Beijing Olympic boardsailing gold medallist Tom Ashley will complete a leg of TEAR Fund’s North Island Poverty Cycle event starting on Tuesday February 22.
The North Island tour is over 11 days covering almost 900 kms. The event starts in Whangarei and finishes in Wellington, where the cyclists will meet members of the South Island tour. The aim of the tour is to raise money for at-risk children and youth in New Zealand and overseas in TEAR Fund’s Compassion child projects.
TEAR Fund events manager Sarah Jamieson said it was fantastic to have another high calibre name onboard for the launch of the first Poverty Cycle event. Tom had agreed to take time out from his busy training schedule to take part in the leg of the event from Auckland to Pukekohe, she said.
Ashley said he was excited about taking part in the event. “The beauty of the Poverty Cycle is that those who love cycling like I do, can enjoy the ride and help others at the same time. It is also great that some of the funds raised are going to help local youth charities like Brothers in Arms and 24-7 Youth, as well as the work that TEAR Fund is doing for poor and disadvantaged children overseas.”
Ms Jamieson said, Ashley would join other sporting celebrities who have got behind the event such as former All-Black Michael Jones, Kiwi tri-athlete Clark Ellice, and rising tri-athlete star Michael Poole.”
Other Poverty Cycle endorsers include television and radio personalities Clinton Randell and Jon Bridges, and hip-hop dance artist, Elly Pascoe.
Ms Jamieson said there were still places on the tours for those who wanted a cycle challenge that would also make a difference. “If people can’t commit to the whole tour, individuals or groups can enter any of the stages of either the North or South Island, but time is running out. Ideally, people will need to register soon at www.povertycycle.org.nz and get fundraising.”
Each entrant received their own fundraising page on the website to help them raise money. The target for entrants in the 11-day event was $5000 or $500 for each stage, she said.
The Poverty Cycle also includes four family-friendly cycling events in major centres. The Poverty Cycle Iconic Rides will be held in Auckland, New Plymouth, Nelson and Christchurch on Saturday March 5. “Again, people will have to register soon on the website to raise an initial target of $500.” There are prizes for the people in each centre who raised the most money. The money raised will go to charities in the four centres and to TEAR Fund’s Compassion projects overseas. The local charities are Brothers in Arms, in Auckland, and 24-7 in Christchurch, Nelson and New Plymouth.
Tom Ashley
"Thomas Ashley (born 11 February 1984 in Auckland) is a sailor from New Zealand, who won the gold medal at the 2008 RS:X World Championships. He is the 2008 world champion."
Ashley really is your typical self-effacing Kiwi and for that reason he has flown under the radar when talk turns to possible Olympic gold medal candidates.
Ashley has been almost untouchable at the top of men's windsurfing for the past two years, winning six of the 10 regattas he has entered since August 2006, including prestigious events in France and Spain, as well as the pre-Olympic regatta at Qingdao and the 2008 world championship in Takapuna.
He's honing his Olympic preparation at Valencia, working out of the base used by America's Cup syndicates last year.
"The conditions in Valencia are very similar to what we expect in China, with lighter breezes, and I want to make sure the training is as specific as possible," Ashley explains.
"And there's also a very good infrastructure here with the Kiwi sailors involved in the America's Cup."
It's widely expected the Olympic regatta will be contested in light breezes, which will suit some sailors more than others. Ashley admits he prefers more robust conditions, but has been training for what he's likely to get without sacrificing versatility.
"I've been training most of the time for the past two years in light winds; it's been a big focus to get strong and competitive in these conditions, but you still need to be able sail in all conditions and I think that will be my strength," Ashley says, pointing to his victory in last year's pre-Olympic regatta when he was slightly off the pace in light air but won the event when the breeze picked up in the medal race and he swooped past rivals who couldn't handle it rough.
"I'm quite happy to sail the whole regatta in light wind if need be, but if we do get one or more days of breeze, other guys who might be at my level in light winds might suffer in the breeze.
"It's impossible to say how it will go, but if things go the way we expect I'm pretty happy with the way things have been going."
