Hopes for NZ blind charity ride

Former Dunedin woman Nicola Bennett and blind English rider Julian Heitz cycled the length of...
Former Dunedin woman Nicola Bennett and blind English rider Julian Heitz cycled the length of Britain for charity this month. They are considering a similar charity ride in NZ. Supplied photo.
A Dunedin woman who cycled the length of Britain to raise more than $30,000 for blind children plans to do the same at home - and to record the trip so blind people can also experience New Zealand.

Nichola Bennett and legally blind Englishman Julian Heitz rode a tandem bike about 1600km, from John O'Groats, Scotland, to Land's End, England, this month to raise more than £14,000 ($NZ30,171) for UK charity the National Blind Childrens Society.

Ms Bennett said the pair were looking for a suitable New Zealand charity to help with a similar "tip-to-the-toe" fundraising ride, in what might be the first in a series of trips where they made an audio recording to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of their journey.

"If we had the sponsorship needed, we would like to do the top to toe of a number of countries. It would all be quite lighthearted and fun and I think people would respond well to it."

In Britain, the pair were interviewed by newspapers and the BBC, and were touched by the generosity of strangers.

"We even had a cab company pick us up in a van in the middle of Scotland, drive us 12 miles to a bike shop and then take us back to where we broke down - and they didn't charge us a thing," Ms Bennett said.

"People were intrigued by this blind man on a tandem riding the length of the country, described in detail by a Kiwi."

The pair rode for eight hours a day for 11 days.

On average, they travelled about 140km a day, often through wind and rain.

It was mentally, rather than physically, demanding - she had to warn of every approaching bump in the road and describe as much as the countryside as she could.

Finishing the trip was "incredible ... a moment I will remember for the rest of my life and wish I could bottle it up forever."

Relaxing in New York this week, she said her mind had already turned to a new challenge.

"The thought of showing a blind person New Zealand really excites me," she said.

 

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