The image in Friday’s paper was, of course, staged to emphasise the fact that these three dignitaries come from places - Denmark, Estonia and Norway, to be precise - where cycling to work is as easy as getting into a car. But despite a growing number of official policies designed to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes when getting around town, Canberra is still a long way from being a cycling-led city.

Of course, as Norwegian ambassador Paul Larson points out, this has a lot to do with the city’s spread-out geography.

“It’s not so easy to get from A to B, and you don’t really have a really defined centre,” he said.

But he also made the point that it was rare to see people cycling around in their workwear.

“We’ve seen an impressive number of very serious and able bikers here in Canberra, but what we don’t see so much here is people just flicking on their suits and taking their bike to work,” Mr Larsen said.

It’s a point that might seem superficial, but it might also be the key to another barrier when it comes to the drive/cycle debate. To many, cycling would appear to be an expensive undertaking from the outset, involving fancy bicycles, special clothing and pricey helmets.

But actually, as this image highlights, cycling should not be cost-prohibitive, nor should it necessarily involve a large outlay of funds. A bike need only be roadworthy, and decent lights are not expensive, as long as you keep them charged. A helmet is a must, but about as far as the necessary gear goes.

Unlike the lycra-clad cyclists that seem to so enrage many drivers on Canberra’s roads, we often see images of cobbled European street, over which women cycle in heels and skirts on their way to work. It’s romantic, and chic, and probably not practical. But it’s certainly not illegal to wear whatever you want while cycling, shunning lycra in favour of jeans, dresses and suits.

We know that the presence of bicycles on our roads are a good indicator of a healthy city, both environmentally and in terms of physical health. Cyclists help reduce pollution and traffic congestion, while staying in shape themselves.

Canberra will never be known as a cycling city; our geography won’t allow it, and cars will always be the preferred mode of transport between city centres. But with the light rail imminent, and a hopefully improved public transport system on the horizon, it’s important to remember that it’s never too late to make changes to our attitudes towards cycling in general.

Cycling is not just an elite sport, and riding a bike around doesn’t make you superior. For many people, both here and around the world, it’s just another way of getting to work. One that doesn’t involve filling up with petrol, paying for parking, or registering and insuring your vehicle each year. In the implied words of these besuited ambassadors: imagine that.