WINNERS of the Biking Buddies Photo Comp

Published 2020-01-24

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered our Biking Buddies Photo Competition. Reading your stories left us inspired, uplifted and literally brought a tear to the eye – and that wasn’t just the thought skinny-dipping in a chilly river!

AND THE WINNER IS...

Harry Escott for capturing the highs, lows and delicious rewards of an EPIC family adventure. We hope you enjoy your $500 worth of Holiday Parks accommodation, two free nights at a Heritage Hotel, and a return trip for two on one of KiwiRail’s Great Journeys. (Thanks to our national partners for the great prizes!) 

Estella reaches for the clouds (Photo: Harry Escott).


Who’s counting?

The Escott family – Harry, Kim, Estella (pictured) and Ruben – reckon they consumed 24 ice blocks, 3kg of wedges and 35 coffees on their 247km, eight-day ride on the Roxburgh Gorge, Clutha Gold and Otago Central Rail trails. There were also two crashes and 50,000 smiles amidst ‘a lot of singing and laughing, torrential rain, constant headwinds and amazing people. All in all an awesome adventure,’ says dad Harry. View the full story here.


Our two highly-commended runners-up will each receive a copy of the Kennett Brothers Classic New Zealand Cycle Trails book.

– HIGHLY COMMENDED –

Paula, Bella and Sandra ride the old railway on the Remutaka Cycle Trail (Photo: Bella Anderson).


Bella gets bitten by the bug

A year ago, Bella Anderson (centre) and her friends Paula and Sandra – friends from Featherston Craft Knitters aged around 60 – ventured out on the Remutaka Incline. Just a year later, Bella and Sandra are embarking on the 3000km Tour Aotearoa. ‘Neither of us anticipated we’d be stepping up to do this at our age but here we are, going on out on training rides ranging between 70 and 100 kilometres on average.’ View the full story here.

– HIGHLY COMMENDED –

Haulwen shows Meredith (front) and Matilda the way (Photo: Haulwen Turner-Lines).


Sharing the love

Haulwen Turner-Lines feels like she’s waited an eternity for her daughters Matilda and Meredith to quit asking ‘are we there yet?’ ‘Now they’re happy to put the bikes on the back of the car and just GO. How exciting sharing my love of exploring. I want them to be still doing this when I’m an old lady.’ Here they ride the Waikato River Trails. View the full story here.

– BEST OF THE REST –

Janet and Brett sling some mud on the Timber Trail (Photo: Janet Stark).


Good times, come rain or shine

When Janet Stark and husband Brett celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary with a ride on the Timber Trail, they woke up to rain. ‘The day was full of mud, smiles, picnic lunch, skinny dipping in the very chilly river and lots of zooming.’ (What, no photo of the skinning dipping? That could have been a winner!) View the full story here.

Knocking off the Old Ghost Road with smiles on dials (Photo: Jonathan Claridge).


Don’t you love a man in uniform?

It’s good to see Jonathan Claridge donning the requisite Dad duds when he rides with his father’s regular crew. Together they’ve ridden the Ghost Road (twice!), the St James and the Heaphy Track. Next up: the new Paparoa Track. ‘It’s a privilege to share these experiences with Dad and his mates.’ View the full story here.

Nicola and Aaron celebrate their anniversary in style (Photo: Nicola Galloway).


Just what the doctor ordered

Nicola Galloway and her husband Aaron celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary with a ride on the West Coast Wilderness Trail. ‘I took up biking because of Type 2 diabetes,’ says Nicola. ‘I am now on less medication and trying to cycle five times a week.’ View the full story here.

What’s better than a bike for your birthday? (Photo: Megan Edwardson)


Start as you mean to go on

Megan Edwardson’s wee boy is always keen to ride his birthday bike. ‘I would love to take him on a real bike adventure so he can truly experience being outdoors. My parents took us on the Otago Central Rail Trail as children and we all still talk about it nearly 15 years later and I would love to be able to give the gift of memories like this to our son.’ View the full story here.

Working up a sweat before a swim in the beautiful Bay of Plenty (Photo: Rob Williams).


Keeping Dad in the saddle

Rob Williams and his boys, Kian (left) and Ryker (right), are pictured here on the Dunes section of the Motu Trails – ‘working up a sweat before swimming in the waves’. The boys are great motivators, says Rob. ‘They encourage me to get out even if the weather is not 100%. It’s great to see their skills develop.’ View the full story here.


The keen Coromandel crew on the Mountains to Sea (Photo: Jill Bowker).


Coromandel’s golden oldies

Jill Bowker is part of a 12-strong cycling group from Whitianga, aged 60–75. Their first big ride together was the Otago Central Rail Trail in 2012, but they’ve done plenty more since then. They’re pictured here on the Mountains to Sea. This year, it’s the Timber Trail. ‘Our most challenging cycle was the Bridge to Nowhere, and one of the best was Hawke's Bay.’ View the full story here.

Charlotte leads the way on the Alps 2 Ocean (Photo: Alice Terrien).


Feeling free – car-free

Alice Terrien joined her friends Charlotte and Ken (at front), and partner Jeremy (at rear) on the A2O, the first time they’d bike toured with other riders. ‘We love the feeling of freedom and independence it gives us, and this trip was no exception. Charlotte and Ken share similar values to us: they are also car-free and wish more people used bikes as their main mode of transport.’ View the full story here.

Nailing the perfect A2O post-ride photo op in Oamaru (Photo: Janet Hardie Boys).


Jumping for joy

Looking A1 at the end of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail are (from left): Vaughan Smith, Jan Hardie Boys, Brad Scott, Sonia O’Connell, Julie Owen and Gary Owen. According to Jan, ‘the women were the driving force and the blokes just came along for the ride. Half the group are regular, keen road cyclists – definitely not a requirement on the A2O, though. We loved every minute and are planning our next adventure.’ View the full story here.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and to all who have joined our online community. We look forward to sharing more of your stories.

Our next competition will be featured in our autumn e-newsletter; you can sign-up here, if you haven't already!