Helping others thrive

Former Marlborough Sportsperson of the Year Callum Saunders could be forgiven for feeling slightly giddy after completing 1000 laps of the Athletic Park cycle track on Sunday.

As part of the “Ride To Thrive” fundraiser, the former Commonwealth medallist and Olympic cyclist undertook the gruelling task of riding 450km at the central Blenheim arena in under 24 hours.

Despite his exertions, Callum said the following day he felt pretty good, “just a little bit creaky”.

Helping soothe his tired muscles is the fact the venture has raised over $6000 so far, plus improved awareness of School Start First Impressions Marlborough, an initiative close to his heart.

“It is a tough time for a lot of people at the moment, so having something for everyone to get behind is awesome. There has been support from far and wide. People from the other side of the world, people I used to race with have thrown some coin towards it, it’s obviously a cause that resonates with a wide cross section of people.”

Callum set off at 4am on Sunday, with local multisport guru Jeremy McKenzie for company, then finished the 1000th lap in the dark at 7.30pm, alongside another top Marlborough cyclist, renowned endurance athlete Craig Harper.

“Macca helped me rip into it from the start, which set us up for the day, then Craig came along for the graveyard shift, which was stellar.”

Along the way Callum enjoyed the company and support of around 50-60 fellow riders, “maybe more”, who added to the occasion and alternated drafting duties when necessary.

He said such outstanding support helped him cover the distance quicker than anticipated, easing the physical burden.

“Those guys sitting in front of me made light work of that headwind. They were incredible. There were friends, new friends, kids who seemed to roll around the track for hours and hours … a super cool mix. It was certainly a big day but their help certainly made it a shorter day than I had planned.”

Riding laps around Athletic Park is no hardship for Callum who has a long and strong affinity with the venue.

“It is a place very close to my heart,” he said. “it is a gorgeous place to ride a bike … trees around you, no cars to worry about, the Wither Hills in the background, it is such an awesome place to go down and ride, switch off for a bit.”

The “Ride To Thrive” may not be a one-off concept, with Callum suggesting it could be expanded or built on in the future.

While the ride was designed to raise funds and awareness it was also an opportunity for cyclists to set their own targets.

“There is probably a capacity to take the spotlight off myself and create a bigger movement around it where everyone challenges themselves, we’ll see what the appetite is for it.

“Watch this space”, he added.