Mack Horton signs on for Gran Fondo

OLYMPIAN Mack Horton retired from swimming before the Paris Games at the beginning of last year but has not lost his competitive edge.

Cycling was once something the 29-year-old did as part of his training in preparation for a gold medal performance, riding as mates with a kid and then using it as a supplementary training element when he started swimming.

“I used to do a lot of stationary bike stuff, like in heat chambers, for extra aerobic capacity, and I just loved it,” Horton said.

“I think when you’re in sport you’re so sheltered and protected that you’re not allowed to do many other things outside of the sport, so outdoor cycling could never really be a thing for me.”

Before his retirement Horton only knew swimming, but one of the upshots of calling time on his career in the pool has been the freedom to pursue other sporting endeavours.

He is now a fully-fledged man in lycra, and has registered for Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo on October 19, which runs alongside the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Lorne from October 15 to 19.

With nearly 2000 riders already registered for Amy’s Gran Fondo and more than 1300 riders for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, it’s shaping up to be a huge five days of cycling.

“When I finished swimming, it was just like ‘This is going to be where I get my aerobic fix’,” Horton said.

“I ride to work every single day and get the exercise that I want. It’s convenient, it fits into my day, it’s perfect. And then on the weekend, I’ll go on a random, long jaunt just for fun.”

Horton does a bit more than ride to work. If you’re wondering what a fun, long jaunt for a recently retired Olympian turned infrastructure consultant is, it’s between 100km-160km. He’s also participated in Tour de Cure and has taken-on the gravel mecca at the Beechworth Granite Classic.

Part of Horton’s motivation for joining Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo is that he can do it with his younger brother, Chad, who is relatively new to cycling.

The pair have started going on weekend training rides in preparation for the 122km event that canvasses some of Victoria’s most iconic coastal wonders, with riders able to compete at their own pace, safely, on roads fully closed to traffic. They have different physiology and backgrounds but are committed to at least starting together.

“I think the experience in doing something with him and having something that we can work for and train for together is fun,” Horton said.

“Exercising is our favourite activity to do together. We’d go for runs or go to the gym. This is our first foray together into cycling and hopefully not the last.”

“He’s way stronger. He was a rock climber, so he has zero muscle endurance. We’re opposite ends of the physical spectrum,” Horton said of his brother.

“We went for a ride on the weekend, and it was 60km or something. We did a little bit of elevation, and he literally had to stop and walk up some of the hills at the end he was so cooked.”

There is a recreational category at Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo that allows for e-bikes, but Horton isn’t having it.

“I have not entered that one, and I will not let him enter that. He’s committed. But how good is that, though, that they let people do that? I think that’s cool,” he said.

When asked if he intends to cross the finish line with his brother for a picture-perfect Instagram post, Horton doesn’t hesitate: “I suspect we’ll try and ride together for a bit, he’ll hit a wall and be like ‘You’ve got to go without me’,” he said. “That’s how I reckon it’s going to go. And I will leave him. But then maybe I should just leave him at the start.”

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