In his third effort for the appeal, Mr Gower told the school’s more than 200 students about the incident.
"I ran into some cow poo ... I slid over and I hit the deck just before Gore."
But that did not deter him from soldiering on to the town, which has clearly struck a chord with him.
"I believe that Gore is paradise and I would stay here if we didn’t have to ride on.
"I would stay here forever."
A pack of 80 riders and a support crew of 20 had set off from Queenstown at 5.45 that morning to take on the 253km, 12-hour journey in support of rescue helicopter services.
They included Olympian Sarah Cowley-Ross and mountainbiker Brook Macdonald, who were both participating in the fundraiser for the first time.
School principal Glenn Puna watched as the children enjoyed the event, and said it was more than a spectacle.
"Seeing all of these riders coming, who are doing all of the hard work ... the kids soak that in, and they understand what’s going on."
The group also visited two other primary schools in the area, Lumsden School and Mataura School, in their final leg to Invercargill.
The appeal aimed to raise $150,000 this year.
