UPDATE 16/7/2022: The King rides again! TOUR AOTEAROA 2023 brevet cycle tour...Cape Reianga to the Bluff...Feb 2023.

Blue Elvis, fully enhanced, more lovin than ever, enters   the TA Tour 2023. Yes fans, continuing the fundraising for PROSTATE.ORG.NZ , please put some coins into the King's moshpit.....see link below...standby for more updates from Gracefield soon.

UPDATE 18/3/2022: The King retires from TA Tour 2022, injured (Alien attack, tree stump vs BlueElvis)...safe at home on couch.

On 7/3/2022, at the centre of the North Island, BlueElvis toppled from a 2m high bridge onto a stump. The King (hindsight) should walked across. Short story....he was ambo'd out from Pureroa Huts, and back to Grace-Auckland. Major impact hematoma right thigh, plus a couple of other less onerous bruises...the King does not walk well even yet!.....dancing and shows are all postponed.

So many well wishers, and support from all across the land...BlueElvis loves you all....#thankyouverymuch.

You can see some public posts of the BlueElvis TA Tour at https://www.facebook.com/james.bilyard ...and I added a few photos below in the Gallery.

The King's Story

Everybody loves the King.

One of the King's reincarnations, Blue Elvis (aka James Bilyard), is seeking out cerebral and physical refreshment from the high seat of a gracecycle, and is touring Grace-Ziland. He will be humming and crooning near the back of the pack of the brevet peloton (self supporting bike packing Tour Aoteoroa  https://touraotearoa2022.maprogress.com/?bib=BElvi&m=h)

He starts 9am Sunday 27th February 2022

The BlueKing might as well help others along the way, so please help him help the good people at The Prostate Cancer Foundation….

#thankyouverymuch !

Education & Awareness

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has a vital role in raising awareness of prostate cancer.

A growing national support network of over 45 support networks provide valuable support and resources to men and their families living with prostate cancer. 

One of the main goals of the Foundation is to not only educate people about prostate cancer but be the voice of the more than 42,000 men living with the disease in New Zealand. 

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of
NZ (PCFNZ) has a proud history of supporting innovative research projects that seek to improve clinical outcomes, further our knowledge of prostate or testicular cancer, inform approaches to high quality support for those affected and assist us to advocate towards eliminating death and suffering from prostate and testicular cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The Tour Aotearoa is one of the world’s great self supported bike-packing trips stretching 3,000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff it follows a combination of cycle trails, tracks, paths and lanes connected by the
most enjoyable country roads available:

3000km of Grace Ziland

Total climbing/ descents 33,600m

over 750,000  Strava GPS points

4 water crossings via boat,  

Total estimated calories required 121,000

30 control photo points.

>30kg fully packed hardarsecarbon stead and > 97.2kg peanut butter and blueberry jam toastie sandwich eating Blue Elvis....VERY LARGE LOADS on the rear end (of the bike).

Consuming > 135L of water and quite a few toastie sandies

Aiming to raise $3k for The Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ

Real-time SPOT tracking will be available from 27th of February 2022 and the tracker also has Personal Locator Beacon functions just in case of emergency. The event is not a race, butthe King needs to ride self supported sleep at least 6 hours per day and take longer than 10 days (won’t be an issue) and less than 30 days with  more details on the adventure can be found here:
http://www.touraotearoa.nz/p/home.html

Blue Elvis started cycling in early 1990’s before Woodhill had a carpark.

Blue Elvis is an adventure racer of class, and style, with an outstanding appetite for inappropriate dancing, flash fashion, high collars, and a astonishingly high kilojoule intakes.

Southern Traverses, Coast 2 Coasts, untold mis-shapen training, and adventure journeys have been made across GraZiland.

This year Mr B Elvis purchased a hardarsecarbon stead MTB which he will ride in the TA ...... when packed fully with peanut butter weighs very much.

Before he starts his ride Mr Blue E would like to thank his son little Bleu J, Nat, TG (for mechanical buttering), Mr Red Elvis for the loan of some bike-packing flash luggage, and the TA FB forum for assistance and advice and Jonathan Kennett and brothers for work establishing the Tour Aotearoa trail in 2016.

More info on the ride can be
found here http://www.touraotearoa.nz/p/home.html

Facebook
Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/touraotearoa

https://www.facebook.com/james.bilyard

The ride can be tracked in
real-time via
https://touraotearoa2022.maprogress.com

BlueElvis Limo progress at: 

https://touraotearoa2022.maprogress.com/?bib=BElvi&m=h)

THANKYOUVERYMUCH !