The Ancients of Australia: The Saga of Dodge

Analysis Date: Season 75, Day 50

Prologue: The Oldest Man in the Peloton

Ninety-one years old.

Let that sink in.

Ian Defley is ninety-one years old and still on a cycling roster. Not retired. Not “honorary member.” On the roster. In the database. Wearing the jersey.

In a game where riders peak at 29 and retire by 40, Ian Defley has been on the same team for sixty-six seasons. He was winning races when most current teams didn’t exist. He was the 69th best rider in the world when OCM was young.

And Dodge never let him go.

This is not a story about championships. Dodge has never won Division 1. This is a story about something rarer: loyalty across time itself.

“Sommers is certainly no spring chicken anymore, but man is he one hell of a gladiator.” — Dodge press release, Season 29

Part I: The Golden Age (S9-S19)

Dodge emerged in Season 9, in the primordial era of OCM when the game was young and wild. Within four seasons, they had climbed to the elite.

The Peak

Season 13: Rank 17. Seven victories. 2,216 points.

Dodge was among the elite. Top 20 in a young game, when the foundations of OCM history were being laid.

Ian Defley: The Rising Star

“I’m back, folks.” — Ian Defley, Season 10

The young Australian climber wasn’t just good—he was becoming the best Australian in the game.

Season 17: The 69th best rider in OCM. When he stood on that podium, wearing the Australian national jersey, no one imagined he’d still be on the roster fifty-four seasons later.

“Season 11 promised much and delivered substantially. Promotion to the elite ranks brought out the best in Ian Defley.” — Season 11 review

Fenton Sommers: The Time Trial Master

Four years younger than Defley, Fenton Sommers was the team’s time trial specialist. TT99—the maximum stat—and the speed to match.

Two national championships. In the Golden Age, Dodge owned Australian cycling.

Part II: The Apocalypse (S20)

Then came Season 20.

Both legends crashed simultaneously. The team dropped from 53rd to 192nd. Whatever happened in Season 20, it ended an era.

“And so it comes full circle. Ian Defley, after thinking he’d missed his very last chance at Volta glory last season, finally gets another shot at the big time. With the strongest team assembled around him in a long time, surely it’s now or never.” — Pre-S20 press release

It was never.

Part III: The Long Twilight (S21-S55)

What followed was not a rebuild. It was not a recovery. It was something stranger: persistence without hope.

Other teams would have released Defley and Sommers. They were done. Their stats had plateaued. Their ranks had collapsed. They would never score meaningful points again.

Dodge kept them anyway.

The Wallowing Years

“The team had been wallowing in the bottom divisions, reminiscing about past glories and days gone by.” — Press release, Season 37

Thirty-five seasons in the wilderness. The legends aged. The team persisted.

“Worst Season Since Ever”

“To put it kindly, it’s been a season of transition. The figures don’t lie however. It’s been the worst season since… ever.” — In Retrospect press release

Every dynasty has its nadir. Dodge’s manager didn’t sugarcoat it.

The Hour Record (S29)

Even in the twilight, Fenton Sommers had one more moment of glory.

“My legs had been killing me in the last ten minutes, but when I passed Maximiliano’s record, it was as if the pain just disappeared and I just kept peddling faster and faster.”

“I want this record to stand you see, because I’m not keen on coming out of retirement for another shot at beating some other young punk again!” — Fenton Sommers, Season 29, regaining the Leopoldbahn Hour Record

At 41 years old, with his best days decades behind him, Sommers clocked 52.193km—#10 on the all-time list. Every rider ahead of him had set their records at Vancouver’s superior velodrome. He did it at Munich.

“Sommers is certainly no spring chicken anymore, but man is he one hell of a gladiator.”

Part IV: The New Generation (S56-S72)

Leo Soisalo: The Finnish Revelation

Somewhere around Season 64, a Finnish time trialist named Leo Soisalo arrived at Dodge. He was 24. Unknown. Rank 2,626.

What happened next would define modern Dodge.

Season 71: Rank 112 in the world. A Division 4 team captain who ranked among the global elite.

Season 72: Six victories. The defining campaign.

“It was a long time coming, but Dodge Cycling Team finally added tour jerseys to the team’s palmares at the 50th edition of Fast on Wheels. A devastating 1-2 punch from Leo Soisalo and Wilfried Arends saw them occupy the top two spots on the podium.”

“The Finnish timetrial specialist has been touted as one to watch in recent years but finally made good on his promise.” — Fast on Wheels domination, S72

“A long time coming.” The understatement of sixty seasons.

The Three Stars Across Time

Three generations. Three genuine elite riders. All reached the top 150 globally.

Dodge doesn’t produce champions. They produce gladiators.

Part V: The Ancients

Ian Defley: Alone at the Summit

Ian Defley is THREE YEARS OLDER than any other rider in OCM.

There is no 90-year-old. There is no 89-year-old. He stands utterly alone.

Career Accomplishments: The Defley Difference

Most ancient riders are roster filler. Ian Defley was a star.

Defley has more wins than the next four oldest riders combined.

All-Time Australian Rankings

Ian Defley is the #12 all-time Australian rider. At 91 years old. Still on the roster.

Part VI: The Philosophy

“We’ve just been doing the same things we’ve always done. Maybe we’re finally getting some luck. Maybe the tide has turned.” — Scott Woodhouse, Team Manager, S10

Other teams chase championships. Other teams trade history for competitive advantage.

Not Dodge.

Dodge keeps Ian Defley on the roster at 91 years old. Dodge maintains Fenton Sommers at 87. Not because they’ll score points—they won’t. Not because they’ll win races—those days are sixty seasons gone.

They stay because some things matter more than rankings.

The Australian tradition. The memory of what was. The respect for those who built the foundation.

Part VII: The Present (S75)

Current Status: Division 4. Rank 260.

The TT identity continues:

Three TT99 riders. Including an 87-year-old legend.

The Last Connection

Ian Defley (91) — CL90, 19 career wins

He alone remembers Season 13. He alone remembers when Dodge was Rank 17, when he was the best Australian in OCM, when the Golden Age seemed like it would last forever.

Sixty-six seasons on the same roster. The longest tenure in OCM history.

Epilogue: She’ll Be Right, Mate

“I’m back, folks.” — Ian Defley, Season 10

He never left.

Dodge isn’t going to win Division 1. They’re not challenging for championships. They’re sitting in Division 4, grinding out points with TT specialists, keeping the lights on.

But they’ve got something no one else has.

The oldest rider in the game. A 91-year-old Australian legend who was once the 69th best rider in OCM. Nineteen career victories. A bloke who rode when the game was young and Dodge was elite.

His teammate Fenton Sommers—87 years old, 17 career wins, Hour Record holder at 41—still wears the jersey too.

Fifty-four seasons since their peak. And Dodge hasn’t let them go.

That’s not weakness. That’s not nostalgia.

That’s bloody honor, mate.

Fair dinkum.

Official Palmares

Tour Jerseys:

• Fast on Wheels: 2 (Leo Soisalo’s S72 dynasty)
• World Championships ITT: 1

Trophies:

• Ainet-Bruggen: 1
• Zyte GP: 1

National Jerseys:

• Australia (S13): Ian Defley
• Australia (S14, S16): Fenton Sommers

Final Assessment

Data Sources

• Web: Press releases (Ian Defley quotes, Sommers Hour Record, Fast on Wheels domination)
• Web: Team History (S9-S75 rankings)
• Web: Rider profiles (career arcs)
• Database: Current roster, age distribution

Dodge: Where legends never die. Where 91-year-old Australians still wear the jersey.

She’ll be right, mate. She’ll always be right.