As daylight dawned over the harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, 86 excited riders (and support crew) prepared for a special 10-year anniversary 25000spins charity ride.
25000spins organises cycle adventures for riders around the world, and, on March 7, the group was about to embark on the “Coromandel Classic”.
This is a four-day adventure that takes cyclists around the breathtakingly beautiful Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island. From the heights of the Hauraki Gulf and the Coromandel ranges through to sub-tropical forests and rural farmlands, the view varies each day.
After a few days of cycling, the participants particularly enjoyed a restful dip in the thermal hot springs at Hot Water Beach.
Each rider raises a minimum of $A1250 to participate in the ride but the combined amount that the group raised on this 10-year anniversary “Coromandel Classic” was more than $A171,000.
Some of the most popular rides offered by 25000spins include the Great Ocean Road Ride in Victoria, as well as the London to Paris ride which finishes at the Eiffel tower and gives riders a perfect view of the finish of the iconic Tour de France cycle race. In the past 10 years, 25000spins has raised a staggering $A1.9 million for children’s charities including ADRA, Compassion, UNICEF, Bikes4Life, BOP and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Of the amount raised, more than $A1 million has been for ADRA.
Ten years ago, 25000spins founder Craig Shipton was living a comfortable life in London working in international banking when he became aware that 25,000 children die every day due to a lack of clean water, basic medical care and proper sanitation. But he wondered what God would want him to do about it. “I’ve always been a lover of travel and adventure,” says Craig, “and I wanted to combine this with a desire to be the change I hoped to see in our world.”
So in 2009, the 25000spins name was born as Craig started an epic cycle from London to Athens to raise money for the 25,000 children that die every day unnecessarily. It would take him over eight weeks of cycling, during which his legs would spin approximately 25,000 spins a day and he would aim to raise £25,000. Since that time there have been more than 30 cycle events across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Craig believes we were created to follow in the footsteps of a risk-taking God, “who has given us many talents which He promises to grow and expand for His glory” (see Matthew 25:14-30).
“Love and free will are the largest risks our God could take and we should follow in God’s footsteps (or in this case, cycle in His footsteps) to live a life of service.”
Having an adventure while making a difference in the lives of others is fantastic. The following words of Mark Twain are apt: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour, and catch the trade winds in your sails.”
Are you in a rut? Do you want to do something out of the ordinary, and at the same time help others in need? Perhaps one of the 25000spins rides is for you. People from all walks of life and fitness levels have taken part. The rides accommodate different fitness levels by having fast, medium and social groups with an accompanying support van for each group. The next cycle adventure is from the Murray to Mountains in Victoria, Australia (February 2020) and a rail trail adventure in the wilds of New Zealand in March 2020.
To learn more, visit www.25000spins.com.
