For over 10 years, Brendon Vercoe was a physiotherapist at the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch.

He played a key role in the recovery of New Zealanders who have sustained a spinal cord impairment.

Now Brendon is taking on his own challenge.

In November he will attempt to ride the length of Aotearoa in world-record time to raise funds and awareness for the NZ Spinal Trust. 

Every morning at 5am when Brendon Vercoe gets out on his bike, he has one moment in mind. 

He can’t help but think of riding into Bluff on the last stage of his world-record attempt. 

“It’s always in the back of my mind and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it,” says the 37-year-old physiotherapist.  

“My wife and kids have booked their flights to Invercargill to be at the finish line and whatever happens, that will be an amazing moment.”

On November 17, Vercoe is taking on the unthinkable.

He will attempt to bike ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff in record time to raise money and awareness for the New Zealand Spinal Trust. Vercoe is attempting to complete the 2100km ride in four days.

That will mean riding around 500km per day, being on his bike for more than 20 hours per day.

“When you start talking about it, you realise it’s pretty crazy,” says Vercoe with a laugh.

“I'll be on my bike for as much of the day as possible, which will be determined by how I'm managing physically and mentally.”

Hans Wouters is the CEO of the Trust. He says their mission is to empower people with spinal cord impairment and their whānau to embrace positive futures.

“We support people to take ownership of their own rehabilitation,” says Wouters. 

“We are so grateful to Brendon for taking on this challenge to help others. I know he’s made some significant personal sacrifices to be ready for this.   

“We hope that people all over New Zealand will get behind him on this incredible journey.”  

After months of training, Vercoe was forced to postpone his Cape2Bluff attempt in February due to Cyclone Gabrielle and the damage across Aotearoa.

Inspired by the people he’s helped 

Over the past decade Vercoe has been inspired by people who have sustained spinal cord impairments and never given up in their recovery. 

“This challenge for me is about seeing what grit and determination I have,” he says. “And the difference here, I guess, is that I've chosen this challenge, whereas those people that I worked with certainly didn't choose to be in that position.” 

He says the resilience these people have shown in the face of adversity has given him a sense of perspective. 

“When I am in those positions where I'm hurting and it's hard, I draw up on that and remind myself there are others doing it much tougher than you.” 

He has seen the work the NZ Spinal Trust does first-hand and says: “it's amazing”.  

“The support they give to people with spinal impairment and their whānau is simply incredible and something that they can’t do without.” 

Vercoe wants to raise at least $10,000 for the Trust and is asking for the media to help tell his story.

“A big part of this is awareness. If I can help people in our communities become aware of the help and support that is available to them, then it’s all worthwhile.”

An incredible journey 

The record for riding the length of New Zealand is four days, nine hours for 45 minutes. It was set by Blenheim endurance athlete Craig Harper back in 2017.

Vercoe is focused on trying to make history.

A support crew will be with him the whole time to ensure he is coping mentally and physically. They will also ensure that he is kept adequately hydrated and fuelled for the arduous task.

“They have to know when to pull me off my bike for a rest and know when to push me back on my bike despite my reluctance or resistance,” he laughs. 

“In many ways I've got the easy part - I just have to ride my bike; My support crew have the hard part. They have to look after and put up with me. They’ll make nearly all the decisions for me, especially when my brain and ability to think goes to mush.”

No substitute for experience

Vercoe has communicated and met with the current record holder, Harper, drawing upon his vast experience to help plan and map out his journey. 

“He’s an absolute legend,” says Vercoe.  “He's been such a wealth of knowledge and support for me. The beating of the record would be great for me but it’s bittersweet because I don’t want to take it off him. 

“Craig has said to me: ‘It’s not about competing against each other. It's a competition against yourself’.” 

Vercoe has great experience to call on to take on this challenge.

He won the two-day Coast to Coast in 2014, won the three-day Pioneer MTB race 2016; and won the Tour of New Zealand cycle race in 2021. In 2022, he rode the Tour of Southland.

Throughout his career, Vercoe has had a number of injuries which required support from ACC.

The most significant was a nasty road bike accident in 2010 while he was preparing for the 2011 Coast to Coast.

He broke his jaw in two places and suffered a mild traumatic brain injury.

“I had several months off work recovering and rehabilitating, which ACC supported me with throughout. It was great to have that support.”  

Avoiding injury on his upcoming endeavour is part of Vercoe’s training plan. He has been on his bike as much as possible. 

“I'm pushing my body to the limit to get accustomed to feeling fatigued and riding while fatigued, all the time trying to and build up my endurance system.” 

There are logistical challenges along the way. Vercoe wants to make sure he doesn’t arrive in Auckland during peak hour traffic. In Wellington he will fly over the Cook Strait by helicopter.  

Unconditional support

Vercoe says the support and encouragement of his wife Nicole have made this effort possible.  

“There has been a significant amount of time away from the family training to make sure I’m ready. 

“I have said to my wife that this will be my last hurrah with this sort of sporting challenge, at least until the kids leave home.

“She knows how much biking means to me and that this has given me a sense of purpose, passion and drive. That’s something that you can’t do this without, that unconditional support.” 

Vercoe admits it’s a challenge he is still getting his head around, for which he is looking to draw upon the help of a sports psychologist.  

“I am trying to accept and prepare myself for the adversity I will face and the places that I will have to go in my mind to overcome those challenges.”  

Going into the unknown 

Vercoe has thought about the finish-line a lot. He has also considered the beginning. 

He’ll have a mix of emotions on the start line at Cape Reinga.  

“I can’t wish away the time, but I'm really excited to get there,” he says. 

“At the same time there’s a great deal of apprehension and uncertainty and knowing that there is going to be a great deal of pain.” 

He is confident he will have done the work to be ready. 

“The blood, sweat and tears I put into this will pale in comparison to the rehabilitation journey post spinal cord impairment.

“If there is one thing in common, it’s that there is no reward without hard work, and it’s not just about the outcome, but it’s also about the journey.”

Cape to Bluff – World Record Attempt 

What: Riding from Cape Reinga to Bluff (around 2100km) to raise money and awareness for the New Zealand Spinal Trust 

When: 17 November, 2023

Current Record: 4 days, 9 hours, 45 minutes (Craig Harper) 

Support Brendon’s Fundraiser here: https://fundraising.nzspinaltrust.org.nz/campaigns/cape-2-bluff/