Students and staff from Braemar College are taking part in the Great Victorian Bike Ride, covering over 500 kilometres from Wodonga to Healesville.
Beginning on November 23 and ending on December 1, the route will pass through famous northeast Victorian towns including Yackandandah, Milawa, Lake Eildon and Marysville.
From Braemar College, 14 students, three teachers, and two parents are taking part in the nine-day trip, which will be the 17th ride for the school.
Braemar senior school health and physical education teacher Don Moran said the students performed plenty of training to prepare for the journey.
The group’s final training ride started at the college, went up to the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, over to Hanging Rock, around Carlsruhe, to Woodend, and then back to the college – about 38 kilometres in total.
“[We’re] really happy with how they’ve come along. They’re riding well individually and riding as well as a group, so that’s the key,” Mr Moran said.
He said that training included teaching the riders how to pass each other safely, which is a crucial skill that you quickly improve once you begin the Great Victorian Bike Ride.
Marking its 40th year, will be the final Great Victorian Bike ride in its current nine-day rolling festival format, which Mr Moran said will be a “shame to lose” considering the school’s long history of involvement.
In a media release from the event organiser Bicycle Network, chief executive Alison McCormack said the organisation is working to recreate the event in 2025 but that continuing to offer the ride in its current format is “no longer viable” due to financial difficulties and a need for increased monetary support.
Oscar Parry
