We beat our personnel best!
SES put our best feet forward (and then around and around) in February and came second in the country in the Aotearoa Bike Challenge (50-199 staff category for all health organisations). It was a fantastic ride.
After coming third in Canterbury for the category in 2024, we’re chuffed with this result – especially since we sit at the low end of the category’s staff numbers.
Our team numbers doubled this year also. New participants were inspired by the enthusiasm of those who biked the previous year according to SES ABC trailblazer Sally Wright.
“The jump in numbers also brought out a touch of healthy competitiveness, which made for some good banter around the office,” she says. “From seasoned road cyclists to those who had to dust off an old bike to join us, it was great to see so many getting out there.”
The cycle-commute-champion stories were inspiring.
“Roland started biking to work – a 60km round trip – and then decided to push it further with the goal of reaching 1000km,” says Sally. “This meant he was shooting down to Hagley Park for an extra ride at lunchtime!”
“Catherine got a bike for Christmas but hadn’t yet taken it for a spin – she signed up and put in some great miles on her new wheels. Jima even bought a new bike through the WorkRide scheme so she could enter.”
For Sally, the support from the wider team made a massive difference.
“I cycle to work every day and get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I hope others are similarly inspired to keep up with their cycling.”
For the record, our grand champion in 2025 was Roland, who took home the big trophy. Congratulations to his spectacular effort and all those who participated. We’re now looking forward to making the 2026 challenge wheely-wheely good.
