Epic bike trip ticked off bucket list

"I thought I would never have done it, I thought the body would have struggled a bit, but no, we did it. There's definitely a sense of achievement there." Stuart Mckenzie

Four cycling enthusiasts are back from the trip of their lives, after ticking the Tour de France off their bucket list.

Palmerston North men Wayne Butcher, 63, Stuart Mckenzie, 58, Robert Larsen, 60, and Waikanae resident Russell Hayes, 59, have returned from their amateur circuit race about the French mountains.

The group of self-confessed ‘‘oldies’’ raced off to France in July to complete a cycling circuit based on the Tour de France drugs cheat Lance Armstrong ‘‘won’’ in 2000.

Mckenzie said the group raced about 3500 kilometres over 6 weeks, and the ‘‘once in a lifetime trip’’ had its challenges.

‘‘I thought I would never have done it, I thought the body would have struggled a bit, but no, we did it. There’s definitely a sense of achievement there.’’

The actual Tour de France race typically takes about three weeks. The group of Kiwi men completed their journey in double the time and took a rest day every sixth day.

Butcher said the mountain climbs and drastic change in temperature were the hardest parts of the journey.

‘‘It was quite an enduring trip. We averaged about 600km a day and there was three feet of snow in some places. We’d be in 28 to 30 degree heat and then you’d get to the top and it would be 7 degrees.

‘‘You could compare it to an average mountain climber scaling up Mt Everest.’’

Butcher said the trip was ‘‘fantastic’’ and exceeded more than his expectations.

Highlights from the trip included the stunning scenery from the top of the mountains and also cycling through the ‘‘beautiful’’ French countryside.

‘‘I took photos but they really don’t do it justice.’’

Butcher is now planning to head to Brisbane in September for the Robbie Mcewen Gran Fondo cycling event.

As for Mckenzie, he said he was not sure where his next cycling venture would take him. But cycling the length of New Zealand was still on his bucket list.