Carole Evans, 84, has competed in every Masters Games since they began in 1992, alongside her husband George.
This year will be the first time Mr Evans is sitting out. However, he will still be cheering his wife on from the sidelines.
Mrs Evans is a regular in the cycling events and has pocketed 87 medals over the years.
Her main reason for continuing to enter the games was that she was ‘‘pretty competitive’’, but she also did it for the people she met and all the fun to be had, she said.
Mrs Evans said she was not really much of a cyclist growing up — she was more into running, tennis and equestrian — but in her 50s she fell in love with the sport.
‘‘I love riding my bike ... once you're addicted to the bike, it's very hard not to ride.’’
Mrs Evans said she would be competing in the 80+ road time trial and 80+ road race in Outram on February 7 and 8.
Her training consists of 20 minutes on her rowing machine before breakfast every morning, then 10 minutes on her spin bike doing speed intervals.
She does a 90-minute bike ride three times a week, sometimes over Saddle Hill and other times around North Taieri.
The other four days of the week she heads out on a long walk through Mosgiel.
‘‘As long as I do something every day, I’m happy ... [if] I can't do cycling and the weather's too bad, I go walking — just have to be a wee bit flexible.
‘‘I get very grumpy if I don't get some exercise in.’’
Mrs Evans has also won multiple golds at the World Masters Games. The last one she attended was Auckland in 2017, where she won three medals.
She also won two golds and a silver in Edmonton in 2005 and brought home a gold and silver from the Melbourne Games in 2002.
