The two councils still taking legal action despite the Three Waters rebrand, MMR vaccination rates slump in our youngest and the Cambridge 63-year-old who rammed the ram raiders in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
According to Julian Dean, cycling is “almost the perfect speed” to see the world.
“If you’re walking, it’s a little bit too slow; if you’re in the car it’s a little bit too fast but when you’re [cycling it’s] the perfect speed to take in the scenery and enjoy the people around you, and appreciate being out in this part of the world.”
But make no mistake, the Tour of New Zealand that Dean is riding in is no walk in the park.
In five days, competitors ride 517 kilometres from Arthurs Pass to the summit of Crown Range through some of the South Island’s most stunning locations, including Makarora, Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier.
The Tour of New Zealand is a little bit different to other riding events Dean, a former Olympic cyclist and Tour de France competitor, is used to being a part of because riders can choose to raise money for charity.
Dean spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post late Thursday evening ahead of the final stage the next day after riding about 450km and explained why he had chosen to ride to raise funds for Tearfund’s fight against child sex trafficking and exploitation.
“This event is not really about the kilometres you are cycling, it’s about bringing people together, the charities and fundraising — the meaning is bigger than cycling.
“I’ve only put a number on my back two times since I retired in 2012 and it’s about raising money for Tearfund and raising the profile of the work they’re doing against human trafficking.”
As of Friday morning, with just the final stage remaining in the tour, Dean had raised nearly $750. By midday on Monday, that figure was more than $1400.
Former Olympian and Rotorua-based cyclist Julian Dean in 2023. Photo / Sportzhub.com
There are five days on the tour and six stages with an average distance of 85km each or a riding time of about 3.5 hours.
Tour stage overview
Day 1: Arthurs Pass to Hokitika - 100km
Day 2: Ross to Franz Joseph - 107km
Day 3: Fox Glacier to Haast - 98km
Day 4: Haast to Makarora West - 62km
Day 4.2: Makarora West to Hawea - 61km
Day 5: Wanaka via Glendhu Bay to the summit of Crown Range - 107km
Dean said there were competitive riders on the tour as well, not just those wanting to ride for charity, and they had come from all over the world, from Germany to Singapore, the United Kingdom to America.
“To bring all these people who have interests in cycling together, while it’s a competitive event, even the up-and-coming guys who will be racing for years have an appreciation for those purely here for the fundraising aspect or purely the tourism aspect.
“We’ve been riding through some very beautiful parts of our wonderful country... the west coast of New Zealand is full of the most beautiful scenic roads you can imagine in the world.”
Dean was formerly New Zealand’s highest-profile cyclist, according to the Olympics NZ website.
A former New Zealand road race champion, he finished 15th in the road race in Athens in 2004, was in the pursuit team that finished eighth in Atlanta in 1996 and won bronze in the Commonwealth Games at Victoria in 1994.
This year’s tour was the seventh in its history and in the six previous since 2012, almost $2 million has been raised by riders.
The money Dean and others raised would go towards Tearfund New Zealand which works in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
