Maldon will once again host an event where classic steel bicycles are displayed and ridden.
Whether it is an early piece of cycling history from the 1800s, or a more recent steel frame from those artisans still producing steel bikes, it is hoped there will be a solid representation across the eras.
Photo courtesy Tarrangower Times.
On Saturday 5 March 2022 from 10.30am until 4pm the Community Centre in Francis Street will be filled with classic bicycles. The public are welcome to take in the history and the stories associated with each bicycle. There are many avid collectors locally who have worked hard to pull this event together as a fundraiser for the Maldon Hospital.
Peter Strang, one of the members of the organising group told the Times, “We are delighted that the Community Bank has again assisted us to support the hospital. Alongside Mount Alexander Shire’s help with planning, traffic management and promotion, we can be proud that cycling is again helping people be active, fit and great contributors to what is the wonderful lifestyle around Maldon”
Riders will take to the road on Sunday morning from 9.30am to ride either a 35 kilometre loop or a 52 kilometre loop, both coming back into town via Hamilton’s Crossing.
Photo courtesy Tarrangower Times.
Jim Knight, the Ride Director said, “Maldon and surrounds have so much to offer for cycling, from celebrating the history of bicycles to the natural beauty and opportunities that exist for road riding, gravel riding and mountain-biking. We hope that this supported ride on the Sunday is the start of a permanent fixture on the Maldon calendar.”
As part of the preparation for this event, the Maldon Museum & Archives have been very supportive in digging out the history of cycling around the district. If any locals have any information about either the bike shop, once located where the current Lolly Shop trades, or the Tarrangower Bicycle manufacturing business run by William Meade from 1906, The Maldon Classic would be delighted to hear from them. Ideally, they would love to see a Tarrangower Bicycle resurrected from someone’s shed and put on display!
Full details can be obtained from the event website www.themaldonclassic.org or on Facebook by searching The Maldon Classic.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 4 February 2022.
