Talley’s gives young athletes an OE they will never forget

The gift we give people when we sponsor sports teams or community groups so often goes beyond the main thing we are giving money for.

The “Team Talley’s” Kiwi MTB Collective is a case in point.

This team of 10 young mountain bikers left last month to compete around in international mountain biking events around Europe for six months, including the world series UCI. For the first time a Kiwi MTB team has ridden in this series under the New Zealand flag!

Our sponsorship covers the team’s accommodation, transport, and race fees. But not only are we helping give them a chance to do their sport, we are giving them a life experience, with most of them never having been to Europe, let alone a long haul flight anywhere before.

In just a few weeks, they have been all around Paris, travelled across borders to Germany, then to the Czech Republic. Without their parents with them, they are learning how to get organised, fix things themselves, navigate different languages, eat different food, live within a small budget, manage their sleep with travel. Amazing life lessons.

From a sports perspective, in Germany they have raced in the Albstadt World Cup against the best in the world - their idols. Apart from one crash and concussion (she’s ok, but off her bike for a few weeks), all riders did very well.

Then, they drove to the Czech Republic in the Nove Mesto World Cup, again riding well, but also lapping up seeing the very best riders bike past their gazebo, stopping to sign autographs and take selfies with our guys.

After this race in Czech, they took part in a smaller event – smaller by European standards, but still bigger than the NZ Nationals! As well as riding well, some bikers won prize money. Nice job.

Now they head to Slovakia!

Go Team Talley’s!

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