Grandfather Lindsay Smyrk was squeezing every bit he could out of life on the day he died.
He was supposed to be headed to a birthday celebration for his wife at his daughter's home, but the avid cyclist decided to go for a quick ride with friends in the morning first.
The father-of-three was headed home, wearing brightly coloured cycling club colours and with a flashing light on his bike on October 9 last year.
He was doing everything right.
Amelie Vergez, then 19, was on her way to work that morning and was more tired than normal.
She didn't see Mr Smyrk until she struck him, after her car drifted sideways out of her lane near Woodend and into the shoulder where the rider should have been safe.
His devastated family didn't know what had happened until after he had been airlifted to hospital and later declared dead.
Vergez, now 20, wept in court after hearing the impact of her actions on Mr Smyrk's widow, three daughters and two grandsons.
"I'm so sorry I have caused you so much pain," she said.
It's clear her remorse is self-punishing, Victorian County Court Judge Stewart Bayles said on Friday.
He spared her a prison sentence and instead ordered she complete 200 hours of community work, and treatment for mental health and to reduce her risks of re-offending.
It must have been harrowing for her to speak in court, especially having only just heard from Mr Smyrk's family, he said.
He was described as a rock for his family, who prioritised health and fitness to ensure he had plenty of time with family and friends.
While he was 75, they insisted he had the fitness of a man decades younger and expected to have many more years with him had the crash not happened.
Lucia Smyrk revealed sympathy for Vergez, knowing the crash will impact her too for the rest of her life.
"I do not blame her, as such, for what has happened, or have anger toward her," she said.
She didn't think her dad would either.
"I know my dad would have expressed sentiments such as 'this could have been any of you girls'."
Judge Bayles said drivers must understand how serious their obligations are, and the catastrophic consequences that can flow from not paying proper attention.
He said Vergez had done everything she could to co-operate with police and plead guilty early, and it demonstrated her remorse.
Personal references showed she continued to experience intense emotions, including being engulfed in grief and despair, and struggling with being responsible for the death of another person.