MEDIA RELEASE

12 July 2011

Ooh la la! Kiwi locals off to Paris for Tour de France

Avid cyclist Vaughan Hunt (Manawatu) and BMX mum Sheryl Gates (Henderson, Auckland) are ‘going along for the ride’ - literally - with the 98th Tour de France, which is racing through its stages in France this month. They each won the all-expenses-paid trip to Paris through a competition run by RaboDirect – the online savings and investment arm of Rabobank and principal sponsor of BikeNZ.

The cycling enthusiast and BMX backer, together with their partners, will get to rub shoulders with the world’s best riders. They will be hosted for the race finale (24 July) with other Rabobank VIPs, watching on from the Champs Elysees grandstand as the world’s best cyclists battle it out.

Vaughan Hunt, who has been cycling for eight years and is the volunteer webmaster for Bike Manawatu, says he is indebted to RaboDirect for such a nice prize.

“A trip to France and meeting the Rabobank pro-team in the grandstand on the Champ Elysees – money can’t buy that sort of experience; it’s priceless,” he says.

Sheryl Gates and her husband have backed their two BMX-champ kids since 2004 and both are involved with the BMX Waitakere club. Sheryl says after all the years of grassroots involvement with BMX it felt rewarding to win such a fabulous prize at a BMX event.

“It will be amazing to go as a spectator – no carrying bike bags, cranks or spare tyres! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we’re looking forward to the VIP day when we can get caught up in the excitement of the final race,” says Sheryl, club secretary of Waitakere BMX.

The Gates’ 16-year-old son Brad will also be in Europe, competing as part of New Zealand’s BMX High Performance team at the World Championships in Copenhagen, from late July.

Owen Hallmark, Brand & Sponsorship Marketing Manager for RaboDirect, is pleased to be supporting cycling and other riding codes in New Zealand through its sponsorship of BikeNZ.

“The Tour de France is the trip of a lifetime for any Kiwi cyclist – we’re delighted for Vaughan and Sheryl to have this opportunity. It’s just another way we can get behind the sport here in New Zealand.”

Owen also cites the strong cycling track record of parent company Rabobank.

“Rabobank has supported cycling internationally for many years It’s through this connection that we can give both Vaughan and Sheryl the chance to enjoy the hospitality of our VIP programme on the Champ Elysees for the last stage of the race,” he says.

Rabobank’s professional cycling team has won nearly 1,800 races worldwide since it formed in 1996.

The Tour de France trips were drawn as spot prizes through the RaboDirect Recreational Ranking Series and other recreational events held between April and June this year.

Vaughan Hunt leaves for Paris today, and Sheryl Gates leaves for Paris on July 19.

Ends

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