SNN_August 2023 Issue_web3

NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 16
GREAT EXPERIENCE—The camaraderie amongst the NZST team makes the TONZ a great bonding time.
can-do attitude, an appreciation for the opportunity, a
remarkable ability to remain cheerful, and a commitment
to supporting the NZ Spinal Trust. A little bit of
competitive spirit was woven in there too. It was awesome
to have people within our team who had their own lived
experience with spinal cord impairment (SCI). The
evening before we all set off the bikes were checked over
by Liam Keenan who sustained his SCI in a biking
accident. Everyone was on board with what we were
supporting—positive futures for people with an SCI.
It was this commitment that got everyone back on their
bikes the next day for the Ross to Franz Josef leg … in the
rain. At Ross we found that the start was pushed ahead to
Hari Hari—apparently rain wasn’t a problem, but the
threat of tornadoes and hail in the forecast gave pause for
thought. Crikey! That wasn’t in the brochure either! The
team smiled through it and pushed on. Some 68 soggy
kilometres later they all arrived safely in Franz Josef and
a big shout out to the support team: Andrew and Ian (with
help from Niki whose bike had suffered a mechanical
failure) had hot soup and chocolate biscuits waiting for
everyone in the accommodation lounge. My job was to
welcome them to the finish line and direct them to the
warm, dry lounge. I could not believe that they could
all—every single one of them—arrive at the end of this
stage … soaking, freezing, exhausted and STILL be
smiling and enjoying themselves. I thought we might
have been up for a mass mutiny at this point. Also at this
point I realised that the lack of an umbrella was very poor
planning on my part.
—Su Marshall, support person on TONZ
Also at this point I
realised that the lack of an
umbrella was very poor
planning on my part.
While we spent a few hours at Franz thawing out toes and
drying out cycling kit (and a few even made use of the spa
pool), another awesome example of how wonderful this
group of people there was playing out. Philly had
arranged for a friend to deliver (from Christchurch!) her
back-up bike for Niki to use the rest of the Tour. Wow.
Day Three—Fox Glacier to Haast—dawned grey, damp
and cool … but not actually raining. Huzzah! Still, it all
seemed too good to be true so everyone still donned all
their wet weather gear.
Without the distraction of persistent downpours the
different preparation approaches of different team
members became more obvious—Hans took it upon
himself to be team cheerleader (although whether he
truly boosted spirits or just baffled was unclear); Simon
and Topher diligently ensured their social media account
was updated (although they tended to finish well in each