At 89, Amber by Living Gems resident Neil Graham puts even the youngest of us to shame with his physical fitness.

Unstoppable, he has been cycling since he was a young boy and is even a bit of a celebrity at this over-50s lifestyle resort, with a recent write-up in the local paper.

“Something just seemed to click when I got on my first bike, which was actually my dad’s bike, at the age of 8,” Neil tells us.

“I think it was the feeling of freedom I experienced, together with the euphoria and the wind on my face as I started racing around.”

Although Neil has been cycling and competing for years, he didn’t do his first long-distance ride until the age of 49, when he and his friend flew to Adelaide and cycled back to Melbourne together. It was then that Neil caught the competitive bug and started entering long-distance races.

“My first win was as a 15-year-old amateur, when I won an Aggregate Trophy with the Brunswick Cycle Club in Victoria in 1948,” he said. “But my main success was in a three-day tour with the Northern Vets Cycle Club in Victoria.”

“Between 1980 and 1990, I rode the 145km Great Otway Bike Ride each year in succession, and I have ridden from Adelaide to Melbourne once and Melbourne to Sydney and return six times.”

Neil hopes to inspire more Amber residents to start cycling and having that lust for an active life no matter the age group.

“I’ve competed in cross country running events, winning the Kilsyth Country Classic 10km run, and consider myself to have more enthusiasm than ability,” he says.

“Nothing should stop us from getting out there.”