Olympian Bevan Docherty takes the lead again as New Zealand attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest parade of bikes.
Representing Heart Children New Zealand, the official charity for the Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, Bevan will want at least 2,300 cyclists parading behind him when the GWR attempt, called the Heartbreaker, gets underway in Taupo on Sunday 29th November, the day after the Lake Taupo ride.
Organised by the Taupo District Council, Heart Children NZ and Cyclemania, Taupo’s festival of cycling, it’s the second attempt by New Zealand to snatch the existing record of 2,284 from Taiwan.
Flyers have gone to all local schools. “We need the Taupo community to get behind this event,” says Lianne Fraser Cyclemania Event Manger.
“It’s hoped that participants in the Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge will stay a few hours longer in Taupo on Sunday and join in the parade – it could be the ideal family warm down ride.
“Last year 1400 cyclists joined the parade and from where I stood it looked as if we’d easily break the record, but not quite. We’re aiming for success this time round.”
Registrations for the Heartbreaker ride begin at 10am and are at the parade’s Three Mile Bay start. For a gold coin donation participants will receive a heart balloon and go into the spot prize draw. Most of the parade route follows the Lion’s walk, a shared path along Taupo’s lakefront to the Tongariro Domain.
“The Heartbreaker ride is a wonderful way to finish off a great week of cycling, especially knowing that you’ll be helping the thousands of Kiwi children affected by childhood heart disease,” says Heart Children New Zealand’s Liz Beck. “Come along, grab a balloon and take part in the longest parade of bikes the world has ever seen.”
The Heartbreaker is the second world record attempt during Cyclemania. A 24-hour record for women’s spin cycling begins on Friday 27.
A full progamme of Cyclemania events is on the website, www.cyclemania.co.nz and events get underway on November 23.
Cyclemania was launched in 2008 and is a joint venture between Bike Taupo, Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, the Taupo District Council and Sport Waikato.
