Clifton Springs great-grandfather Jack Elliott, 85, will pedal 541km over nine days in his sixth Great Victorian Bike Ride beginning this weekend.
“It’s more or less just an excuse to go for a nine-day holiday,” he told the Indy.
“It’s not all about riding a bike, it’s about the camping and the comradery with the other people doing it.”
Jack will be the oldest of about 3000 cyclists rolling out of Bright on Saturday, after riding 100km to 150km a week in training for the event.
“I’m toning it down for this weekend,” he said.
An avid footballer and cricketer in his prime, Jack started running after his wife Alison died of heart problems in 2004.
“She had a bypass and didn’t come through the operation,” he said.
“That sort of inspired me to do something in the fitness department.”
A few years later, at age 75, Jack was running half marathons in two hours and 25 minutes, despite some people telling him he was “pretty silly”.
But after an Achilles injury he hit the pedals instead.
Jack said his family, including five children, 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren, supported his cycling endeavours.
“They’re really happy for me to do it – it gets me out of their hair and it helps maintain my fitness, so they don’t have to worry about me.
“But they keep a pretty close eye on me of course.”
His son Wayne joins him on a couple rides a week.
“He’s always been a bike rider, if anything he inspired me,” he said.
Jack also rides alongside the ‘Port Pedallers’ and solo along Bellarine Rail Trail and Barwon River.
“I find that safer than riding on the roads,” he said.
“The rail trail is a good ride because it’s a little hilly coming back.”
Jack encouraged young and elderly residents alike to run or cycle for their health.
“My advice to anyone is they’ve got to get out of their comfort zone and do a bit extra,” he said.
“The rewards are great when you can move around freely – although you look old, you don’t feel old.
“There is plenty going on around the place if you’d like to have a look.”
Great Victorian Bike Ride is Bicycle Network’s biggest annual event, with participating cyclists riding through and camping in dozens of towns in the state’s northeast this year.
More than 300 volunteers will follow the riders with 60,000 kilograms of luggage, seven trucks carrying 100 showers and eight toilet trucks.
Organisers serve about 1000 litres of beer and wine from the campsite’s Caf¨¦ de Canvas each night.
