The century-old Geelong Cycling Club would have died if not for Barwon Heads local Sean Clark and the juniors he guides, according to his Club Legend nomination.
“Juniors are the lifeblood and future of the club,” wrote nominator John Miro.
“Everyone knows Sean and his wife as they’re always there at our races and training sessions.
“Sean leads by example in helping and rolling up his sleeves to do even the dirty jobs no one else is interested in.”
The nomination described the Barwon Heads father-of-four as “modest”.
Not surprisingly, Sean was “shocked” to learn of the nomination.
“I thought there probably would be another nomination from the club before me,“ he said.
“I just help out when I can.”
Three of Sean’s four sons cycle at the club, while his youngest rides a unicycle.
“When my eldest started (in 2011) there were no juniors – the youngsters rode with the seniors,” he said.
But under Sean, the club has had between 15 and 30 juniors for the last seven years.
Sean will vie for a share of more than $50,000 in prizes in Viva Energy’s Club Legend Awards.
He said any prize money he won for the club would go towards kit for the juniors.
“Cycling apparel is not cheap,” he said.
“It’s just to get the kids out there and get them noticed.”
While Sean concentrates mostly on getting kids active and teaching them to corner properly and ride safely in groups, he is always on the lookout for the next Cadel Evans.
“It would be great for the club and the region,” he said.
Club Legend nominations are open at clublegend.com.au.
