On The Up: Kiwi Olympians embark on 4500km African bike ride for charity

Olympians Nicole Shields (left) and Hamish Legarth are about to cycle 4500km from Uganda to Zimbabwe to raise money for World Bicycle Relief.

Two Kiwi Olympian friends are about to tackle one of their biggest challenges yet – riding a bike over 4000km of African roads.

But there won’t be a medal dais waiting for them at the end.

Instead, their goal for this journey is to raise money to buy bicycles for the communities they will be travelling through, all while training for the next Olympics.

Hamish Legarth and Nicole Shields, both 25, met through the Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme while studying at University of Waikato and quickly became mates.

Legarth, originally from Hastings, debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the K2 and K4 500m mens’ kayak.

Shields, from Central Otago, also made her debut in Paris and scored a silver medal as part of the women’s team pursuit cyclists.

Both have their eyes on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but with the competition still three years away, they thought of mixing up their training schedule with a 4500km+ bike ride from Uganda to Zimbabwe, travelling through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.

“I’m sure you would have assumed this, but Nicole’s a cyclist, and I’m a kayaker. So it’s a bit different for me,” laughed Legarth.

“I felt like doing something different in my training at the moment, so that’s why I decided to join Nicole on this adventure.”

The pair fly to Uganda on July 22, and they hope to have their African odyssey wrapped up sometime in September.

Legarth said quite a few people have suggested bringing a recumbent hand bike on the trip so he can use his paddling muscles.

However, it didn’t fit in with the pair’s logistics.

“I think that that first week’s gonna be a bit of a shock to me, but I’ll adapt quickly,” he said confidently.

Shields said the 4500km journey will mainly be on dirt roads with the odd bit of tar seal here and there.

The pair will need to complete 80km a day to reach their destination by September.

“Which isn’t crazy,” Shields said.

“It might be if the roads aren’t good,” replied Legarth.

The trip is a way for the duo to help raise money for World Bike Relief, a charity that provides bicycles to rural communities around the globe, giving people access to a transport option that will help them access education, markets, health facilities, vital services and more.

The pair are accepting donations through their website, where they are also writing a blog tracking their progress.

Shields has ridden across country before, including rides from Cambridge to Wellington and from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but this will be the first time Legarth has been bikepacking – like backpacking but with bikes. It will also be the first time either has touched African soil.

“So throw me in the deep end,” joked Legarth.

“Got to start somewhere. May as well make it a big one,” said Shields.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.