SNN August 2019 online

Tour of Duty
Healthcare NZ Spinal Trust Team Conquers The Tour of NZ
Hans Wouters said it was a funny feeling when
the Tour of New Zealand had finished.
After eight days of riding 550km over some seriously
beautiful and challenging terrain, the Tour came to
a stop at the steps of the Beehive in Wellington.
“We were all sorry it was over,” said Hans,
the CEO of the NZ Spinal Trust, reflecting
on a special experience in April.
“It was thrilling for our team to win a stage on the last
day. I went so hard and fast on the last day that I was
treated by St John’s. I could not stop coughing!”
Hans came right and, to cap it all off, their team was
the only one standing with the Honourable Trevor
Mallard, wearing their shirt, on the steps of Parliament,
signing off the Tour on the SKY TV Programme.
For the previous eight days they had ridden from
Glenorchy to Queenstown, from Arrowtown
to Wanaka, from Wanaka to Omarama, from
Mount Cook to Tekapo, flew from Christchurch
to Rotorua, had a rest day in Rotorua on day five,
and then sat on the bike from Te Kuiti to The
Chateau, from The Chateau to Whanganui, and,
finally, the Wellington Criterium on the last day.
The nine stages included a 37km Prologue Time
Trial, 12km Hill Climb to the Chateau, 5km Beehive
Criterium. The average daily ride time was three
hours covering on average about 90km each stage.
Participating in the Tour of New Zealand came about
by Hans - well - being cheeky. He approached the
organiser of the Tour, Peter Yarrell, and asked if NZST
could be part of the event. Peter said “Yes, of course”.
The Trust was included as one of the seven charities.
The Trust had seven riders, with Mike Brown as
Tour Manager - five able-bodied cyclists plus Mark
Inglis (Amputee/Paralympian/Mt Everest Climber)
and Jono Nelson (spina bifida wheelchair user).
With the number of SCIs from cycling accidents
in the country, it made sense for the New Zealand
Spinal Trust to be aligned with the Tour of New
Hans Wouters: “The camaraderie and
the banter amongst all the riders was
a huge part of the experience.”
30