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by New Zealand Broadcasting School students

Record-breaking cyclist is just getting started

Sport

Adriana Tobin
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Cyclist Hans van der Voorn.  Adriana Tobin/NZBS/2025

Seventy-year-old cyclist Hans van der Voorn is here to prove that age is just a number.

On March 29 he broke the world chainless biking record, riding 60km without a chain and completing 666 laps of Christchurch’s Margaret Mahy pump track. The previous record was 50.6km held by Kiwi Jason Connor.

Van der Voorn was raising money for his Givealittle page which aims to buy 12 Trek Marlin mountain bikes for kids in Christchurch. They will also receive rider and maintenance training from the Christchurch Adventure Park.

On a Facebook post published by his daughter, Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger showed his support.

"That is a legendary effort - just brilliant."

Van der Voorn is the only lifetime member of the Christchurch Adventure Park and is an avid cyclist despite some challenges. 

“I’ve gone blind in one eye, it’s been like that since I was six, long time,” he says.

“I’ve got used to it, but my peripheral vision and depth of field is a bit compromised.”

He also had a hip replacement seven years ago but says it does not affect his cycling.

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Hans van der Voorn next to his record breaking bike. Adriana Tobin/NZBS/2024

Van der Voorn says biking produces a wealth of physical and mental health benefits. He has long pursued a healthy lifestyle and says age shouldn’t change that.

“People are told by their kids and others, 'oh you shouldn't do that', and you just say 'please don’t tell me that, it’s an unwelcome piece of advice'.”

However he does have advice for other people wanting to get active.

“One of my key things about being fit is that it's best to do something that you enjoy then you do it, as opposed to something that's a little bit boring and you don’t do it.

“My prescription is pretty simple, you just start doing what you can do and say next week I’ll do a bit more.”

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Hans van der Voorn at the Christchurch Adventure Park. Adriana Tobin/NZBS/2024

Mountain biking is his preferred activity but he enjoys a good bit of road biking and bike packing too.

While Van der Voorn has ticked off one record, he does not plan on stopping there. 

“I’m getting trained here at CAP (Christchurch Adventure Park) to do a big jump that I’ve never done before and nobody my age has ever done before here.”

Van der Voorn says the jump will be 8m and he is aiming to achieve this before winter.