“If you’re really fit it’s a good challenge to do.” Wayne Munn said of his recent tour de force in determination. He wasn’t talking about mere squats or push-ups. Wayne and his friend Ben Washington rode the entirety of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail in one day, raising money for two very special causes.
Approached by Home & Family to help raise funds Wayne set about training with Ben, who decided to use the challenge to raise money to help the family of a friend, Craig Petrie, who was tragically killed in a cycling accident last year.
Neither cyclist was new to the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, having tackled different sections in the past. “We both had a general background in fitness,” Wayne asserted, “Ben does Iron Man challenges and I do Coast to Coast.”
On January 30th, the two started at Mt Cook before dawn broke and finished 315km later at Ōamaru’s historic harbour.
The effort ended up proving to be more of an emotional challenge than a physical one, “There’s very little riding on the road. I found all the sections are quite different. But there’s no sections that are technical or dangerous…Because we were both raising money for some pretty special causes it was quite an emotional day.”
Together Wayne and Ben raised just over $25,000.
The two were supported by family and friends—their wives periodically joining in on the journey. “My wife joined me at Sailors Cutting, now it’s off-road it’s turned the worst section into the best section…We’ve ridden some special mountain bike trails around the world and that Sailors Cutting section was just incredible. We were biking around, there were boats in the lake and you almost had to stop and think, ‘Are we inside a New Zealand tourism commercial?’”
“You reflect as you do it.” Wayne said. Starting the challenge before the sun was up also provided the two friends with a unique cycling experience, “A lot of people might not get up and start at 5am, but I would recommend it. The moon was shining over Aoraki. It was amazing…you feel like you have the Trail to yourself. When you see people it’s a nice break, you say G’day, but it’s quite a solitary experience as well.”
After his herculean cycling fundraiser, Wayne has no plans to hang up his helmet anytime soon. “I’d like to do it with my family as a 4 to 5 day experience.”
To donate to the Petrie family, click here.
To donate to Home & Family, click here.
