guardian the WEDNESDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2015 3 21 hour charity fundraiser By Kendyl Drummond Unlike most 21 year olds, Tom Filmer of Upper Moutere is planning on celebrating his 21st birthday with a charity fundraiser event by riding up Barnicoat Hill 21 times in 21 hours. The ex-Waimea College student is a competitive road and mountain biker who has competed in cycle races all over the world including France, Canada, America, Switzerland, Italy and Austria and was also been a member of the junior New Zealand cross Country Mountain biking team. Tom is currently studying a Diploma in Marketing and Business in Christchurch, though up until he began his studies, he spent his time either cycling overseas or working and saving money for his travels. To help raise funds for his trips each year the community and businesses have helped through fundraising or sponsorship. In 2012 he did a 355km road bike ride which was 12 hours of riding, and in 2014, he did a 240km ride with 6000m of climbing. One of the rides included cycling over Takaka Hill, down the Rameka Track, through Upper Takaka, through Barons Flat in to the Motueka Valley, up to the top of Mount Campbell then home! For his 21st birthday this year however, he has decided to give back to the community by fundraising for the Nelson Tasman Hospice. On the 8th of February at 4.00am Tom will begin his first ascent up Barnicoat Hill, which he will then climb another 20 times over the space of 21 hours. “For most of us mear-mortals it would take an hour to climb and the record for going up it the fastest is 20 minutes,” says Mike Gane, organiser of Rainbow Rage and a supporter of Tom’s competitive cycling career. “Put it this way, if he gets up there in 20 minutes, he still has to come back down – then go back up again another 20 times!” Mike, the ex-owner of the Cycle Shop in Stoke, has had plenty of respect for Tom since he walked in to the store when he was 14 and introduced himself as “the Tominator”. “This is awesome for a young man to be doing this and a huge responsibility. He’s a great guy doing a great job,” Mike says. Tom is encouraging the community to jump on their bike and ride up Barnicoat Hill with him on one of his ascents – though you won’t be expected to do the whole 21! There will be a donation bucket on the day at the bottom of the hill for people wishing to contribute to his fundraising for the Nelson Tasman Hospice, or alternatively, you can deposit money into the following account: 12-3040-057266451 with your name or business (for tax rebate purposes) as the reference. Tom Filmer at the top of Takaka Hill. He will be cycling up Barnicoat Hill 21 times in 21 hours for his 21st birthday to raise funds for charity.