About 150 riders joined West Otago endurance champion Kylie Dorr on a rally exploring the district through a Tapanui-based circuit which included the historic ferry between Beaumont and Balclutha.
"It was a lot of fun ... like herding cats at times, but I had a great time," ferryman Tom Jones said.
"We made nine crossings, and it took almost two hours."
"What she's achieved, to represent New Zealand on the international stage, in this tough, arduous sport, is nothing short of amazing.
"To see the riders turn out in support of Kylie, hearing that many had come from distant parts of the country too, was brilliant to see, and very heartwarming."
Enduro riders compete for long hours over hundreds of kilometres of off-road terrain.
After her victories in national competitions in 2023 and 2024, Mrs Dorr was selected for the New Zealand team.
She needs to raise $30,000 to compete in the International Six-Day Enduro World Championships in Spain next month.
"I’ve been blown away with the support people have been offering around the district, especially with allowing me on to their property to train, [and] I was trying to think of ways to drum up money without a lot of resources," she said.
She had the idea of asking permission to host a community "adventure bike rally" and got the go-ahead to use social media and GPS to organise the epic day-trip over Blue Mountain hill country, forest reserves, gravel roads and rural highways.
"We did 180km in the morning and 180km in the afternoon, largely thanks to Morgan Peters and Ernslaw One," the mother of two and self-employed stock genetics specialist said.
"It was an awesome day and definitely exceeded expectations."
The event raised about $10,000.
