Gareth Warnock

Interview 2011.

So, what are you up to Gareth? What do you mean?

With your bike stuff. Um, can we start again?

No. I’m currently training for the cycle challenge around Lake Taupo. 

When’s that? 26th of November.

What’s involved with your training? Um, lots of riding. Lots and lots of riding. Enough so as I can get around the lake in under five hours. It’s quite a bit I guess. At the moment only about three hundred kilometre metres a week but it’ll be adding up over the next few weeks towards Taupo. 

Where abouts have you been riding for training? Hill training, which is pretty important for Taupo, been to Totara Reserve, up behind Colyton, behind Massey, and just getting base training in. So essentially just long hours on the bike at a set pace, building leg strength up and stamina and endurance.

Cool, so I hear you’re raising money for doing it? Yea, probably, about five, no six, no maybe five months ago when I decided to do Taupo, decided to raise money for the Addis House, the Cancer Society House in Palmerston North, to repay back what they gave me when I was battling through cancer. So now that I’m in remission, still, I feel like I should do something for them seen as they rely on sponsorship and funding to help support families in Palmerston North and I feel that getting sponsorship for completing the 160kms would be a good way to say thank you I guess, to show my gratitude. Just support something that does a lot for a lot of families and a lot of people.

That’s sweet. So what’s the easiest way for people to help you out with that? Um, the people that know me can contact me, the people that are interested but aren’t aware of what I’m doing, I guess I’ll have a few posters around in certain places to let people know what’s happening. Otherwise I guess word of mouth through the cycling community. Which seems to have already spread a little bit, because you know I’ve only started the actual sponsorship part of it in the last week and it’s already got to some people I’ve never met before so it’ll hopefully pick up in the next few weeks and if enough people that are interested in it will be able to donate money, or sponsor me for a part of the race which will then just go into a total that I’ll give to Addis House. Possible you know a week after I’ve finished the race, as I’m probably aware there’s a few people who have agreed to pay me a certain amount of money once I complete it. So yea. Just don’t get too big headed about it. Just you know, appreciate the money people give, I know it’s, I know people are always pretty wary of who they give money to for um donations and sponsorship and funding but I feel I’m not really putting any pressure on anyone to give money, just give them that option and whatever they can afford is much appreciated. 

Nice. So what do you hope to achieve from this? Finish it. 

Apart from the obvious of raising money and finishing the race. What are the other motivations behind it? Yea I guess um I’ve always been one to talk about getting something done but I’ve always ah talked a good game for a lot of the stuff I’m in but it’s um it’s going to be pretty, I don’t know how to say it, I guess I’ll just be proud of myself to have stuck to completing something such as that. Like I know, I’ve obviously been training for it but there’s nothing really, I haven’t done it before so I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into but I know once I’ve finished it I’ll be pleased that I’ve stuck to something. I guess it’ll make a lot of people proud who sponsored me, a lot of people that believe in me, and hopefully it just makes me a stronger person. Cycling’s something that’s been that sort of release as well as my music, but something else to put effort into as opposed to just working and then doing nothing in the evenings, it’s nice to look forward to going out riding after work or riding with friends. More of a social environment is always nice. Yea. Don’t know if that made a lot of sense. 

It did. Can people follow your progress with this project on the Internet or anything? I guess the event page on Facebook is the best way to follow seen as that’s the only way most people communicate. It’s called Ride For Cancer 2011, so if anyone types that in they’ll find it. Those that want to attend can follow my progress, I’ll be posting in there how my training is going and how the sponsorship money is adding up, ah, certain people and places that are helping out the most. I’m not sure what photos will be available but I will be using a GoPro camera for the race so I’ll have quite a bit of footage from when we leave to go to Taupo and during the race and on the way home, and probably get one of my friends to collate the footage and make a video and put that up for people to see how it went. And I guess photos; there’ll be the normal photographers that are there at races so they’ll um I’m sure there’ll be a few photos to put up from the ride so yea. That’ll be the best way to follow what’s going on and stuff will slowly be kept being put up on there.

Nice, good luck! Thank you.