Focus Bikes

“The first three weeks are all about settling in. The scope and intensity of my training have so far remained relatively low,” writes Jaskolka. Then again, the country does offer some absolutely spectacular terrain and a few unexpected training partners. “A few days ago I was in Abel Tasman National Park, where I completed my first ever swimming session with seals. I set out by kayak for a small island with the aim of swimming around the island, which is home to dozens of seals. I wonder what these adorable creatures were thinking when they spotted such a slow fish paddling past. ”

Jaskolka admired the dunes of Golden Bay whilst out running. “I felt as if I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Mile after mile of sand dunes extend across the northern tip of South Island. The golden sand is just fantastic,” he raves, his enthusiasm awakening our eagerness to join him on his outings. Training sessions on his FOCUS Cayo have taken him over some unbelievably spectacular routes and allowed him to enjoy watching the landscape unfold whilst his girlfriend and personal physiotherapist Ela follows along behind him in the van.