Clyde's Olympic silver medallist Nicole Shields (25) is embarking on a different kind of mission.

She’s setting out to raise $30k for charity World Bicycle Relief (WBR) to get 100 bikes to six east African countries where they will make a difference.

Nicole said her two month long bike packing adventure is coming together, she’s close to locking in her business sponsors, her route and her riding companion. 

Her contract with Cycling New Zealand has been put on hold and she’s taken up the offer of a year long sabbatical. 

“After the Olympics, quite a few rowers and cyclists choose to take a break. There are conditions that come with it too… but it’s a chance to get your head back up and do something different.”

“I recognise the privilege I’ve had in chasing my Olympic dream, but I’ve come to see the bike as much more than a vehicle for competition. It’s a tool for freedom, self-expression, and connection - a way to see the world.”

Currently in Central she said she’s enjoying spending time with family and friends, getting equipment sorted and building up her bike herself. 

Nicole on a bike packing adventure in New Zealand. PHOTO: Supplied 

No stranger to bike packing, she has ridden from Picton to Central several times, along with bike packing in the United States when she had to wait for a Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) spot.

The Africa trip is another level: it's close to 5000km in a two month period. She’ll travel through six countries where WBR already operates Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, visiting two communities in each country where WBR bikes are. 

“Yes, it sounds far, but it’s Cape Reinga to Bluff and back.”

“What we do is so niche in track cycling. I’m looking forward to an experience with bikes and what they can do, in their most basic form.”

Nicole said she has just gone live with an African project website, but she’s “not much of an instagrammer”.

The Central App asked her about what her family thought of the plan. 

“Mum is thinking of contributing towards a Garmin inReach which will mean I can share my location.”

She said her parents were "a bit worried” but they understood her motivation to use bikes for connection, both for people and the environment.  

The countries Nicole plans to bike through and the Buffalo Bike designed by WBR. PHOTO: Supplied

WBR mobilises people through the power of bicycles and was founded in 2005, after a tsunami in Sri Lanka. 

As a non-profit social enterprise, WBR has distributed over 891,000 bicycles to provide greater access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, uplifting communities worldwide. 

Nicole was a part of the NZ women’s track cycling team pursuit, who won a silver at the Paris Olympics in 2024. 

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