At age 88, Sarnia’s Peter Degraaf is very likely the oldest participant in this year’s Bluewater International Granfondo.
But when he’s out on his daily one-hour cycle in preparation for the Aug. 4 event, it’s not his age that people comment on. It’s the age of his bicycle.
“Some people spend thousands of dollars on their bike but I refuse to upgrade,” he explains. “Mine is probably worth less than $100. It’s a classic Italian Fiori that’s about 60 or 70 years old.
“When people say I should replace it, I just tell them this old geezer likes an old geezer’s bike,” laughed Degraaf. “It works for me and I maintain it very well.”
Degraaf will be on his Fiori for the 8th annual Granfondo where he always cycled 50 kilometres before a hip replacement forced him to register for the 30-kilometre route.
This year he’ll be joined by no less than eight family members including three brothers also in their 80s.
Their 84-year-old sister, Tina Jonker, was planning on joining them too but has been sidelined by a wrist injury.
Still, the Jonker side of the family will be well represented with Degraaf’s nephew, three nieces and a great-niece riding as well.
Cycling and participating in a range of competitive marathons, triathlons, and rollerblading events has been a lifelong passion for the family. The six Degraaf siblings were born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada with their parents in 1952.
Peter Degraaf moved to Sarnia nearly 30 years ago and once owned a collectibles store on Christina Street.
He has participated in winter triathlons – skating, skiing and running – summer triathlons, has run 13 marathons, and used to regularly rollerblade through the streets of downtown Detroit as a member of the City Rollers.
“I’m on my bike at least an hour a day,” he said. “If it rains, I work out on a stationary bike.” In winter, he uses a dirt bike that can handle the snow.
Even as he nears his 90th birthday, he’s a member of a group of local cyclers who make a tradition of riding to Bright’s Grove every New Year’s Day.
“It’s brought me good health,” Degraaf said. “And it persuades me to eat well and sleep well.
“At my age, I take no drugs. I thank the Lord every day for my good health and for my wife Carol for encouraging me to bike daily.”
The Bluewater International Granfondo is an excellent reason for a Degraaf family reunion, with members travelling from Chicago, Toronto, Collingwood, Orillia, New Hamburg and Braden Ontario, he added.
“For us, it means we get to see each other for the first time in a year,” he said. “We all like the fact that it raises money for a good cause, it’s very well organized, and the route is a pleasure, going along the lake with all that beautiful scenery.”
Although his brother Dick Degraaf, who is 82 this year, has done the 150-kilometre route in the past, Peter believes his family members are joining him for the 30 kilometre route this year so they can enjoy it together.
Sarnia’s Granfondo has been voted #1 out of 12 Granfondo events in Ontario and is sold out for this year.
Organizers decided to cap registration at 1,000 to ensure it’s not too crowded and remains an enjoyable experience for everyone, said committee member Dick Felton.
“We’ve sold out in the past but this year we sold out four weeks earlier than before,” he said.
When the Degraaf family assembles for the race on August 4, they will include Peter, his brother John Degraaf, 84, from Orillia; brother Frank Degraaf, 86, from the Collingwood area; brother Dick Degraaf, 82, from New Hamburg; nephew Chris Jonker from South Carolina; niece Trish Jonker from Chicago; niece Jennifer Rouse from Toronto; niece Wendy Pauls from Baden, and great niece Anne Marie Panzer from Baden. His sister, 84-year-old Tina, will be there to cheer them on.