By Taylah Eastwell
A Belgrave South grandfather is looking forward to a “very special” ride, gearing up to tackle the Great Victorian Bike Ride alongside his son and grandsons later this year.
81-year-old Martin Peeters will ride a 537-kilometre route through the Grampians with his son Simon and his grandsons Alex (15) and Josh (19) this November as part of the 37th annual Great Victorian Bike Ride, the biggest multi-day ride in the southern hemisphere.
For Martin, the chance for three generations to join each other on the trip is something he is really looking forward to.
“It will be very special, I’ll really enjoy it,” he said.
“They will love it too, because the logistics of it all are just unbelievable,” he said.
The nine-day bike riding holiday is broken up by a bit of fun, with riders camping with around 3,000 other cyclists at the end of each day. Starting in Rainbow on Saturday 27 November, riders will travel through the picturesque countryside of Brim, Horsham, Halls Gap, Dunkeld and Pomonal before finishing in Great Western at Seppelt Winery – averaging around 80km each day.
Having completed the 2008 and 2009 Great Victorian Bike Rides, Mr Peeters is eager to do it all again.
“There are all these tents on a local reserve, they give you breakfast in the morning, there’s showers, toilets and they set up a little bar so you can have a drink after the race. It’s all run by volunteers and they cart your tents to the next destination so you don’t have to cart it on your bike,” he said.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience and it’s something you don’t want to miss out on,” he added.
Bike riding is something Mr Peeters has always enjoyed, having taken up racing at just 16-years of age when his family came out from Holland.
“We came from Holland in 1956, me, mum, dad and all 10 kids. I turned 16 on the boat coming across. When we landed here we got on a steam train and I got a job in Melbourne. I was going to church one Sunday when I bumped into a chap who had come out three years earlier, he asked if I’d like to come for a bike ride and I said I’d love to. We finished up riding up in the Dandenongs, he had trouble keeping up with me,” he said.
“I finished up joining a Dandenong professional bike riding club, unfortunately I didn’t know the difference between the professional and amateur club so I’d joined the professionals, and then at the end of the year I found out there was an amateur club, but I didn’t mind, I enjoyed being a professional,” he laughed.
“That’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I raced with them for about six years and then went back when they started the veterans club when I was about 35.
Mr Peeters used to ride his bike to work from Belgrave South to Springvale two or three times a week, so training isn’t really something he’s too fussed about.
“Fortunately I’ve always been riding my bike and racing, so I don’t have to train, I’ve just got to try and get my son and my two grandsons to train together,” he laughed.
The ride will traverse through the Grampians National Park and a number of art silos. It will also include a ride out of Horsham to arts hub Natimuk and a rest day in Halls Gap, offering the full chance to slow down and see Victoria from the seat of a bicycle.
For more information visit greatvic.com.au.
