Aim

Fitzherbert Lions Club seeks to serve the community, especially youth, sport and the disadvantaged. Proceeds from the Fitzherbert Lions Tour de Manawatu Charity Cycle Challenge will be donated to Local Charities and or Community Organisations.

The Major Beneficiary for the 2018 year Charity Cycle Challenge was: -

Alzheimers Manawatu

Previous Tour de Manawatu Charity Cycle Challenge Beneficiaries; 

• 2017 Arohanui Hospice
• 2016 Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter
• 2015 Wildbase Recovery Community Trust, Palmerston North Hospital - Ward 23, P. N. Esplanade Scenic Railway.
  
• 2014 Linklater Reserve, Arohanui Hospice
• 2013 Salvation Army, SPCA Kitchen, Linklater Reserve.
• 2012 Palmerston North Surf Life Saving Club Inc.
• 2011 Riding for the Disabled - Manawatu.
• 2010 CanTeen Manawatu.
• 2009 Drug Arm Palmerston North.
• 2008 Youth One Stop Shop (YOSS).
• 2007  Child Cancer Foundation - Manawatu Branch.

Others include;

• Life Education Trust

• St John - Manawatu

History of Tour de Manawatu

The Tour started in the 1980s when a group of enthusiasts organised an annual fun cycle ride to raise funds for IHC.  It steadily grew in popularity, and in March 1992 the first Tour de Manawatu was organised with distances 50 and 115 km. In 1997, organising the event became too much work, and the Tour went into recess. The Lions Club of Fitzherbert in Palmerston North, which already had a proven track record for organising the very successful annual Mountain Bike Ride, were approached to run the event.  A three-man committee was formed (none with prior involvement in cycling) to organise the Tour in consultation with the previous committee. The Club has organised the Tour every year, except one year when there was uncertainty in NZ over event organisers’ legal responsibilities. This makes the tour in 2018, the 19th Lions Tour de Manawatu. The 2018 event included electric bikes as an option for the first time.

We thank all who have helped running this event over the previous years along with all those riders who participated with those rides.