LG) Did you have a favourite race?

GG) Zurich six day (track), Milan-San Remo (road)
 

 Best rider seen?

 Patrick Sercu (track), Eddie Mercxk (road)
 

Can you remember the first bike you owned or rode?

 A Jack Kinnane special
 

When did you first start racing?

 In 1956, I was 10 years old.
 

What was your biggest win?

 The Zurich six day -  twice.
 

Do you still ride or have any involvement in cycling today?

 Yes I still ride weekly but I have a little saying that I will never push pedals in anger again. When I finished cycling I became a satellite coach for the Australian Institute of Sport,and also the junior development coach for a number of years, as well as President of the Ramblers Cycling Club. After I had finished racing my brother ( Ken ) and I re-ignited the Launceston six day at St.Leonards velodrome”. After 40 odd years in the sport, Graeme now has no involvement in any official capacity.

Graeme Gilmore still enjoys a casual ride on the bike

Favourite food?

 It would have to be fish, in Europe it was a fish called Seatong and here you can’t beat flat-head fillets 
 

Favourite drink?

 Red wine
 

Your worst injury or crash?

It was in the last stage of the Paris-Nice race and I fell coming down the Col de Tamaron at about just on 100 km an hour and chipped bones in my hip and had a severe laceration down the left side of my thigh. That put me out of action for about four or five months When I was racing wearing a helmet was a personal choice, no-one in France wore one, in Belgium you did probably due to the conditions of their roads 
 

Favourite place visited through cycling?

 Other than Belgium where I lived for a number of years, I used to really like the training camp for our road team at Iceborka on Lake Maggiore in Italy, around Lagano and Lake Como it was just absolutely magnificent.

Gilmore with son Matthew who is one of the World's leading six-day riders

Other sporting interests?

 Im a desperate Collingwood supporter in the AFL ( we wont hold that against you Graeme). I love fishing, my father was a very keen fisherman and I guess that’s cascaded down through the family.
 

Favourite TV show?

 The Bill
 

Cycling today?

 I could make two comments one would be overseas, overseas is naturally a lot more commercial than it was in my day.We didn’t have the television coverage like today and now its increased more and more, hence there is more and more sponsorship, hence there is more and more money. I think there is a lot of pressure on the riders to perform to attract the sponsors and to get the contracts. I see that as great for the sport as there have been some champions in cycling, in Europe in particular that have been paid pittance in effect for what they did in comparison to the present day cyclist. Its good that cycling has caught up. In Australia I would seem to suggest Australian cycling lost their way a little bit, I think a lot of that was primarily the way the Australian Institute of Sport cycling was structured quite a few years ago. Where the riders were treated in-effect like, I suppose a bit like robots and they stayed at the AIS , they weren’t allowed to compete in the major races in Australia because the whole focus for the team then was the World Championships, Commonwealth and Olympic games and I think that was to the detriment of Australian cycling and some of the classic events. But now its turned the corner, you see more and more now the AIS riders in effect being allowed to race at the Austral, the Melbourne to Warrnambool etc, so I think that we are on the freshold of seeing cycling coming back to what it was quite a few years ago.
 

Born-; 29/6/1945 (Patrick Sercu and Eddie Mercyxk were born in the same month and year)
Lives-; Launceston, Tasmania.

Graeme Gilmore thanks for joining us on the Bell Lap on  the Licorice Gallery.