For Shenae Barker, the 2025 Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge was supposed to be about getting out there, giving it a go and enjoying her first bike race alongside her best friend.
What she didn't expect was to walk away with a win that would change the way she saw herself as a cyclist.
Now, one year on, she's returning to Taupō with a new challenge in her sights, a growing community of riders behind her, and a cause close to her heart.
A win she never saw coming
Last year, Shenae Barker stood on the start line of the Great Lake 100 with no expectations. She crossed the finish line as the event's first-ever female winner, a moment that would go on to change the course of her cycling journey. "Winning the 100km last year was genuinely life-changing," Shenae says, "largely because of the circumstances I was navigating at the time."
Originally entered in the Shimano Round the Lake 160km category, Shenae had stepped down to the Great Lake 100 following a difficult time personally. She went into the race with no expectations, but what followed was something she'll never forget: an unexpected victory, her mum's reaction, and the joy of discovering her best friend had finished second in her age group in what was her first-ever bike race.
"We'd been on this journey together over the past few years," Shenae explains. "The fact that we'd both discovered cycling and were taking on our first bike race together made the whole experience even more special."
It was a win that sparked a question Shenae hadn't seriously considered before: “maybe cycling is something I can be good at”. A couple of people had encouraged her to take cycling more seriously, but it took the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge result to make her believe it.
Since last year's win, Shenae's relationship with cycling has deepened. She's recently returned from the 70.3 World Championships in France and has made a genuine shift towards focusing on cycling, having previously balanced it with triathlon training. Her progress hasn't gone unnoticed, either. She's since become a sponsored rider, an exciting milestone in her growing cycling journey.
Taking on the 2026 Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge
With her focus firmly on cycling, Shenae initially had her sights set on the 320km Enduro. But as a solo mum juggling training around everything else life throws at her, often squeezing in sessions on the indoor trainer, she's decided the Shimano Round the Lake (approx. 160kms) is the right challenge for this year. And it's no small step up. She's never ridden 160km before. "Having spent so much of the past two months focusing on cycling, it'll be exciting to see how I go," she says.
She won't be making the trip alone. A crew from the Bay of Islands is heading down, including her best friend Julie Flintoff, who's also tackling the Shimano Round the Lake, and a training buddy who's new to the sport but "a bit of a weapon."
For Shenae, the pull goes beyond the ride itself. It's the buzz of prize-giving, catching up with friends and riders from around the country, and spending time with her mum, who lives locally in Taupō.
And while last year's victory has brought a new sense of belief, it comes with a little added pressure too. "I do feel pressure to perform this year off the back of the 2025 win," she admits, "but I'm just going to do my best."
This year, Shenae is fundraising for Women's Refuge as part of her Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge journey, a cause close to her heart. It's another way she's making this year's event meaningful, using her passion for cycling to support an organisation doing important work.
Support Shenae's ride for Women's Refuge: Donate via Givealittle HERE
