Eric Rossi saddles up to keep his perfect Bupa Challenge Tour record intact

ERIC Rossi has never missed a Bupa Challenge Tour — and is just as excited about this month’s ride from Norwood to Victor Harbor as the first time he saddled up.

31.12.2015. Eric Rossi will be riding in the Bupa Challenge Tour in a couple of weeks. Pictured near Unley Oval. Photo Sam Wundke

ERIC Rossi has never missed a Bupa Challenge Tour — and is just as excited about this month’s ride from Norwood to Victor Harbor as the first time he saddled up.

The 57-year-old from Unley has been riding a bike for as long as he can remember and turned to road cycling because of the benefits of low-impact exercise on his body.

“I’ve had all sorts of bikes but I got a proper road bike about 20 years ago and started riding for a bit of exercise because it was easier on the knees than basketball,” he said.

“I love the challenge of the Bupa ride, it’s exciting to see where they’ll take us next and the king-of-the-mountain climbs are always interesting.

“A couple of those have really pushed the limits, like Checker Hill.”

Rossi is also a regular on the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes which last year took him 160km through the Barossa Valley and was a perfect lead up to the Bupa Challenge Tour.

But that was nothing compared to his 1500km trek as part of the Tour de Legacy in April.

“A group of about 50 of us rode from Canberra to Adelaide and part of that was raising funds and awareness for Legacy on the 100 year Anzac anniversary,” he said.

“Stuart O’Grady rode with us and it was really cool.”

The Bupa Challenge Tour will be held on January 22 and offers recreational cyclists the choice of four distances ranging from 36km to 142.5km from Norwood to Victor Harbor.

Participants ride the same route as the professionals on Stage 4 and arrive in time to see the peloton finish.

For more information or to register visit the website at www.tourdownunder.com.au

Originally published as Eric Rossi saddles up to keep his perfect Bupa Challenge Tour record intact