More than 50 cyclists took the motto ‘rain, hail or shine’ to heart on Saturday for the annual Tour de Beechworth, defying falling trees and snow.
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Organiser Ben Kraus said despite miserable conditions, both the 40km two peaks Stanley ride and the 80 km route were well attended.
“We rode through rain, hail and then snow in Stanley,” he said.
“Coming towards Myrtleford, there was three trees on the road – the winds were so strong they had ripped them right out of the ground.
“It’s always cold but that’s part of the challenge, the weather makes for good story telling.”
Mr Kraus said the conditions made for a laugh during a live cross in the evening with SBS television reporter Mike Tomalaris, at the finish line of the final stage of the Tour de France.
“We get him to talk it up to make it like our ride is harder … it’s always a highlight of the night when he answers our questions,” he said.
Mr Kraus said the weekend exceeded expectations, with all proceeds from a dinner at Bridge Road Brewers raising money for the Beechworth Chain Gang.
“We had a guy fly down from Brisbane for the weekend, a couple from Adelaide came over,” he said.
“It’s really nice to draw people to town, especially to ride a bike in the non-cycling time of year.”