Ambassadors
Meet our Ambassadors
We’ve got four very different, yet all very cool ambassadors signed up and ready to take on the 2023 Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge. You can meet them and follow along with their training journey here. You may find it inspiring or you may find it entertaining but either way these guys are awesome and we thank them for sharing their story!
Bryony Botha riding the Round the Lake
“I'm Bryony, I'm 25 years old and I am a member of the NZ Track Cycling Team. I have been to 2 Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast & Birmingham) and 1 Olympic Games (Tokyo). I have a Bachelors degree in Social Science and I am currently working towards my Masters in Management and my second Bachelors degree in Communication.
My dad got me into cycling when I was 12 years old and he coached me and did every single training session with me until I was 17 and I started getting too fast for him! I like riding because I love exercising, challenging myself, and exploring new areas. Cycling has also taken me to some amazing and strange places around the world that I probably never would have experienced if I didn't do cycling. And I also love the massive cycling community that exists not only in New Zealand but all over the world.”
- Bryony
Ian Jones riding the Round the Lake
“My name is Ian Jones an ageing age athlete and riding forms a big part of my training for endurance events. I love the social aspect of riding and found it has been an amazing way to see a lot of our country”
- Ian
Sammie Maxwell
“Kia Ora, my name is Sammie and I'm a Taupō-raised MTB racer. I first started riding when I was little for the sole reason of a promised trip to The Golden Arches afterward, and this led to an addiction to the sport. Once I discovered biking, my inner competitive nature drove me into racing and a desire to constantly work my way through the ranks until I am now the three-time defending XCO National Champion and 2022 XCE and XCM National Champion. But competitiveness is not the only reason why I love riding bikes, with the adrenaline rush of downhills, the endorphins associated with a good training session, and the incredible views and amazing places two wheels can take you it's not hard to see why any sane person would love cycling!!
Also just because there is more to life than cycling, here's a fun non-cycling fact about me: After a year of taking Spanish Lessons in college, all I remembered was how to say 'Cat' ('Gato' in case you are wondering).”
- Sammie
Karl Woolcott riding the Round the Lake
“Cycling is my life. It's my occupation, sport, and exercise and is also a large part of what we do as a family. I love the fact that riding bikes breaks down barriers. Everyone who hops on a cycle has something in common. We ride together and then have a coffee. I've met hundreds of great people through the common need of getting out on the bike and exploring new places. Cycling has also become a platform for the Ride Holidays community to put bikes into low decile schools. That I am very proud of.”
- Karl
