When Thijs Hubber arrived in Invercargill on Sunday after biking all day and night from Christchurch, there were a few world cycling officials to meet him, along with Invercargill City Mayor Nobby Clark.

Former New Zealand cyclist Graham Sycamore and Tony Iverson were both there to see him complete the journey, and who also both had connections to his grandfather Henry (Harry) Hubber back in 1943.

October 29 was a special day for Thijs who successfully completed the same journey his grandfather took on a road bike from Christchurch to Invercargill – 80 years ago.

Raising money for mental health (a whole $10,300+) from his Givealittle page, Thijs delivered a letter from the Mayor of Christchurch to the Mayor of Invercargill, talking about the two record-setting journeys between the two cities.

First, on October 29, 1943 he made the trip in 22 hours and 39 minutes. Then, on December 13, 1968, at the age of 47, he did it in 20 hours 22 minutes. (The record was snatched in the intervening years by J. Hargreaves, who made the distance in 22 hours 12 minutes in 1950.)

The Queenstown-based cyclist set out to get to the southern city in under 23 hours riding time.

He achieved this, with a saddle time of 21 hours and 40 minutes, pedalling into Invercargill at 11.15am on Sunday.  At the age of 40 – he celebrated his birthday a week earlier.

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