General News
21 February, 2019
Riding for Retta
AFTER harbouring a longing to complete the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic since his early teenage years, Simon Kelson did just that last weekend and raised more than $32,000 towards brain cancer research in the process.
AFTER harbouring a longing to complete the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic since his early teenage years, Simon Kelson did just that last weekend and raised more than $32,000 towards brain cancer research in the process.
The Camperdown export was a keen rider with the local cycling club during his formative years, but never felt he was good enough to complete the 262 kilometre endurance ride.
“Once I moved to Melbourne, I drifted away from bike riding as other areas of life took over,” he said.
“But three years ago I decided to reconnect with my bike and joined up with a great bunch of riders in Melbourne.
“After awhile, as I slowly improved, the Melbourne to Warrnambool started to play on my mind again.”
The last 12 months saw him secure a professional coach and cover 13,000 kilometres as he trained for the iconic event – the equivalent of riding from Melbourne to Sydney via Perth and Darwin.
Wondering whether he had bitten off more than he could chew, Mr Kelson was spurred on over the Christmas break when he was told his aunt was in the throes of battling brain cancer.
“I lost my mum (Marietta) to brain cancer in 1994 when I was 15, so here we were again,” he said.
“When I heard about my aunt, that was it – I wanted to do something.”
Mr Kelson set up the ‘Riding for Retta’ Facebook page in honour of his mother and registered the fundraiser with the Australian Brain Cancer Mission, which television current affairs host Carrie Bickmore heads up.
The initial goal of raising $5000 was passed in just 48 hours with $6000 pledged.
Friends and relatives continued to back the fundraiser, taking the total to $12,000.
A ‘good luck’ Facebook post from Bickmore then saw support come from a wide range of sectors, pushing the total above $32,000.
“It was a pity the bike ride was re-routed through Port Campbell, because I was looking forward to coming through Camperdown,” Mr Kelson said.
“When mum died, the support my family received there was incredible.
“So many people took us under their wings and helped us to grow up and that has never been lost on me.
“It’s a great community.”
Undeterred, Mr Kelson’s family painted a giant banner and gathered at the Port Campbell lookout to cheer him on as he rode past.
It was a proud moment for Mr Kelson, who at 40 kilometres into the ride had fallen behind the peloton where he pushed on with a smaller group of riders.
“We were all determined and worked really hard to reconnect with the main bunch, which we managed to do just before we got to Port Campbell,” he said.
“I was really proud to be representing the family and to see them there cheering me on as we rode past them.
“It wasn’t long after that that I fell away from the main bunch again, but by then I was just happy to make it to the finish line.”
And finish he did, just 22 minutes behind the winner and 15th in his class.
“It was an incredible experience to complete the ride,” he said.
“And it was a great way to pay homage to mum and raise money for brain cancer research.
“I really thank everyone for their support and for backing me.”