Record ride for Hospice

A Waikato man wanting to use pedal power to give back to charity raised almost $30,000 before he hopped on the bike.

Graeme Martin had the initial goal of raising $10,000 for Hospice Waikato, but that number quadrupled by the end of his adventure.

Taking part in the Tour Aotearoa cycle ride meant Martin was facing a 3000km challenge from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

He took off from the top of the country on February 24 and crossed the finish line down south 24 days later.

At an awards ceremony at the Hamilton-based Hospice on May 1, it was revealed Martin, from Morrinsville, raised more than $40,000.

It broke the Hospice’s record for an individual fundraising effort.

‘‘It’s been overwhelming, the support I’ve had for my crazy idea,’’ Martin said.

‘‘I got a chance to fall in love with our country again.’’

Tour Aotearoa follows a combination of cycle trails, tracks, paths and country roads and riders can be live-tracked by spectators across New Zealand.

Martin also had to work his way down through a series of designated photo checkpoints.

There were a few bumps in the road - like losing his travel companion of 14 days to injury, and bad weather leading to track closures - but Martin’s determination didn’t falter.

‘‘I was planning and concentrating on one day at a time,’’ he said.

‘‘I knew every morning I just had to get up and get back on the bike. I never thought about quitting once.’’

However, 800km away from the finish line, Martin, also known as Grimmy, started dreaming of the end.

It took reassurance from wife Sharon to help keep him on the right track.

The couple became involved with Hospice Waikato after two of their close friends and a family member had received hospice care.

‘‘One of the reasons I chose to do this for Hospice Waikato was to raise awareness, because I didn’t really know much about the service before people we knew needed it,’’ Martin said.

He wore a shirt with the words ‘Hospice Waikato’ printed on the front, and was greeted at the finish line by 26 family members and friends brandishing a sheet that read ‘Hospice Hero. Rockstar Grandad’.

Hospice Waikato chief execu- tive Craig Tamblyn said he was impressed with Martin’s ability to be in the right head space for 24 days.

‘‘I’m always amazed and in awe of people’s generosity,’’ he said. ‘‘[Martin] put his back on the line for us.’’