Reflections on another Great Cycle Challenge

At 77 most folk are sensibly avoiding the sometimes challenging exertion of riding a pushbike dozens, sometimes hundreds of kilometres in a month.

But when you look through the age groups, veterans represent a surprising proportion of riders. In my age group, 76 and above, it is dominated by good people who have been doing this fundraising for five years or more.

Perhaps it’s because we are often so close to our grandchildren. As our married sons and daughters both go out to work and we see these little people emerge, perhaps more acutely than their own busy and stressed out parents, we are acutely aware of the future for the little ones we are being privileged to be part of.

And perhaps it’s also because we’ve lost many of our own contemporaries to cancer, heart disease, or increasingly, to the slow decline into dementia. The very brightness and bubbly little people we pick up from school and spend time with until parent pickup is such a tonic, that the thought of them with a serious illness, so early in their lives, is something we rile against and choose to do something about.

That’s what it is for me. Being a relatively fit 77-year old, I still can ride. Well usually. This year has been a bit different. October has been a month of medical pushing, poking and prodding, tests and more, all checking out some issues that need attention medically. Indeed today, the penultimate day of the 2026 Cycle Challenge, saw me in a hospital bed waking up from quick investigative surgery. It will lead to more significant surgery in about a month. Hopefully a full recovery will follow and allow me to prepare for an altogether more complete month of riding, marketing, pitching for sponsors and more, - next year.

Helping improve the outcomes for children caught up with cancer has become incredibly important to this rider. But despite any limitations I have experienced medically this year, it’s nothing to what these brave young kids go through. And each year we raise the funds we do, little by little and sometimes, happily, abruptly, children get better outcomes in their cancer treatment.

The side benefit dozens of us older folk have is a highly motivating period of boosted fitness, community engagement and increased self-worth. And that helps all the well kids too that we are also better able to nurture through our self-imposed riding goals which aid balance, mobility and mindset.

Whatever your age. Think about being part of this next year. Send me a message either through my Facebook or Great Cycle Challenge page if you want to know more.

And thank you for being part of it, if you are reading this here. It becomes an Australia-wide family.

Go well all. Till next year’s remarkable GCC impact. So glad to have made another small but valuable and valued contribution.