Mr McMurdo has supported the Tour of Southland since he bought the business in 2007.
He was thrilled to see how riders had developed a more professional approach to the sport.
The addition of team managers had also made things less complicated for those indirectly involved, he said.
He believed the increased level of professionalism had made the sport more attractive to sponsors.
Besides donating an $800 mountainbike each tour for the past 16 years, the Invercargill shop had also provided staff members and a business van for behind the scenes back-up support.
"We look after teams if they run into trouble mechanically.
"We live and breathe it for a couple of weeks really."
He tended not to think about the overall financial investment because he believed it was more important to focus on the commitment to support the internationally recognised event.
"It comes from the heart, not the pocket.
"But we don’t make a big thing about it, we just get on and do it.
"We don’t make it about the money, we make it about giving back and people like coming to support us because of it."
The shop’s long-standing involvement has been more than a sponsorship issue, a long list of staff members had competed in the tour including Matt Zenovich, Hamish Keast, Peter Bulling, Brehan Cairns, Jamie McIntyre and brothers Matt and Nick King.
- By Toni McDonald
