100km return on tricycle

Kaka Point retiree Walter Flanagan, 67, pauses on his recumbent tricycle, during his 100km return leg from Beaumont to Kaka Point in inclement conditions on Clutha Valley Rd on Thursday.

Mr Flanagan said he and wife Estelle used the "very comfortable" low-lying tricycle variants regularly for journeys both short and long.

"I suffered an injury a few years back that meant riding a regular bike — as I had for years — became too uncomfortable.

"The recumbents are very comfortable. No pain in your butt, shoulders or neck, meaning you can go long distances with relative ease."

The 200km round trip the couple were finishing on Thursday was one of their shorter odysseys, he said.

"We’ve done thousands of kilometres in both islands, including gravel back roads like Rainbow and Molesworth. We don’t mind a bit of rain.

"As long as you keep moving, you stay warm."