Following in grandfather’s slipstream

There is following in footsteps and then there is going to the extremes, which Thijs Hubber did last weekend.

The 40-year-old cyclist rode from Christchurch to Invercargill, following the trail his grandfather travelled 80 years ago.

Mr Hubber completed the nearly 570km journey  in a total ride time of 21 hours and 40 minutes and an overall time of 26 hours and 15 minutes. 

His grandfather Harry Hubber completed it and set a record time for it twice, once in 1943 — 22 hours and 31 minutes — and then in 1968 — 20 hours and 42 minutes — when he was 47 years old. 

He never met his grandfather but wanted to replicate the journey to experience what he went through. 

"I just can’t fathom how he did it so fast with the technology and the roads and the nutrition. They were just made of different stuff." 

All his grandfather had  to keep him going through his journey was a bottle of milk. 

On the other hand, Mr Hubber had smoothies, a lot of electrolytes and the advantage of modern bike technology. 

Even though when he finished he was very hazy, shaking, and in a bit of shock, he was already thinking about attempting the ride again. 

"It’s crazy because I thought I’d only replicate it once, one and done sort of thing.

"But I actually want to do that again and it’s actually like refining and actually seeing what I can really do." 

He  would be more precise in the stops and refine his training campaign.  

Mr Hubber was fundraising for mental health and had managed to raise more than $10,000.