STAWELL Great Western Cycling Club is scheduled to hold the last Ivan Howes memorial day next weekend.
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The Howes family has for the last 20 years honoured Ivan with a memorial day, but in the 20th year this will be the last.
It is hoped that the club itself will pick up the event and carry on with tradition following this year.
Howes was the founder of the Stawell Great Western Cycling Club in the early 1990s alongside Colin Kelly.
Howes and Kelly, who were both racing enthusiasts, formed the group when Howes was concerned about the competitive nature of society.
"He loved the idea of sport for the sake of sport," son Rod Howes said.
"There were too many winners and losers and my father was keen to move away from that."
Howes spent many hours on his bike through the 40s and 50s. It was how he travelled to and from trade school that expressed his true love.
While in the process of becoming an electrician Howes would ride to and from Ballarat from his home in Ararat each day.
Almost 100 kilometres down the Western Highway only to return that night.
With several practice runs Howes was able to win the Ballarat to Ararat classic in the early 50s which marked a huge success in those days.
Howes passed away in 1994 after suffering a heart attack.
Ivan Howes junior will feature in the race as sentiment to his late father.
The sport of cycling has remained the same over the past 20 years, but for the Howes family it is much different.
The steel bikes and the woollen jumpers are well gone and the lycra and carbon have made an impact.
While sons Ivan junior and Rod have carried on the sporting heritage of the Howes family it is time for them to step away now as their mother and widowed wife Beryl is in her mid 80s.