When Tim Decker was 13 his life changed forever. In 1986, while traveling for his job as a forestry officer, Decker’s father was killed in a motorcycle accident near Millicent in South Australia. In a cruel twist of fate, that stretch of road was known to Decker for hosting the Mount Gambier 100 Mile Classic.
Six years after his father’s death, Decker entered his first edition of the Classic, one of the oldest continuing handicap races in Australia, with a history dating back to 1933. It has remained a constant throughout his career as a talented rider (with a palmarès including the Melbourne-to-Warrnambool one-day race) and now as the coach of the Australian track cycling’s endurance team.“Ever since I’ve been involved in cycling, I’ve had a big passion for that race,” Decker tells Guardian Australia on the eve of the Paris Olympics. “Obviously you’re trying to honour your father and do yourself and him proud.”
