Rickshaw Raiders - Mongolian madness

In July 2026 four 'brave' Kiwis (Darrin Hawkes, Phil Baldey, Terry Robinson and Ross Rowe) will saddle up and launch their mighty 3 horsepower, 49cc Chinese replica motor steeds to travel ~1200km (if we don’t get lost) across the endless rolling steppe of Mongolia.

An ancient landscape with vast untamed oceans of grass, rippled from a gentle breeze under big sky country where the sparse and remote pockets of population allow peaceful tranquility.

Sounds poetic,, wait a minute,, back the yak-n-cart up a bit.. The reality is likely mind numbing drone of grossly underpowered little bikes engineered to the specification of “probably fine”, carrying grown men suffering crippling back and neck pain from sitting with knees shielding earlobes from the chilling hurricane force cross winds.

Powered by optimism and brutal ‘brotherhood encouragement’, we will endure poor decisions on the 10 day mission where getting lost is just called “being somewhere different”. Tactics and cunning employed to make our way across the barren steppe where roads are formed by horses and wild dogs will provide additional motivation to keep moving. Vodka is not only a form of currency, but also another form of fuel.

There is no support, no map, no mechanic, no planned accommodation,,,, should be curiously informative, if not entertaining, to raise funds (and spirits) for charities that mean something to us all Ovarian Cancer Foundation NZ; Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ; Child Cancer Foundation NZ Cool Earth.