It’s often said athletes peak in their twenties and thirties, but cyclists George and Carole Evans of Mosgiel will beg to differ.
Aged 79 and 86, they’ve competed in every Dunedin Masters Games - for 30 years.
"1992 was my first Masters," George said.
"We bought the tracksuits, and we still have them. Each year people say, 'ooh that’s an ancient tracksuit,' but we wear them every time just to show them how old we are.
"I think they’re the only two left in the world."
George raced overseas in his early twenties, and fell even more in love with the sport after seeing the Tour de France in action.
"I saw all these bike riders and the swish of the tyres and all these fancy jerseys and I was hooked for life, and here I am now hooked to her," he said.
"Her", being his wife Carole who was a runner originally, and only found her love for cycling in her early fifties.
"I love it," she said.
"I mean, if I can’t do it I get really grumpy - I’m addicted to it!"
George says Carole took to cycling like a duck to water, and the results speak for themselves.
She has 85 gold medals, five of them are World Masters gold.
“I always wanted to be a world champion cyclist, I never could be, so I married one!” George said.
For 52 years, George and Carole have travelled the world together.
George added when they first met, it was love at first sight.
Carole says they consider themselves lucky for what they’ve got all these years later.
"We still love each other very much, we give thanks every day for what we’ve got," she said.
They may be veterans, but George believes there’s plenty more life to come for them both yet.
"I think I’m going to be blowing out the candles on Carole’s 100th birthday, I’ll only be 107," he said.
The pair will be competing in the cycling time trial and road race in the 33rd NZ Masters Games in February next year.
SHARE ME