A community is in mourning following the loss of "amazing doting father" Con Toparis who died while out riding in Goulburn on the weekend, aged 57.
The owner of Greengrocer Cycling and Cafe died after his push bike and a motorcycle collided on Crookwell Road on Saturday morning.
Mr Toparis was a father to two sons, Elias and Costa, and a husband to Lana Toparis.
The cafe celebrated 20 years of operation last year, in which time it had become not just a Goulburn favourite, but an informal clubhouse for the cycling club Mr Toparis was heavily involved with.
Goulburn Cycle Club president Adam Lambert said the creation of the Greengrocer completely changed the Goulburn cycling landscape.
"Before the greengrocer arrived we were a club, not necessarily a community," he said.
"Greengrocer gave us somewhere where pre- and post- riding we would go, it became like a family, essentially."
Mr Toparis was an accomplished sportsman who was dedicated and outspoken in advocating for road safety.
His wife Lana was overseas with their youngest son Costa, a 15-year-old Australian Karting Champion, at the time of the incident.
Mr Lambert said the pair had invested a lot of time and energy to support their son's burgeoning career and give him the best chance at success.
"Just an amazingly doting father," he said.
"The suddenness or this, is a huge shock.
"If someone gets ill, it's still tragic, but it never has the impact of when someone just innocuously leaves the house and never comes back."
Mr Lambert said Mr Toparis had pioneered the idea of a combined cafe and bike shop, particularly for a regional NSW town.
"It has become a model that's been copied hundreds of times," he said.
"Us as a cycling community, we just took to it like moths to a flame."
Mr Lambert said Mr Toparis called a "spade a spade" and was never shy in letting people know where they stood with him.
"The tragic part of it is, he was probably one of the most outspoken people towards bicycle safety.
"He was not beyond chipping someone if they rode a certain way or put themselves in a dangerous position or anything like that."
Professional motor racing team AGI Sport acknowledged the death of Mr Toparis in a social media post on Monday.
Costa Toparis raced for the Formula 4 racing team in 2022, "while his proud father Con watched on for every single lap".
"We'll never forget witnessing Costa's first race win in a single seater at their home track of Wakefield Park last year and the emotions that Con showed us, just how proud he was of his super talented boy," a team representative wrote.
"Such a passionate man that adored his whole family."
The Goulburn cycling community is expected to arrange a memorial for Mr Toparis in coming weeks, after members have had the chance to consult with the family.
NSW Police are calling for any witnesses to the incident, which occurred at about 11.10am on Saturday, to come forward.
The motorbike rider and his female passenger were reportedly uninjured.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
