"I'm not intimidated to ride in many places but Sydney is one of them," he said.

But McEwen said on recent visits from his Gold Coast home he had discovered how many places there are to ride, how much cycling infrastructure had improved and that the "metre matters" campaign had made riding safer.

"I used to be 'oh Sydney, don't know about riding there'," he said. "When I did it and was guided the right ways to go, I thought 'it's actually alright.' "

An ambassador for the Spring Financial Group Spring Cycle next month, McEwen said the key to riding in the city was choosing the right place and time.

"I've found it's a case of where you go, when you go," he said. "If you're shown the ways to go, it's much, much better than you think."

But even while praising the M7 cycleway and other bike paths in western Sydney, McEwen conceded there was still too much aggression on the road, with both motorists and cyclists needing to be more aware of their responsibilities to other road users.

"It seems to be a terrible cultural thing in Australia: we're just aggressive towards everything," he said. "You see altercations with just people lining up for things.

"Aussies are known as being laid back and easygoing. Put us in a car and we're just not. [It's] Jekyll and Hyde."

McEwen believes the Spring Cycle is the ideal "safe environment" for new and inexperienced riders.

"They can get into an organised event and feel part of a big group, feel safe and have an enjoyable day," he said. "That may be the kickstart to someone taking it up as a hobby and riding more regularly.

"We all know that exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle - living longer, living better - and it's just bloody good fun."

Started by Bicycle NSW to encourage more people to ride, the Spring Cycle has four distances to suit different levels of experience and fitness - a City Ride (10km), River Ride (18km), Classic Ride (50km) and Challenge Ride (105km).

It is expected to attract more than 10,000 cyclists, who will start by crossing the Harbour Bridge, on October 14.