A SIZABLE cheque of $9300 presented to a three-time gold medal Paralympian and nine-time world champion in Wahgunyah on Wednesday will help a new charity set up to help para cyclists.

A thrilled Carol Cooke on behalf of Australia Paralympic Cycling - one of two recipients who received funding from the Rotary Club of Rutherglen - travelled from Melbourne for the presentation.

Captain Josh Finnemore also accepted a cheque of $3300 on behalf of Wahgunyah’s CFA with both presentations held at the CFA premises.

Rutherglen Rotary Club’s Greg Griffiths said funds had been raised from this year’s Vintage Bike Ride in Wahgunyah recently held by the club.

Ms Cooke, who has won nine world titles in between Paralympic Games and in 2022 finished the year ranked third in the world, said the St Kilda Cycling Club she belongs to helped her set up the charity to fundraise for paracyclists through the Australian Sports Foundation.

“It will allow cyclists such as hand or trike cyclists to race overseas, which is really important if they want to be number one in the world because we only have a handful here,” she said.

“This is the biggest stepping stone to start off with and I’m so grateful to the Rotary Club for doing this.

"The St Kilda Cycling Club is so inclusive and so much behind us, and my goal, is for us to be the best nation in the world for recycling.

“To get athletes into the program, it costs a lot of money to buy a bike.

“Hand cycles can cost up to $20,000 and so most of our athletes are older.

“I’ve just retired at 63 years old, and we have some 50-year-olds and a lot of 40-year-olds coming from either workplace accidents or a diagnosis such as MS (Multiple Sclerosis) at an older age like me.”

Ms Cooke said she is trying to entice the younger people with a disability who need modification to a bike that can cost parents thousands of dollars.

She also said a long-range goal is to have a library of hand cycles or trikes modified for young people at the time to see if they enjoy the sport.

Ms Cooke, at the age of 51, said she competed in her first Paralympic Games in 2012 in London and retired in January this year.

“My last games were in Tokyo in 2021, and I won silver in the time trial at the age of 60 and had competed in World Cups every year since 2012,” she said.

“I was a manager for the team just at the beginning of May in Belgium for World Cup."

Ms Cooke said she is still riding and rides six days a week around Melbourne.

Mr Finnemore, delighted in receiving the cheque for the local CFA, said funds will be used to buy a multi-purpose firefighting branch as well as some other equipment.

“These will be great acquisitions for our members,” he said.

“It’s good to see communities looking out for each other in different ways."

Splitting funds between a national and local organisations, Mr Griffiths said last year the Rotary Club donated funds to the END MND cause and the Rutherglen CFA.

"Rotary Club is really pleased to be able to help and Carol spoke at a meeting and explained some of the difficulties she had as a para-athlete," he said.

“Almost every bike has to be specifically made for them.”