76-year-old cycling 1000km as fundraiser
Hamilton man pedalling from East Cape lighthouse to Cape Egmont in support of rescue helicopter
For Keith Hobson, 76, of Hamilton, getting in the outdoors and living life to the fullest is what it’s all about, and taking on a cycling challenge is a great way to do that.
Keith set off last Sunday to spend his summer cycling the Kopiko Aotearoa — a coast-tocoast bike ride from East Cape in Tairāwhiti, to Cape Egmont in Taranaki — in a bid to raise money for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
“People ask me why I am doing it, and well, I guess the answer is that I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and see what I could really achieve by pushing my body to its limits.”
Keith is riding across the widest part of the North Island from the East Cape lighthouse near Te Araroa to Cape Egmont near New Plymouth. His journey will cover an incredible 1000km over 12 days and will be the equivalent of climbing two Mt Everests.
Training for this kind of event is not something to undertake lightly; however, Keith started endurance riding about four years ago, and before that had been riding socially for about 10 years.
“The training for these kinds of events involves starting slowly and building up to around 100km per day.”
“My trip is fully selfsupporting, meaning that I need to carry everything I need on my bike. This includes clothing, food, water, medication, and repair tools.”
He will then begin his ride, making his way to his planned accommodation for the day. Each ride will be an average of 100km a day, with the maximum distance being 121km and the minimum being 59km. .
Given the type of terrain he rides on for these cycling races, Keith is aware that a rescue helicopter is the best option for him to be evacuated in the event of an emergency. As a result, Keith has always been passionate about raising money for the rescue helicopter. Additionally, he has previously raised money for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter in the Tour Aotearoa in 2020, where he cycled from Cape Reinga to Bluff and managed to raise $450.
He is excited about another opportunity to raise funds for the rescue helicopter through something he enjoys doing – cycling. To follow or support Keith’s amazing journey of cycling the Kopiko Aotearoa, head to https://give.rescue.org. nz/fundraisers/keithhobson.
Philips Search & Rescue Trust (PSRT) is the charity responsible for fundraising and promotion of North Island’s largest pool of community helicopters. PSRT was founded in 1985 after an endowment by Philips New Zealand Limited to mark a light aircraft accident near Turangi in which two Philips personnel lost their lives.
Encompassing a fleet of rescue
helicopters and fixed-wing planes, the service provides air health and rescue services free to the public on a no-fault basis. In a life-and-death situation it is this speed and agility that can make all the difference.
Philips Search & Rescue Trust fundraises for/supports:
Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Waikato, King Country, Coromandel
Aerocool Rescue Helicopter, Bay of Plenty coastal region
Greenlea Rescue Helicopter, Lakes region, Central Plateau
Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter, Manawatu, Whanganui
Westpac Air Ambulance (fixed wing), nationwide