Cycle of life reaps rewards

MORE than 50 years ago, Rolf Kohnert used cycling as a means to flee the Cold War in Germany.

Last Saturday, the 79-yearold Rippleside grandfather won his third gold medal in road cycling at the Australian Masters Games.

His story is an incredible one.

Born in Germany, Kohnert was one of few kids who owned a bike.

Cycling became a huge part of his life. It also provided him with an alibi to avoid joining the East German army.

“I grew up in East Germany. I got my first bike when I was eight years old because my grandfather had a bike shop,” Kohnert said.

“Other people didn’t have bikes then. I loved riding my bike and I would have loved to have joined a touring club, but there were no touring clubs.

“There was only a racing club, so I joined them.

“I raced there from about 14 until I got conscripted into the army when I was 20. That put a stop to it. In those days, armies didn’t engage in sports activities.”

But military life was far from enjoyable for Kohnert.

After serving his conscription, he returned to cycling, which helped provide his ticket out of the country.

“I was heavily involved in sports there, in cycling, and I was actually quite good at it, so they allowed me to travel to Holland and West Germany,” Kohnert said.

“When I decided the pressure to join the (East German) army was getting too strong, I just went to the police and got myself a permit.

“They said, ‘Where are you racing this time?’ I said, ‘In the Ruhr valley’. So they gave me a permit and I hopped on a train and went across.

“I emigrated to Australia when I was 24.”

After living in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, Kohnert found himself in Perth and it was there that he regained his love of cycling.

“My middle was growing a bit so I decided I needed a bike to get rid of it,” he said.

“I found a bike, rode it to work and I met up with other cyclists going up and down the road.

“They said, ‘ Who are you riding with?’ I said, ‘No one’. So they said, ‘ Come and have a race with us’.

“So I did and I won. That was in 1974.”

When he got a job in Canberra, he joined a club there where he picked up club, southern district and country championships.

That’s when he faced one of his biggest battles.

“I practically retired from racing when I was 46. I was sick then but I kept on riding my bike,” he said.

“I had cancer and wasn’t supposed to live much longer.

“But I figured, ‘ We’ll see about this’.”

Many years on, you’d struggle to find a fitter 79-year-old.

After riding in Around The Bay and the Tour Down Under, Kohnert discovered the Australian Masters Games in Geelong in 2014.

Competing in the 75-79 age category, he claimed gold.

A year later, in Adelaide, he successfully defended his title.

And then last Saturday in Stowport, Tasmania, Kohnert claimed his third gold medal in the 32km race.

It would be the perfect curtain call on a decorated racing career.

“Cycling has been my sport. I feel it’s a fair sport,” he said.

“I don’t like contact sports very much.

“I’m a member of the Geelong Touring Cycling group.

“I will be riding but I won’t be racing any more.”