ADVENTURE racer Hedley Meacheam is very happy to be back home.
He has been away four years, living in Rotorua and Blenheim, but has missed the “closeness of the beach, the fishing, the people, our friends” in Opotiki.
Formerly a cycle mechanic at Hickeys Sports store, Hedley was well known in the Eastern Bay cycling community.
Delighted to hear he was back in town, John and Ngaio Knebel of Motu Trails, asked if he would run the bike hire. This is where he can be found, in the workshop at the back of the Motu Trails premises, busy servicing the wide range of bikes for hire – mountain bikes, tandems and kids – in readiness for Labour Weekend and the beginning of the busy season.
“Kids bikes are becoming more and more popular for family trips, not just along the dunes track, but on the more challenging Pakihi as well.”
Hedley’s passion for adventure racing has seen him at Godzone Queenstown and South Africa this year, with Canada already signed up for 2017.
Adventure racing is typically a multi-disciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. The principal disciplines in adventure racing include trekking, mountain biking, and paddling.
“Eastern Bay of Plenty is a good place to base yourself, with some of the world’s top adventure racers coming from here.”