Check out the story on One News HERE
Kiwi Kona rider Laurence Mote and Australian adventurer Huw Kingston have officially kicked off their massive human-powered winter mission: a 4,000+ km journey the length of New Zealand by bike, ski, foot, and sail.
Dubbed Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the duo’s goal is to reach the southern tip of the South Island in around 90 days, linking all 24 of New Zealand’s ski fields along the way—all while raising funds for Save the Children’s climate resilience projects in the Pacific.
Early into the journey, Laurence made a quick detour to visit his niece, Ellesse Andrews, in Cambridge. The Olympic gold and silver medalist track cyclist looked on as Laurence took his fully-loaded Kona Unit X, complete with skis and winter gear, for a spin on the Cambridge Velodrome. It was a surreal crossover of past and present: a human-powered expedition bike carving laps on boards built for Olympic speed. A brief but meaningful pause in the journey, it was a chance for family connection and a nod to the cycling roots that helped spark this ambitious mission.
The journey ahead will be anything but easy, winter conditions, big alpine crossings, and brutal distances.
Follow their journey and learn more about the cause here.
