Connor Toki will have to plan his rest and recuperation carefully and ride hard to achieve his goal of cycling 1070 kilometres in 80 hours or less for charity. Photo / Supplied
Connor Toki will have to plan his rest and recuperation carefully and ride hard to achieve his goal of cycling 1070 kilometres in 80 hours or less for charity. Photo / Supplied
A Napier-born man has planned a mammoth solo bike ride in Australia to raise money for Gumboot Friday.
Connor Toki aims to cycle 1070 kilometres from Adelaide to Melbourne in 80 hours or less, the equivalent of Cape Reinga to Wellington.
The ride on April 15 will raise funds forGumboot Friday, part of the I AM HOPE charity.
He and a friend had previously done a 100-kilometre run for Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health charity.
He said the reason he raised funds for mental health was because he had lost a close friend to suicide in his last year at Hastings Boys High School.
"Unfortunately I see it time and time again on Facebook feeds that we've lost someone else quite young to suicide. It's actually quite heartbreaking to see."
"I just wanted to support everything Mike King has been doing over the years and show people at home that even though I am not here in New Zealand I want to make sure that not only Hawke's Bay, but New Zealand, is going to a good place."
He said the inspiration for the specific challenge came after his previous charity fundraiser when he was recovering on a bike in the gym.
"I didn't know what it was going to be specifically yet, but I knew it was going to be on a bike."
Connor's training has been 10 hours a week on average, but has been ramping up as the April 15 date approaches, with practice rides up to 200 kilometres in length. Photo / Supplied
He said his training averages about 10 hours a week and involves workouts from his coach and accumulating hours on the bike through many rides during the week.
"Now it is starting to ramp up, so this week it is starting to look like 12 to 13 hours."
He said his longest bike ride up to this point had been 180 kilometres indoors, but on the road he was starting to push for 200 kilometres per ride during his training.
He balances his training with a full-time job as a strength and conditioning coach and operations manager at a Body Fit Training gym in Melbourne.
He also works with Melbourne University rugby and the Victoria Thunderbolts rugby team.
He said his first fundraiser for Beyond Blue achieved just over $10,000 and he hoped to top that.
Currently, the Givealittle page has raised $4875 in nearly two weeks.
"I'd love to see that number keep ticking up, I think 15 to 20 would be massive, but we'll see what happens."
Those who wish to donate can do so at https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/ride-for-life.
