Uni finish line for big bike ride

GREAT Vic Bike Ride participants reached the end of a five-hundred-and-twenty-two-kilometre journey last Sunday at Federation University’s Mount Helen campus.

About 2500 people took part in the iconic cycling-camping holiday which started in Koroit, and they saw the Great Ocean Road, volcanic craters, Great Otway National Park, and Golden Plains along the way.

Ballarat-based rider Deb Robertson said it was special to finish the journey in her home city, although she felt more exhausted than excited when she crossed the line.

“When we came into Mount Helen, I thought, oh no, not Gear Avenue,” she laughed. “We rode up through the carpark, and as we crossed the line there were announcements and people clapping.

“It was lovely. Then we headed back into Buninyong for a milkshake and something to eat before we went home.

“There were people there from Deniliquin, Albury, Gippsland, and they would have had to get onto a bus and travel for hours to get home, so it was very nice for us to be home in 15 minutes.”

The Great Vic Bike Ride is an initiative of the Bicycle Network, and CEO Alison McCormack said riders aged between 17 months and 85 years were part of the scenic challenge.

“It was so special, and the atmosphere on the rides and in the camps was just electric,” she said.

“After a break due to COVID… everyone was thrilled to be back, and the school groups were incredible. The young people were out there riding each day and playing together at the camps in the evenings.

“It’s a really formative experience for the students… and they had such beautiful manners out on the road.”

Six hundred students took part in the ride, representing 24 schools. Ms McCormack said the towns involved in the route were supportive, and she gave a special mention to Ballarat.

“We had to move the finish line from Buninyong… and Federation University were sensational with all the last-minute arrangements,” she said.

Other bike ride participants included Olympic cyclist Sarah Gigante and young stroke survivor Tommy Quick on a recumbent bike.

We Are Right Behind You cycling volunteers helped throughout the week, keeping the ride rolling, although the biggest volunteer group was the 50-strong catering team.