Pedal for Parkinson’s offers unique opportunity for cyclists

Huri Huri News
1 November 2018

Wairarapa’s east coast provides the stunning backdrop for next year’s Pedal for Parkinson’s charity bike ride, organised by Huri Huri Bike Wairarapa. The event takes place on Sunday 17 February, with all proceeds once again being donated to Parkinson’s Wairarapa.
 
Now in its fourth year, the new location and format will give participants the unique experience of mountain biking from Pahoa Station to Ngawi, traversing private land in this once in a lifetime opportunity. The event is open to anyone aged over 13-years, as long as they have a reasonable degree of skill and fitness and use a suitable well-maintained bike fit for the purpose of the ride.
 
Brian Lambert, a record-breaking cyclist and champion wool presser, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in the 1980s, but has not let that hold him back. He’s raced in Europe, ridden from Auckland to Wellington in under 20 hours - and still holds the world record, and kept working in his Masterton bike shop until recently.
 
Brian believed that the diagnosis put things into perspective for him. “I found that cycling and keeping fit helped deal with the Parkinson’s. It’s a disease, not a life sentence.”
 
Fellow Wairarapa cycling legend, Rod Sutherland, was prompted to assist Parkinson’s Wairarapa when his wife Ruth was diagnosed with the disease. “I watched as Parkinson’s robbed her of her love of painting and diminished her physical abilities. We joined the local branch to help other sufferers by organising fundraising events such as this ride.”
 
Together Brian and Rod, plus many other dedicated volunteers, are collaborating to make this Pedal for Parkinson’s a spectacular fun ride. “A ride such as this doesn’t just appear out of thin air,” Brian explains. “There have been many people involved, not just cyclists but other members of the community.”
 
Rod agrees. “We couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for the generosity of the landowners and farms on the coast. They have played a big part in opening up their land for our use and we certainly appreciate that.”
 
To mark the start of Parkinson’s Awareness Week ( 1- 7 November) registrations will open for Pedal for Parkinson’s on 1 November through Eventfinda. For more details on the ride, click here.