An update following on from our previous article Tour Aotearoa – Riding for Neonatal families
As told by Phil Chapman – one of our Neonatal Heroes!
The Tour Aotearoa has been like a battle of attrition for the hundreds of cyclists making their way from Cape Reinga to Bluff, as the toil of the trail takes its toll on both body and bike.
Most riders have had issues: some catastrophic, others more manageable. I myself lost a day while I waited for a courier to deliver a new rear rim to me in Wanaka, but I was so far ahead of schedule that it wasn’t a problem at all in the big picture. All part of the adventure!
Other riders, especially those that started 10 days or more after I did, found themselves riding into a world very different from the one they left, with the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic forcing many to cut their ride short in order to get home while the opportunity to do so still existed.
On Thursday March 12, about 19 days and 20 pies after I began my ride, I rolled into Bluff a bit weary but very satisfied. An amazing adventure, I’ve met a bunch of inspiring people, forged great memories and experienced some amazing hospitality while I visited parts of our country I didn’t know existed.
Many thanks to the generous donors who supported the cause, my family to coming to meet me in Bluff, the fellow riders I met along the way, and New Zealand and it’s people for being so awesome!
THANKS!
Thanks to Phil and all those who have supported him along his incredible journey! Your support will enable us to help make a difficult start to life that little bit easier for neonatal families.
