infonews.co.nz
INDEX
TRACK CYCLING

New Zealand Velodrome Record Attempt

Monday 4 March 2013, 2:05PM

By The PR Company Limited

891 views

INVERCARGILL

Former Neonatal Trust Chairman Eugene Collins will attempt to break the New Zealand record for indoor velodrome cycling, to mark the end of the Ride4Life cycle charity event.

He will ride continuously for 24 hours around the Invercargill indoor velodrome in an attempt to beat the 665 kilometres record set by endurance cycling legend Colin Anderson in 2008.

The Neonatal Trust Ride4Life is a three week charity bike ride involving 7 volunteer cyclists and a team of collectors travelling the length of New Zealand to raise a million dollars for the Trust. It began at Cape Reinga on February 25 and ends in Bluff on March 15.

A support crew of 20 people will help Mr Collins in his velodrome record attempt. He won’t be able to get off his bike for 24 hours so he needs people to run alongside him to pass him food and fluids as he races past.

Mr Collins says one of the most difficult aspects of the challenge will be beating the boredom of biking around a new lap every 30 seconds, for 24 hours.

Mr Collins helped set up the Neonatal Trust after having first-hand experience of a neonatal unit when his son was born, and is a passionate supporter of the work the Trust does for babies and their families.

The record attempt begins at midday on March 15 and finishes at midday March 16.