Kurb will push himself through the pain barrier when he embarks on the epic e-scooter trip for the Associated New Zealand ME Society.
The Ashburton resident suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and will use the ride to raise awareness of the condition and funds for ANZMES, a charity that provides information, support and practical advice for people affected.
Bobby’s e-scooter was bought locally from Jeff Marshall Motorcycles a month ago and is a Zero 10X model.
He bought it to help his mobility and get him around Ashburton.The scooter is capable of 65km/h and has a power output of 2400 watts. It can do 0-60 in around six seconds.
Bobby said on his road trip he would likely putter along at an average speed of 25km/h.
The battery range on the e-scooter was 60km and he hoped to get sponsorship for spare batteries.
“I’ll be fully padded up and protected, but riding the e-scooter will take enormous concentration, so its going to be shortish days.
“It will be a test of endurance and I’m expecting pain in my legs and hips,” he said.
Bobby has been doing weekly pilates with local tutor Wendy Galbraith to help with his core strength.
He is a former active mountain biker and said his chronic fatigue was triggered by the Christchurch earthquakes and later diagnosed by doctors.
There were a lot of misconceptions around chronic fatigue/ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), but basically it was a debilitating and complex disorder characterised by profound tiredness and symptoms that affected several body systems and included weakness, muscle pain, impaired memory and/or mental concentration, and insomnia, he said.
While the exact details of his e-scooter adventure are still be worked out, Bobby is eyeing a route of around 500km that will take him from Ashburton to Dunedin via Geraldine and Tekapo.
His wife Lou will be his support crew.
The trip is expected to take six days and he won’t ride on wet days.
Bobby is keen to get the word out about his trip and invites people to follow updates and to contact him via his Facebook page Mlpevs.
He will work with his charity to set up a Givealittle page to manage his fundraising effort in the coming weeks. A talented artist, he also hopes to raise funds through the sale of his art via a local gallery.
-By Mick Jensen
