Rickie Cotter
By Victoria Heywood
Rickie's one of the strongest and most impressive long-distance cyclists of her generation - she's completed the Highland Trail 550, the Tour Divide, the Transcontinental and the Tour Aotearoa, as well as twice coming second in the World 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championships.
Rickie didn't come from a cycling background, though; she grew up in care, and got into all sorts of trouble in her teenage years, before making the decision to turn her life around. She's now a hero and mentor to others, a passionate advocate for adventure, and part of the core of the Adventure Syndicate, a collective of female endurance cyclists whose aim is inspire others.