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Anyone got any mail for Bluff? The first Posties Bike Challenge team will head out of Warkworth on November 8.
A team of Mahurangi businessmen riding 105cc Postie bikes will set off from Warkworth bound for Bluff in November.
What promises to be an epic journey down the west coasts of both the North and South Islands will take 10 days and cover around 2000kms.
The team will be raising money for Camp Bentzon, the youth adventure camp on Kawau Island.
Run organisers are Greg Jones, and his mates Rex Mills and Chris Dyer.
They will be joined on the ride by Mark Munro, Adam Lane, Steve Hamblett and Bevan Jones, and support crew Warwick Rhodes, Koen McGee and Rob Mackisack.
“We’re hoping to get three more riders on board by the time we leave on November 8,” Greg says.
The team’s ambitious funding goal is $100,000, which they hope to raise through sponsorship.
They are encouraging members of the public to sponsor a rider per kilometre.
“I went to Camp Bentzon when I was a kid and I’ve never forgotten the great time I had there,” Greg says. “The camp caters for about 6000 people a year, from schools and support groups to families who get the chance to experience the enjoyment of being outdoors. While the camp can cover its day-to-day costs, it relies heavily on community support for capital works and maintenance projects.
“The cost of replacing the wharf next year, as part of the routine maintenance programme, will cost around $200,000. The new wharf will provide easier access, particularly for people who may not be as mobile.”
Greg says putting together the bike run has been a “real learning curve”.
A detailed health & safety plan has been prepared, routes set, accommodation booked and bikes purchased.
The team hopes to average around 150 to 200kms a day with a top speed “going down hill with no head wind” of around 70kph. The support vehicles will carry two spare bikes just in case things don’t go according to plan.
Greg says he’d like the challenge to become an annual event, supporting other local charities in the years to come
