HARRY Sheldon is the only person who has ridden every Great Victorian Bike Ride. In fact, he made his mark on the event even before the inaugural 1984 ride had begun.
He didn’t realise it at the time, but when he briefly left his bike with a friend just before the start of the ride, one of the tubes blew out. The mass of riders crammed together behind the starting tape thought it was the starter’s gun, and off they went – even though the mayor was only half way through her speech.
Harry is gearing up for his 35th ride this year. At 65, he’s ridden the annual event for more than half his life. He said his reasons for coming back every year have changed over the decades.
“Now I’ve got a record to maintain,” he said. “Another rider, Wally Sharpe, is only one GVBR behind me and another, Jim Cuneen, is two behind, so I need to keep riding it to stay ahead of them.
“Honestly, when it came to number 15 I thought I wouldn’t do too many more. This year is number 35. Someone asked me if I thought I’d get to 40… I thought maybe there’s a target for me.
“When I first started I was 30 and it was really just something to do – I’d sort of got into cycling by accident. So it’s about health and fitness but also I’m a type 2 diabetic and while I’m doing it I can indulge in things I otherwise couldn’t – like chocolate.”
One important reason Harry keeps hitting the saddle is his commitment to fundraising. He raises funds for ANZUP, a clinical trials group involved in researching and treating urogenital cancers.
“Cycling is a cerebral activity,” he said. “You reach points where it’s physically demanding, you don’t feel like going on and you ask yourself why am I doing this? If you’re raising funds for charity there’s a very big reason why you’re doing it, and that can often get you over the line.”
He’s seen the event change from what was intended as a one-off in 1984 to a huge, fully supported camping holiday involving 4000-odd riders aged from under 10 to over 80.
“The technology’s changed – there were no mobile phones back in 1984,” Harry said. “Telstra used to set up a satellite link where we camped and people queued up to make calls.
“Technology around bikes has changed enormously. And no one wore lycra back then, but it didn’t take long to learn the virtues of wearing it.”
This year’s event runs from November 24-December 2, starting in Bright and finishing in Benalla 541 kilometres later.
Rides are for nine, five or three days, including accommodation under canvas.
For more information, go to bicyclenetwork.com.au
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