*            Andrew aka TugBoat aged 43, who over a 2 year period dropped from 110kg to 70kg to 57.4kg and now weighs 63kg.  Due to his new found love for rigorous, Challenging, cycling and a desire to improve his KOM Climb Times on a website the Business Plan Developer built as a motivational tool King of the Mountain performance measurement, has motivated Andrew to fastidiously watch his diet.

*            Eric aka PapaBear  aged 69, who has had a spinal fusion and endures constant back pain.  Eric has stripped off 30kgs and holds the Audax Alpine Classic record of 15 consecutive 200km Audax Alpine Classics in the Victorian Alps, the pinnacle of Australian endurance, involving 3,600m of steep climbing on the one day.  Eric has also completed three 210km Fitz's Epic and several of the former 150km Fitz's Challenge in Canberra.

*            Ann aka ToothFairy aged 64, an eminent Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon and operates at Westmead and Strathfield Hospitals.  On each of the last 8 years in April, Anne has cycled for the Rotary Club of Engadine, together with about 90 others, from Sydney to the Southport in 7½ days.  The ride is a fundraiser for Fr. Chris Riley's "Youth off the Street" generating about $100,000 pa donations.  To date this annual interstate ride has raised over $900,000 in donations.  Participants pedal between 120 to 155km a day.  On each of the last 12 years, Ann, her partner Geoff, and other anaesthetists and nursing staff from Oz and abroad, travel to Cebu in the Philippines on "Operation Restore Hope" to operate on locals with facial deformities, who without such generosity, would not receive treatment which we take for granted.  Cebu, an island area of over 5 million people, has a very high incident of cleft lip and palate deformity.

*            Mark Carrington aka LongHaul aged 56 who has cycled from Perth to Melbourne twice and Darwin to Adelaide once with a band of local and overseas endurance cyclists.

*            Glenn aka Vamoots aged 50 rode the 2003 1,200km Paris Brest Paris in under 90 hours, was a member of a recumbent team in the 2004 Race Across America, and qualified for the 2007 PBP having completed a 200km, 300km, 600km and 400km qualifying rides in 4 weeks in December 2006.

*            Sergey aka Sputnik aged 37 who rotates between St Petersburg Russia and Sydney, completed both the 2003 and 2007 1,200km PBP in under 90 hours.

*            Steve aka TravelDoc aged 55 is another who completed the 2003 1,200km PBP and recently returned from cycling in the desolate mountains in the Himalayas - see photo.

*            Matt aka Printer aged 45 used to smoke almost a packet of cigarettes a day and drink "way too many beers too many nights" where is weight ten years ago blew out to 85kg.   Matt has stripped down to 75kg and still enjoys a beer but remaining competitive for such annual events as the 24 hour Mountain Bike Event in Canberra and the 200km Audax Alpine Classic are higher priorities "than smoking and drinking your head off......The only thing skinny in the old days was my wallet".

*            Greg aka Fitz's Hill aged 55 is another Australian to complete the 2003 and 2007 1,200km PBP - a long serving committee person for the highly successful Pedal Power ACT Cycling Club in Canberra, which has over 2,000 members, runs a programme in concert with Females In Training (FIT), largely driven by Lauren Brand, which enables over a dozen blind people to ride on tandems in Canberra.   Vision impaired Sports ACT lists FIT's tandem program.

*            Siggy aka Smiling Assassin aged 64 has suffered some shocking trauma accidents including a motor bike bingle which necessitated 6 month in hospital, two broken hips requiring 3 pins in each hip, a replacement hip, 3 busted collar bones, arthritis in the hips and his neck.  Siggy can hardly walk and the numerous scars and lumps are testimony to his accidents.  However, he has completed the two premier cycling events on the East Coast, namely the Audax Alpine Classic from Bright Vic. and Fitz's Challenge Canberra on many occasions and rides 60km to 100km each Sunday.

*            Brian aka Whippet aged 74 held a few Australian records in water skiing many moons ago.  Whippet ran the City to Surf in sub 50 mins several times, and took up cycling about 10 years ago when the jogging knees gave out.  Brian's finest performance may have been the 1997 150km Fitz's Challenge where he veritably flew to keep up with The Whiz (who had completed the Australian IronMan triathlon a few months earlier), only to collapse post-ride from exhaustion looking as close to death as the human body can sustain without actually carking-it.  In Spring of 2006, Brian suffered a serious neck injury when he hit a bollard (since removed by Ryde Council).  During two spinal operations, Whippet had three vertebrae fused in his neck and had to wear a halo (bolted to his head) for a few months.  An injury that would signal the end of a mere mortal's cycling career, hasn't stopped Brian who is back on his mountain bike.

*            Gareth aka The Whiz aged 50 took up cycling in his late 30s after years of lethargy.  Gareth has now completed 3 Australian IronMan triathlons and three marathons.

*            Harry aka KayakMan a spry 78 years young, who retired from driving trucks at 63, attributes his remarkable BMI and VO2 to endurance canoeing and kayaking events for over 20 years, coupled with endurance cycling during the last 8 years.  Harry recently completed the 2008 200km Audax Alpine Classic from Bright Vic. in 12:05 - ma truly exemplary performance.

*            Tony aka LateStarter is 70.  Tony didn't take-up cycling until 2003.  Within 12 months LateStarter had completed a 200km Audax Alpine Classic in Bright Vic which scales Falls Creek, Mt Buffalo and both sides of Tawonga Gap.  This pre-eminent 200km event contains 4 tough ascents and aggregate 3,700m of pedal pumping, quad draining, elevation:
*        NEE up Towonga Gap 11km,
*        NNE up Falls Creek 29km,
*        SWW up Towonga Gap 8km (from the steeper side); and
*        W up Mt. Buffalo 22km.
LateStarter has completed a few 24 hour ultra-endurance ride in Victoria where in 26 hours he was on the bike for >18 hours.

*            Brett aka Minnesota Fats or FatMan, who is 64, received the calling about 5 years ago when he abandoned a life of beer and swill for the austere discipline of cycling and hiking up mountains in the wee hours of the morn’ relying on rechargeable battery torches.  Minnesota has stripped off 30kgs but still tips the scales at 89kg and struggles to keep it off.  Hence, the FatMan's ritual to hike and cycle is habitual. 

             The FatMan has a powerful aversion to exercising in the heat.  One of Brett's cycle climbs is a torturous 130km from Harrietville to the peak of Mt. Hotham, thence descending the other side to Diner Plains and further down to Omeo, and returning back on his trusty lamp laden treadley.  Once on that route in early Spring of 2005 when the temp was still hovering in the single figures, Brett started up Mt Hotham at 3am in his customary singlet and shorts and came across a few National Park Rangers towards the peak who thought him to be a "truly odd chap".  But it only spurred Minnesota on.   Within 6 months Brett hopes to hike a good portion of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

*            Paul aka Prague, who is 59, is an amazing hills climber having climbed all the prominent climbs in the Tour de France, incl Col du Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier, Hautacam, and Alpe d'Huez.  Like so many committed road cyclists, unpretentious Paul doesn't have an airs 'n graces.

*            Greg aka ArchitectToo, 41, typifiers many committed road cyclists by setting lofty challenging goals and achieving them.

*            Ed aka HornPlayer, aged 64, a Yank who has played the French Horn in the New Zealand Symphonic Orchestra for >20 years, became a Born-Again only last year.  Barely 12 months later, HornBlower completed the 160km Lake Taupo Cycling Challenge in 5 hrs 15 min and felt chuffed at the end.

*           John aka BakerBoy, aged 68, represented Rhodesia in the South African Cycling Championships as a youth "a thousand years ago", but experienced a 40 year hiatus "whilst raising a family, but happy to be back on a bike".  John got badly whacked by a negligent motorist in May 2006 on Brisbane Waters Drive being bounced over the car, but is back riding +100km rides most Sunday's and kayaks from Woy Woy midweek.

*            Alan aka HalfMill, aged 75, has cycled for over 30 years the vast majority road and track racing.  Alan calculates that he has cycled almost a half a million kilometres.  Six years ago, Alan did the unthinkable and switched to on and off-road cycling touring.  In recent years, HalfMill has cycled:

1. 5,500km from Perth to Sydney (36 days ave 150km p/d)

2. 1,100km of which 950km was off-road from Cairns to Cape York. 

3. 3,300km from Cairns to Daintree, to Atherton, down to Newcastle.

4. 3,000km with 50% off-road from Adelaide up the Birdsville track to Kurumba. 

5. 2,750km (500km off-road) from Cobalt Gorge to Griffith.

6. 3,700km (60% off-road) from Broken Hill to Alice Springs to Darwin.

*            Liz aka Not Normal Nonna, aged 66, has road-cycled for many years and completed two x 150km Fitz's Challenge , one x 180km Petite Oppy in 2005 and one x  210km Around the Bay in a Day.  Liz thrives on a challenge which is her reason for entering the 3,000km "La Bella Italia" cycle ride to raise donations for The Oncology Children’s Foundation which commences in May 2009 at Palermo in southern Sicily, cycling North via Pompeii, Rome, Florence, Venice to the legendary Madonna del Ghisallo.  Click on: "Ride of her life".  Eliz's initial target was $1,500 in donations, however, she has raised >$3,000 already which not only reflects her high standing within her cycling friends, but also her status amongst local corporates, a few of whom have contributed heavily.

*           Tony aka Publican, 71, had a prosthesis hip fitted five years ago.  Earlier this year he was knocked off his Trusty Treadley, and carted off to hospital by our beaut Ambos, with several broken ribs.  After two months in rehab, Tony resumed his job as a barman.  Less than 6 months after getting hit by a driver who "didn't have the ticker" to pull-up after whacking Tony up the rear, Tony rode the annual 200km Around the Bay in a Day ride around Port Phillip Bay, which is a an annual ritual amongst Victoria's endurance cycling brigade, with hundreds of similarly inclined cyclists from SA, NSW & Qld making the annual pilgrimage to circumnavigate Port Phillip Bay.