The New Zealand Vulnerable Road User Charitable Trust is developing a dedicated app that will allow pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians to report non-crash incidents of violence, harassment, and dangerous close calls. By tracking this data, we can advocate for better infrastructure, targeted motorist education, and stricter enforcement of laws protecting vulnerable people.
I am asking for your support to bring this app to life.
This is my story and why I am motivated to be a part of positive change for our most vulnerable road users.
Like so many around the World during COVID, I found myself locked inside, working from home, eating McDonalds at least three times a week, smoking heavily, and getting next to no sleep. I put on 20kg, and I already wasn’t fit to begin with. I had gone through a devastating breakup, and I was simply ignoring my mental health.
In March of 2021, I was just about to doze off when YouTube auto-played an Ironman Lake Placid replay. Lionel Sanders was one of the key figures in the replay and I remember hearing his story. He was a successful athlete through school but ended up in the wrong crowds. He talked about hating himself, exploring the dark places within himself, and thoughts of suicide. At that moment, something sparked in me.
Years later I would realise that the algorithm’s decision to serve that Ironman replay likely saved my life.
On that day in March 2021, I decided I was going to do an Ironman.
I had never set a goal, never set a direction in life, and never really strived to achieve anything, let alone been on a bike in over a decade, run more than a mile or swam in a lap pool. I thought that would all just come in time.
The next day, I bought a bike. The day after that, I bought swim goggles. I found a triathlon coach, got in a pool, swam 25 metres, and got out because I was so out of breath. I wanted to quit there and then. It was too hard.
But I didn’t. I kept getting back in the pool and back on the bike week after week. That persistence paid off.
Over the next two years, I progressed from struggling through a 25-metre swim to completing sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, and eventually half-Ironman races.
This culminated in crossing the finish line at Ironman New Zealand in 2023. It is the crowning achievement of my life. Not because I’ll never do anything that impressive again, but because I had to pull myself out of the darkness and push myself to become better.
I always try to tell people in similar positions: Push yourself to do something you don’t think you can do, and you’ll be surprised at just how impressive you are.
A massive part of what kept me alive and motivated throughout this journey was my love for cycling. My father introduced cycling to me when I was 13. I found that cycling gave me the freedom to go places and see things in an entirely new way. I was empowered by my bicycle, and I still love spending time on it.
The issue with being out on a bike all the time is the constant exposure to vehicles. While most drivers give plenty of space, poor infrastructure and a lack of education have led to terrifying close calls. I have had slurs yelled at me from car windows, I have seen other cyclists hit by cars going 120km/hr, and someone recently threw an orange at me from a car going 100km/hr. Acts like these are exactly why many people refuse to ride.
An increase in cyclists has consistently been shown to improve everyone's experience on the road through lower noise, less traffic, and better health outcomes. But for that to happen, vulnerable road users need to feel safe.
This is why I am taking on the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge, riding 160km around the lake, to raise $5,000 for a cause I deeply believe in.
Please consider donating to my $5,000 goal at Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge - Supported Charity's - so we can make Aotearoa New Zealand a place where everyone can travel safely and without fear.
Thank you - Kahn
