Sam Shaw rode 637.7 kilometres from Auckland to Wellington and beat the previous time by over an hour.
1. Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast, hosted by Coach Bevan McKinnon and Coach Tim Brazier, focuses on Sam Shaw’s Auckland-to-Wellington fastest known time.
2. Bevan McKinnon and Tim Brazier host the discussion, and Sam Shaw is the Wanaka-based cyclist whose ride became the centre of the episode.
3. The episode asks how a non-professional rider from Wanaka covered 637.7 kilometres in 17 hours and 21 minutes.
4. The hosts compare Shaw’s attempt with Lachie Morton’s 18 hours and 24 minutes, which had set the earlier benchmark in January.
5. Shaw says he first watched a YouTube documentary on Morton’s ride and immediately wanted to do the same route.
6. The route is described as point-to-point from Auckland to Wellington, with no fixed requirement to copy Morton’s exact line.
7. The hosts note that the ride included 5,432 metres of climbing and an effort to avoid major state highways.
8. Shaw explains that he used Strava to build the fastest route, while his support crew redirected him away from bike paths near the end.
9. He says the attempt depended on a weather window, because a southerly made the original December dates unusable.
10. Shaw says he started at 3:59 AM and aimed to keep moving without stopping for the entire ride.
11. He says he learned to pee while riding because stopping would hurt average speed.
12. He says he practiced aero positioning, did Pilates, and used a TT helmet and aero kit from Specialized and MAP.
13. Shaw says he works as an apprentice builder, rides to work on an e-bike and a regular bike, and treats that routine as part of his training.
14. He says he had only done about 15 road-bike rides before the attempt, because most of his riding life had been off-road.
15. Shaw says he had done cross-country World Cups, World Champs, Enduro World Series, and downhill World Cups before turning attention to ultra-distance rides.
16. He says his fuel plan used Scratch Labs high-carb drink mixes, bananas, caffeinated lollies, ginger nuts, and later a mince-and-cheese pie.
17. The tone is practical and technical, with a lot of detail about pacing, winds, cramp management, and support-crew logistics.
18. The format is a long interview with Bevan and Tim asking direct questions and Shaw answering with specific examples from his training and race day.
19. Listeners interested in endurance cycling, gravel riding, and Kiwi adventure sport will get the most from it.
20. Listeners looking for short chat or general triathlon news may skip it.
