WHEN RETIRED PACKAGING general manager Ian Vowles hooked up with a few mates to take a leisurely ride along Durban’s beachfront in May 2016, he would never have imagined that six years later, the ride would be as popular as it is.
Vowles, 75, now has a WhatsApp database of 116 called ‘The Recycles’, and his cheerful band of riders meet up every Tuesday morning for a ride that ranges from 22 to 35km.
“It’s true that most of us need new hips or new pacemakers, and that an upgrade on our bodies would be most welcome,” Vowles smiles, “but most of us are pretty enthusiastic, and our Tuesdays are always something to look forward to.”
The group started with the idea of simply going out to ‘smell the roses’ rather than for training and racing; and although most of the riders are retirees, there are one or two younger riders who come along simply for the fun of it.
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