Ooh la la! Keen Kiwi cyclists off to join Tour de France
As the Tour de France races into its final stages, two local New Zealand cyclists are off to Paris to join the cycling elite and rub shoulders with VIPs on the Champs Elysees.
For Christchurch local Rebecca Hensley and Dunedin local Christina Padman it’s the trip of a lifetime. They each won the all-expenses-paid trip through a competition run by RaboPlus - the online savings and investment arm of Rabobank - and in conjunction with BikeNZ’s Ridestrong - an online membership community for cyclists.
First prize sees Rebecca Hensley flying out to Paris tomorrow together with her partner; both very keen cyclists. They will spend Thursday 23 July riding in Rabobank’s support vehicle right behind the team for Stage 18 of the race. Over the weekend, 25-26 July, they will be hosted with other Rabobank VIPs and will watch the finale of the Tour de France from the grandstand on the Champs Elysees.
Christina Padman leaves for Paris on Thursday 23 July, and will also be hosted with other Rabobank VIPs for the race finale on the Champs Elysees grandstand. Making it a family affair, Christina is taking her mum ‘along for the ride’ and meeting up with her dad, a keen cyclist who is already in France for the race.
Mike Heath, General Manager for RaboPlus, says it’s fantastic that two such avid cyclists won our competition.
“Being on the ground for the Tour de France is any cyclist’s dream and we’re pleased to help Rebecca and Christina get there for the final stages of the race, as part of our partnership with BikeNZ.
“Our parent company Rabobank has supported cycling internationally for many years. It’s through this connection that we can get Rebecca on the road with the Rabobank team and offer both of them the chance to enjoy the hospitality of our VIP programme on the Champ Elysees for the last two days of the race. It will be an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Mike Heath.
PHOTO CAPTION: Le race is on! Rebecca Hensley on the hills above Banks Peninsula at this year’s Le Race, from Christchurch to Akaroa.