Kelvin Tennant was riding along the Myrtleford-Everton Rail Trail around midday when he was shot multiple times in the head and chest and left for dead.
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It was February 18th, 2017, a day the 72-year-old will never forget.
Mr Tennant was found unconscious later that day on the bike trail by two passing cyclists who called an ambulance.
On the sixth anniversary of the attack, Victoria Police are still hunting the armed assailant and have issued a fresh appeal for information.
Despite a significant investigation taking place by detectives from the Armed Crime Squad in the years since, police said they've been unable to discover why Mr Tennant was targeted and by who.
"Kelvin was simply out enjoying a bike ride along a beautiful regional trail when someone has tried to kill him, and we've never been able to uncover any possible motive for this," Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brad Potts said.
"He loved the area and loved to ride his bike, and there is no way he would have expected this ride to end like this."
Mystery continues
It's believed the shooter left the area in a dark-coloured sedan.
Six years on, Mr Tennant was still experiencing issues with his eyesight and hearing due to the shooting.
Police said they were keen to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity or passed through the Everton area on that weekend in 2017.
"I know every investigator who worked on this matter over the years would love to see it solved," Sergeant Potts said.
"Not only to provide justice to Kelvin and his family but also to find out the mystery of why this shooting occurred."
A $500,000 reward for information leading to a conviction of the person or persons responsible was instated in 2019 and remains on offer.