Eric Hunter, 87, is moving with the times, extending his leisurely pursuit of cycling with an ebike. Photo: Geoff Sloan
A non-travelling reserve on Great Britain’s cycling team for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, Hunter baulked when 17 of his companions on a cycling tour through Europe in 2018 opted for an electrical power boost.
But with his regular route from home to the Sign of the Kiwi not getting any easier these days, Hunter has embraced the ebike as his preferred mode of transport thanks to sponsor Scotty Brown.
“It’s a hard ride up to the Kiwi, it’s quite steep. As you get older it becomes harder, as you can imagine,” he said.
So the Liverpudlian, who emigrated in 1964 to work in the hotel industry, is now comfortable on a bike with a top (assisted) speed of 32kph.
“This’ll prolong my riding, I don’t know how many (years) I’ve got left,” said Hunter, who started biking competitively in 1950.
He represented England at regular intervals, including the Tour of Ireland and the Isle of Man International Road Race, which he rode for the Manx Trophy nine times before moving to New Zealand.
The Coast to Coast endurance test appealed when it launched in 1983, Hunter was in the inaugural race and did the bike leg 11 times. He was the oldest competitor to complete the 243km trek when he set off as a 79-year-old.
Hunter was a founder member of the ‘Magpies’ casual riding group around Cashmere and its ‘Elegant Eightys’ offshoot, though he now rides in more compact groups of two or three for safety reasons.
“Unfortunately some people as they get older they become a little bit hard of hearing and they don’t really know which way they’re going, and there’s a few accidents,” he said.
“As you get older you’re inclined to break easier and you take longer to recover.”
English-born Governors Bay-based cyclist Eric Hunter was a nine-time starter in the Isle of Man International Road Race before emigrating. Photo: Supplied
He has also needed two knee replacements, a hip pin, a heart stent and a titanium ankle.
“That was just wear and tear,” Hunter said of his new left ankle.
“It’s actually harder to walk than it is to ride a bike. Walking down my driveway and along the beach every day with my little doggie ... it’s harder walking than riding a bike.”
So Hunter is at ease riding up to 200km a week, he even managed 21km - at 23.2kph - when he turned 87 on December 5.
“I go out on the bike four times a week, I play golf and I go out on the canoe depending on the weather,” he said.
Hunter tees off at Rawhiti about 23km from home, so understandably he takes the car before driving.
