They may be far apart in terms of age, geography and financial reward, but they speak as one when it comes to their love of the sport.
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The past, present and future of Tasmanian cycling appears to be in a rude state of health.
In the past month, Graeme Hodskiss, Richie Porte and Ryan Lawson have spoken independently about the pastime that unites them.
Despite their differences, their messages have been remarkably similar.
“You've just got to smell the roses and just enjoy it. Be grateful you're still riding a bike,” Hodskiss said.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a kid from Tassie riding a bike,” declared Porte.
And, “I’d love to see where it takes me but at the moment I’m just enjoying riding my bike,” added Lawson.
Hodskiss, 66, has been there and done it, winning the 1975 Latrobe Wheel as one of Tasmania’s early cycling trailblazers.
At just under half his age, Porte, 32, is currently there and doing it, gracing the 2016 Olympic Games, winning last month’s Tour Down Under and heading into the Tour de France as a genuine contender looking to improve on last year’s fifth place.
At just under half his age, Lawson, 15, has it all ahead of him, contesting his third Australian junior track championships over the weekend and collecting a richly deserved bronze medal in the sprint as he eyes the transition into senior competition.
However, their shared philosophy speaks volumes for the success of their sport in their state.
In a delightful report on the ABC, Hodskiss was interviewed during a regular ride around the back roads of Carrick with fellow veterans like Graeme Gilmore, 72, Ron Grenda, 78, Kevin Morgan, 68, and Roly Sloane, 77.
Containing Tasmanian and Australian champions, an Olympian, six-day racing pioneers and Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame members, the distinguished but largely anonymous group is bonded by a shared love of the saddle and the scenery.
Such surnames tell the real story of Tasmanian cycling and one that is not lost on young Lawson, who has wiped the floor in under-17 races across the state this summer.
The Grade 10 Riverside High School student is a third generation state representative and coached by Gilmore’s world championship-winning son, Matthew.
Meanwhile, Lawson’s father, Ken, was coached by Hodskiss.
And the connections don’t end there.
The state team that will contest the senior track championships from March 2 in Brisbane will also be coached by Matthew Gilmore and includes one of his sons, Zack, while the other, Liam, is a former Riverside Olympic soccer teammate of Lawson’s.
Remember, this is Tasmania.
“Because Tasmania is a smaller state, everyone knows everyone,” Ryan says with a smile.
“For me, it’s great to have such knowledgeable people that I can learn so much from. There’s real value there and they are really nice people.”
Talking cycling with the Lawson clan is an activity to be recommended.
Ken, 54, won 26 titles in the amateur ranks, including five national championships at Lavington in 1982 when he set an Australian record in the process of edging out future national road race champion Neil Stephens in the individual pursuit.
Ken has watched daughter, Emma, and son, Ryan, follow his tracks and speaks passionately about the benefits of sporting pursuits for youngsters.
“Originally I tried to talk them out of it,” he said of his offspring’s desire to take up cycling.
“But I think any sport that kids can get involved in paves the foundation for their future, whether it is soccer, cricket, basketball or cycling, whatever.
“It gives them a good grounding in discipline plus confidence and self-esteem and a respect for others and that filters through to their communities and sets them up in their careers and family life.”
Inevitably, Ken speaks warmly of the “wealth of knowledge” available within the Tasmanian cycling fraternity.
“That knowledge is out there for the young ones to listen to and the basics don’t change. The old dad’s army can really help.
“How lucky we are to have a coach like Matt, who has been there and raced at the coalface and knows what it takes.”
That coach, who won a madison world title in 1998 and an Olympic silver medal two years later, believes families like his own, the Grendas and the Lawsons no longer dominate the state’s cycling landscape.
“We are starting to see a new generation coming through that does not have that dynasty behind them and Ryan is one of the last with fathers that have competed at that level,” Matt said.
This does appear to be the case, with the state’s junior and senior track cycling teams packed full of names new to the sport.
But it takes another from one of those dynasties to encapsulate the ability of cycling to continue to inspire.
Ray Lawson is a 79-year-old multiple Tasmanian junior champion who raced on a boarded track at Essendon and asphalt at York Park, is one of the few people to refer to his son as “Kenneth” and likes nothing more than watching his grandson continue the family tradition.
“I love watching Ryan race,” he said, “it gives me a real lift.”