Taking place annually, and this year on November 29, the event is etched into South East Queensland cycling folklore as the ultimate test of grit, lung capacity, and endurance.
The premise is deceptively simple but incredibly brutal: riders must conquer nine of Buderim’s steepest climbs over a 76-kilometre route packed with nearly 1,800 vertical metres of elevation, all within a strict three-hour time limit.
Bicycle Network’s Peaks Challenge is the bench mark, and a lot of Buderim9 ers use the ride a part of their Peaks preparation. By way of comparison, Peaks features 4500m of climbing over 235 km whereas Buderim9 is 1800m over 75km. Peaks features 19 metres of climbing per kilometre, whereas Buderim9 is 24 metres per km.
The Nine Hills
Rolling out at 5:00 am, the course begins and ends at the southern foothills of Buderim from the Wanderers Football Club on Ballinger Road. What follows is a relentless roller coaster of gravity-defying gradients. Riders are thrown directly into a loop of pain that would make the hardest legends like Jens Voigt wince, as they scale Dixon, Cogill, Ballinger, Crosby Hill, Glenmount, Mons, Lindsay, Jones, and Mooloolaba roads.
Managing the technical descents is equally important. With fast descents down Mons Road and sharp corners leading into Lindsay Road, participants must pair high-speed bike-handling skills with maximum focus.
The three-hour time constraint turns a tough hill-climb session into a race against the clock. Organisers note that only about half of the starters manage to finish all nine climbs before the 8:00 am cutoff. Those who cross the line in time earn the coveted title of a true “Buderim Niner”.
For those still building their climbing legs, the event embraces inclusivity by offering scaling tiers, including Buderim 6 and Buderim 3. Recent years have also seen the rise of the Buderim Electric category, allowing e-bike riders to zip up the monstrous climbs with an electric assist and share in the atmosphere.
Pedalling for a Cause
Beyond a pure painfest, the event serves as an important annual fundraiser as well. Cyclists rally together to raise significant funds for The Pyjama Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting children in foster care through literacy, life skills, and educational mentoring programs. Every painful pedal stroke translates directly into a brighter future for a child in need.
As hundreds of riders sweat their way up the mountain, local residents and spectators line the streets from King Street to William Street, providing a massive boost of roaring applause, cowbells, and morning cheer. If you have the endurance to spare and want to test your limits against the toughest topography the Sunshine Coast has to offer, head over to the official Buderim 9 website to sign up for the ride.
The 2026 Buderim 9 is on Sunday, November 29, and starting at 5 am. For full details and to enter, visit www.buderim9.com.au
