The Annual General Meeting for VetRide Incorporated will be held at the Greensborough RSL, Main Road Greensborough, on Tuesday 30th November 2021 at 11.00 am.

Nominations:

At the Annual General Meeting all the members of the Management Committee for the time being shall retire from office, but shall be eligible upon nomination for re-election.

Any two members (nominator and seconder) of the Club shall be at liberty to nominate any other member to serve as an officer of the management committee.

Nominations for the Management Committee are to be received by the Secretary in writing prior to the Annual General Meeting, the nomination to be signed by the member, the member’s nominator and seconder.

If no written nominations are received, nominations will be taken from the floor.

Nomination Form:

Full details of the nomination process and the form to nominate can be found below.

Let’s get stripped

Undertaking a mid-mount demands a bit more time and effort, than that for a rear hub conversion. Initially it requires tackling some of the tasks that riders often leave to their local bike shop, because they either lack the tools, expertise, or motivation. This usually includes the removal of the chain, crankset and bottom bracket, front derailleur (and in some cases the rear), and cassette. Already having the necessary tools and having previously performed these tasks I was ready to get stuck in.

There are too many ‘standards’ in bottom brackets and running gear to warrant detailing the tools and steps pertinent to the choice of moutnain bike I made. Suffice it to say that Google is your best friend in this endeavour should you choose to undertake it. There is a veritable plethora of useful tutorials on online, particularly on Youtube, that can guide you through the whole process, to get you started;

• Removing bicycle pedals
• Removing Cranks
• Removing the bottom bracket
• Remove front derailleur (you won’t be needing it)

Or have the ladies over at REV Electric Cycles guide you through the whole process of fitting a Bafang Mid Drive Unit. They even sell kits that include the fitting in the price.

So that’s probably enough information for tonights post, this is going to be more than a single stubbie job! Join us in the next post as we begin to get in to the harder stuff of running the electrics!

Off the shelf or doing it yourself?

As alluded to in the previous post there can be a perception of not being able to keep up when making the transition from road to mountain biking. There is certainly an element of truth in this thought process as it is a different form of fitness required in mountain-biking as you contend with the obstacles found off-road.

As with almost any market manufacturers have seen a gap and offer solutions in the form of off the shelf e-bikes; many with the prices to make you wince. These bikes are proving so popular that the brand Specialized see a time where ‘naturally aspirated’ mountain bikes will be a thing of the past. Whilst prices of these bikes have begun to reduce, the most cost effective manner to gain electric power can be through the conversion of an existing bike. There is the option to have someone do this for you, obviously there is an extra cost incurred with this option, so the cheapest course of action remains the Do It Yourself kits; particularly where you have an existing bike in the shed!

These kits come in two general flavours; mid mount and hub drive. Where the bike is intended for road or light trail use only the hub drive system is thought to be the best balance, whilst those considering venturing further ‘off piste’ will require the mid mount version. If you want or need more details on the dis/advantages of the various types a quick internet search will soon provide you with a wealth of information. Our esteemed president has completed his research and made his choice, what follows is his story as he converts to e-power.

Choice of stead

In the shed I have a couple of little used, but good quality (end of the 1990s) mountain bikes, both made by GT, one a hard tail and the other Full Suspension (FS). Predictably, I have decided to convert the FS as my first attempt.

There is a good write up on the LTS series over on Pinkbike if you want the intimate detail of the bikes. Suffice it to say that the presidents bike is an 18″ 1998 model example of a bikes sold to fulfill a light cross country role. This model is the last to feature a straight seat post and features 100mm of travel. (Is that a comfort seat and seat-post we see added there El Presidente?)

Choice of battery/motor kit

After a bit of research the best value and most popular kit appears to be that made by Bafang. They made two kinds of mid mount, the most common being the BBS02 (now BBS02B) in 250, 500 and 750 w motors; and the made tougher BBSHD 1000w. Since my old mountain bike only has about 100mm travel front and even less on the back, the latter much more expensive option was pointless, however since the price between the least and most powerful BBS02B was minimal, it made sense to go with the 48v 750W. Even in Australia there are numerous retailers offering these, and more, kits. Do your research and choose the right kit for your intended use

Having chosen your stead and your kit the next step is prepare the bike and start fitting the kit. Join us in the next post as the president continues his journey to electrification.

As 2021 gets underway and the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID lock-down approaches, it is appropriate that I report to you about this organisation’s response.
Given many of our riders are on the plus side of the promised three score and ten, and with health challenges, your committee were left with little option but to suspend our operations.
In the now nearly 12 months since then, risk levels may have fluctuated, however at no point has it been safe to contemplate running a full group ride cycling event. Individual riders have continued to get out there, and some of our sub-groups have been able to manage local group outings. Planning however, for when we are able to contemplate an official VetRide event has not ceased, including some preliminary discussion with Bicycle Network, around the possibility of a jointly, veteran and public, commemorative ride, during the Anzac day period. As an example:

Ride Anzac
… and in the morning you will remember them;
as you ride with the spirit of Anzac
As dawn breaks and in the light of the Eternal Flame, your day will start from the Victorian home of commemoration, the Shrine of Melbourne.
Warming up as you head along Birdwood Avenue, the cavalcade of pedal will pass by Simpson and his Donkey, the Memorial to Silence, the Drivers and Wipers Memorial, Edward Honey and Edith Cavell Memorials, before saluting John Monash and the entry to Government House.
After finishing back at the Shrine, you will have the opportunity to ….

In terms of our continuing support for current serving and younger veterans, we have also commenced talks with some of the previous organisers of the Soldier On Cycling group. This was a nationwide group of riders numbering in the hundreds, and I am pleased to report that their approach is much the same as ours, in that they are keen to rejuvenate their activities in unison with VetRide.

To our North our VetRide Queensland group continue to be active and some interstate collaboration is being undertaken as they formulate plans to enlarge their membership. The Federal Member for the Townsville area is a veteran, Phillip Thompson OAM MP and his kind offer of assistance will be relevant, for contact with the military bases in his Townsville area electorate; and beyond.

There are three current serving members on our committee and we rely upon their expertise, with regard to relevant strategic planning for the future. One suggestion has been that we engage more substantially with mountain biking; and with that in mind some investigations have begun into the possibility of an event to be run at Lysterfield Park. I have made initial contact with the Lysterfield District Trail Riders (LDTR), who maintain the many trails there, host events, rides and training etc.

Lysterfield Park contains some natural bush and forest that was the common landscape for much of the Melbourne area before white settlement. Lysterfield Lake was used to supply fresh water to the Mornington Peninsula before the construction of Cardinia Reservoir in 1975. The Park is a significant area for an amazing variety of birdlife – 172 species recorded – attracted by the different types of food and environments provided by the woodlands, forest, lake and grassy open spaces. There are ten trails (see Trailforks) totalling 20km in the park, ranging from 200m to 6.3km they vary from easy to extremely difficult. Track surfaces vary with hardened surface and widely variable and unpredictable natural features and terrain.

Under the rules of Incorporation we are required to hold an Annual General Meeting, which for us would normally have been held at the end of 2020. Because of COVID we have not yet conducted the AGM, however have applied to Consumer Affairs Victoria for an extension, and pursuant to the rules, our Secretary will advise of the date in due course.
In the interim, we await progress upon the roll out of the vaccine and the presumed accompanying safe environment, for the holding of group activities. Until then, please let your committee know of your thoughts, and any suggestions you may have for the future.

Peter Liefman OAM BA LLB
VetRide Incorporated President

VetRide is excited to announce it’s major ride for the year will be held at Warburton from Mon 11 – Thurs 14 November. Pencil the dates in; come for a day, come for three, or extend your stay in lovely Warburton. Keep your eyes on here and social media as more planning is done and details become available

At the close of business for this year we have undertaken and participated in a number of interesting rides, solidified our connections with like-minded organisations, welcomed some new cyclists into the VetRide family; and maintained our commitment to honouring the service and sacrifice of our compatriots, past and present.

Queensland Visits

Early in the year and although we did not participate, some of us were on hand to welcome the Queensland VetRide group, who traveled south to enjoy a packed week on many of our rail trails.

Pollie Pedal

Over the years since we began in 2011, VetRide has been able to establish its bona fides through the backing of well recognized ex-service organisations, most notably the Victorian Branch of the Vietnams Association and that in turn has led to financial support from the State Government of Victoria and the Federal Government.

Since our first multi day ride from Echuca to Melbourne in 2012 and with the help of ongoing personal endorsement from previous PM, Tony Abbott and his then Defence Minister, Kevin Andrews, we have been able to continue to broaden our focus beyond the Vietnam veteran cohort.

As part of that ongoing partnership and at Tony’s suggestion, we joined the Pollie Pedal commitment to the ‘Soldier On’ cause, for a pre-ride event in April. A mix of about 50 current serving personnel and veterans joined with a number of politicians for a day ride between some of the RSLs in Melbourne.

Around the Bay in a Day

Following on from our joining forces with riders from Soldier On, Ride 2 Recovery and RSL Active for the 2017 Bicycle Network Great Victorian Bike Ride; we and a number of other service participants entered the annual 2018 Around the Bay in a Day event

For Bicycle network’s 25^th Around the Bay, about 80 military service linked riders took on the various optional rides, with the two biggest pelotons tackling the 210k and 100k distances. Weather conditions on Beach road were ideal and just for a change most of our riders enjoyed a pretty ‘cruisy’ day.

Centenary of Armistice

For our annual VetRide event we chose to undertake a ride in commemoration of the Centenary of the Armistice. With Kevin Andrews welcome sponsorship as the Federal Member for the Menzies electorate, we were able to obtain some modest funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the with 100k for 100 years as the goal, the ‘Ride of the Century’ took place on Saturday 10^th November.

At the completion of the 100k, the riders enjoyed some comradeship and refreshments at the Templestowe RSL. The success of the day was all about the bringing together of a good number of those who are currently serving, some who have more recently been discharged and those for whom the wearing of a uniform is a distant memory.

Incorporation

On other necessary matters and following from our discontinuing to operate under the auspices of the VVAA in 2017; the Planning Committee sat down this year to talk about our future. All options were on the table, however with WO2 Thommo’s strongly voiced enthusiasm for the organisation’s continuation, we determined to do so, unanimously.

For many reasons, including the ability to make agreements and apply for larger grants, we need to be a legal entity and as with other not-for-profit organisations, we have incorporated under the state-based Associations Incorporation Act.

The first duty of VetRide Incorporated was to hold its inaugural AGM and which was held on Friday 23 November, with acting Chair Melbourne Legacy President, Hugh Roberton. At that meeting the committee including the Executive was elected and some basic operational rules were determined.

As part of the change in status we have also been successful in formally registering as a Charity and obtaining ATO recognition as a Deductible Gift Recipient. The latter means that VetRide can receive tax deductible donations.

Given the broadening of interest in the organisation by younger veterans, we have enlarged the committee to 11 with the increase now to two members who are currently serving. As we look to the future and given the average age of a Vietnam veteran is 70, the shift to management by those who are younger is a no brainer.

In terms of the time it takes to make the generational transition, it’s already some time since the World War 2 veteran cohort passed the baton to the baby boomer generation. I pass on a comment made to me many years ago by a close friend and WW2 veteran, the late Laurence Sydney Black OAM. Laurie served with Z Special, a unit that operated behind the Japanese lines. In urging my generation to take the reins sooner (‘up Donner up Blitzen’) rather than later, he made the point to me that his mates were already running most of the RSLs in their 30’s.

On that note and on behalf of the VetRide committee, I wish all of our riders and their families, the very best for the festive season.

Peter Liefman

“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride”

– Eddy Merckx