By Darcy Milfull
After competing at both the 1982 and 1986 World Championships, former professional road racing cyclist Tony Perri had twice fulfilled his dream of representing his country. But his penchant for setting goals didn’t end there.
“My big driver for all those years was to win that green and gold jersey, which is the only time you don’t ride for yourself, you ride for your country,” said Perri.
“The training, the winters in Europe, the cobblestones, the mud and slush was all for this jersey.”
Newstead resident Perri describes himself as a “goal-orientated” individual, a characteristic he said is a product of his career as an athlete. But professional cycling wasn’t always the goal.
“It was a journey that started as an interest,” said Perri.
“Then, the interest turned into passion.”
This passion sparked his 16-year career as a professional cyclist competing at a World Championship level, rubbing shoulders with the best of the best at major classics including the Giro d’Italia.
When his talent was first noticed as a teenager at Port Fairy Amateur Cycling Club and he started receiving coaching, Perri set his first goal.
“The next thing I knew, I was trying out for the Montreal Olympics of 1976,” he said.
“I ended up getting to the final 10 athletes in the Olympic qualifier, and then I got hepatitis.”
It was a major setback early in Perri’s career, which, coupled with lack of money in amateur racing, spurred his decision to turn professional.
“The biggest race at the time was the Herald Sun Tour, a nine-day tour around Victoria with selected riders.”
Perri said this became his next goal.
“I went on to ride eight of those tours, winning some stages and winning some teams events,” he said.
It was halfway through this racing period in 1982 that he was offered a professional contract in Belgium, fulfilling his dream of competing in Europe, the place he referred to as “cycling central”.
Perri said this was where he achieved his ultimate goal and the highlight of his career: representing Australia in the World Championships.
As well as competing in the Major Classics in Europe, Perri rode for Australia in the World Championships of 1982 in England, and again in 1986 at Colorado Springs, which was the last race of his career.
In the same year as his final race, Perri set a new goal to enter the world of sports nutrition.
“It was a pretty seamless journey to go from cycling into the sports nutrition space,” he said.
“When I came into business, I didn’t realise at the time that I had some subconscious attributes that I’d brought from my sporting background.”
Perri’s philosophy of “eating to fuel rather than to feed” forms the foundation of his business, where he empowers his clients to feel their best through the power of nutrition.
