While they've never jumped on the bike themselves, Gillian Stevenson and her two daughters Sarah and Alana Schroen have been a huge part of the Ballarat Cycle Classic for the past six years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They're part of a team of volunteers who keep the event ticking along - without the volunteers, it simply wouldn't happen.
The Cycle Classic raises tens of thousands of dollars every year for Ballarat's own Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, which relies on donations to keep producing world-class research.
In February, Ms Stevenson and her daughters will be back again on the 28km adventure ride course, holding the fort at The Gong reservoir rest stop to hand out water, cakes, lollies, and bananas.
Sarah said she was excited to see some familiar faces return.
"There are lots of families that do it, and we often see the same riders every year, who are continually supporting the cause," she said.
"It's such a long ride, but we're always amazed every year to see these families come through - there's children as young as five or six who are doing this ride, and they're doing such an amazing thing for such an amazing cause."
"Sometimes they share their stories about why they turn up every year, it's lovely," Ms Stevenson added.
There are dozens of different volunteering roles, from course marshalls along the various rides - there are plenty of options for any skill level, from 100 mile rides to laps of Lake Wendouree - to keeping the event village running, to helping to hand out flyers to neighbours around the lake.
"The staff at the institute make everyone feel so welcome, they're always very appreciative of any time you can give, no matter how small," Sarah said.
"We volunteer because it's something special that we can do together to support our community."
That said, despite a long association with the event, they've never actually got on a bike to go for a ride themselves.
"We keep thinking 'oh, we should do that next year' - but it's more help with us volunteering," Ms Stevenson said, laughing.
To get involved, head to FECRI's Cycle Classic website.
You can also register for the events, which range from a gravel grind, mountain biking, road rides, and even a pet walk.
The Cycle Classic begins February 10 with a new BMX event in Sebastopol, with the gravel grind and enduro jam at Black Hill on February 17, before the main event at Lake Wendouree on February 18.
