—
Cameron Nicholls completed an impressive solo ride from 18 July to 29 July 2017 through the length of New Zealand, from Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island, to Bluff at the very bottom of the South Island, covering 2,336 kilometers in just 13 days.
Cameron’s motivation for this impressive feat was prompted by his 13-year-old Kiwi cousin’s diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year. “The illness really shocked the family and motivated me to do something to raise funds for other kids in my cousin Lachie’s situation”, said Cameron.
The ride, dubbed ‘Ride the Long White Cloud’ raised funds for CanTeen, a charity for young people living with cancer. A fundraising page for the ride was set up on Australia’s ‘Bike Chaser’ website and final figures show that just over $11,000 dollars for the New Zealand and Australian arms of CanTeen.
The campaign Ride the Long White Cloud was named after the Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, meaning the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Cameron experienced the worst of New Zealand winter, riding through the mountainous South Island in temperatures as low as -10˚ Celsius.
The average daily distance of Cameron’s ride was 180 kilometres. It’s worth noting that this dwarfs the Tour de France’s average stage distance of 168 kilometres.
While Cameron spends eight to ten hours on his bike for 13 days straight, his wife and chief motivator Alice formed the one-person support crew and campaign media contact following her husband in a camper van.
To learn more about CanTeen visit their website here: https://www.canteen.org.au
About Cameron Nicholls
Cameron Nicholls is a 36-year-old male from Melbourne, Australia whose passion for cycling permeates his life. He is the co-founder of Australian cycling marketplace Bike Chaser and regularly spends his weekends in amateur races around Australia. He has a strong family and emotional connection to New Zealand, the birthplace of his mother. He is married, with two young daughters.
Release ID: 252079