Meet our Team
The Escape Team
John Etherington
Hi John here, I'm a first generation Kiwi (New Zealander) with a 100 year family background in Kenya. In a past life I trained as a mechanic before moving on into tourism. While traveling in Africa many years ago I discovered that biking is the greatest way to see things up close and personal and came up with an idea......
>> In 1999 John's dream became a reality and Escape Adventures was born. Since then John has been working to develop relationships with people in far off places and grown our trips to what they are today. He is our trusty team and trip leader, bike and vehicle fix-it man, new trip dreamer upper-er and cuppa tea boy.
.......................................................................................................................
Mandy Richards
Hi I'm Mandy; I was born and grew up in New Zealand. After an education in physical education I generally leaned towards more adventurous vocations, personal training, track guiding and conservation projects in the South Pacific. My keen-ness of things like cooking and wining and dining in out there places, and love for biking led me to join the Escape Team.
>> Mandy joined Escape in 2004 helping to lead our trips in East Africa. Since then she has mastered the art of multi-tasking, not only running the office, answering your emails and taking your bookings but also getting out on her bike and amongst it on trips whenever possible.
.......................................................................................................................
Dave Wood
Hi, my name is Dave. I am a born and bred Kiwi. My home base is sunny Napier on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. My number one passion is enjoying life and the people in it. I love riding my MTB especially on single track and have recently started riding on the 'dark side' (road biking). I started my working life as a mechanic which has led onto a diverse career with a practical bias. I look forward to sharing some fun, adventure and a unique experience with you.
>>Meet Dave - he's got a few years under his belt but don't hold that against him! He joined our team in 2008 and you'll find him out in Africa on his bike and ready to give you a great experience in the places we all love.
.......................................................................................................................
Tarn Felton
Hi, I'm Tarn - a Maori/Irish Kiwi, born and bred in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Life has seen me as a mother (to a now 23 year old), a ski bus/rafting guide driver and a youth and family worker in Wanaka and Queenstown. I have lived in Wanaka, NZ for the past 11 years where I make the most of the fantastic skiing, road cycling and mountain biking. There is nothing quite like the feeling of wind in my face and the gears clicking smoothly beneath my feet as I ride in the magnificence that New Zealand has to offer. I am passionate about creating good food, making the most of fine company, and I love to be surrounded by nature and all that life has to offer!
>>Tarn is the newest member of our African team. She oozes energy and talents more commonly seen in the circus! She has a wonderful soulful streak which rubs off on everything she does - including the delicious meals she'll prepare for you when you join us biking in Kenya and Tanzania.
.......................................................................................................................
Sara Evans
Hi, I'm Sara. I'm currently living in my hometown of Llanfechain in Wales and fundraising for a Charity called Equal Adventure who make outdoor adventures possible for all regardless of disability. I am passionate about mountain biking single tracks, climbing mountains, camping on beaches and swimming in lakes. I love meeting people who open my eyes and learning about other cultures and I am looking forward to discovering China with you.
>>We found Sara when she was visiting New Zealand - she was on an adventure and had forgotten to go home! Sara is one of those people who come across as sweet and gentle, but when you delve a little deeper - the hidden talents start oozing out. You find that she has the determination of Mahatma Ghandi and can leap tall buildings in a single bound! After a few weeks you can even start to understand her Welsh accent! Sara has helped us out on various New Zealand trips and will be joining John leading our tours in China and Tibet in 2009.
.......................................................................................................................
Joseph Njenga
Jambo, I'm Joseph from Nairobi Kenya. I'm 34 years old, married and father of two. My job is support driver with Escape Adventures and when I'm not working I enjoy playing tennis, traveling and making new friends.
>>Joseph joined us in 2008. He is super friendly, has a huge smile and is always happy. You'll find him behind the wheel of our support vehicle on our Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda trips. He will give you a real insight into life in East Africa and the occasional Swahili or bongo drum lesson!
.......................................................................................................................
Shama Tziu
Nihao/Tashidelek/Rimagenie (Hello in Chinese/Tibetan/Yi). I'm Shama, born to a Yi tribe in a mountain village in South-west China by the banks of the upper Yangtze. I graduated from Chengdu College of Geology. I did a lot of field reaserch during my student life and I fell in love with outdoor sports, travel and photography. I look forward to meeting you biking in China with Escape, sharing good company, biking and experiences in the outdoors. Trust me , you would love this charming country, no problem!
>>Meet Shama - based in Chengdu, China. You can meet him on our China & Tibet trip where he works alongside our Escape leaders, sharing his wealth of local knowledge, interpretation and helps us order our meals!!! He got a few hidden talents that you're sure to learn about and he needs very little encouragement to break out into full song!
.......................................................................................................................
Kier Etherington
I'm Kier, and that's my Mum and Dad up there at the top of the page.
>>Kier joined us in January 2007 - and is now Escape's newest trainee bike guide. We expect he will make his debut as trip leader sometime around 2025.
.......................................................................................................................
Sabrina
Sabrina is our Africa trip support vehicle. She is a 4x4 Mitsubishi Rosa who began life in Japan as a ski field transport bus. She soon got the travel bug and headed off towards the South Pacific. In New Zealand she worked for 'AJ Hackett Bungy' for several years running 'bungy jump' transport.
>>In late 2004 Sabrina joined the Escape Team. With the aid of a few heavy power tools and a bit of a face lift she evolved to be able to carry a full 10 bikers plus crew, 13 bikes and luggage. She is very practical styling her full camp kitchen, hot and cold water tanks, fridge, and of course CD player. A 6 week sea-voyage and 4 week land journey up the coast of the African Continent and she is now in East Africa right in her element negotiating the dirt roads and tracks that we love to bike on.
.......................................................................................................................
Our Bikes
In NEW ZEALAND, KENYA & TANZANIA, and UGANDA we have our own fleet of bikes which we replace every 2 years with a new fleet. Currently our bikes are 'Avanti Aggressors' a high spec front suspension mountain bike from New Zealand's leading bike company: AVANTI which we import into Africa especially for our trips. (For more info check them out on www.avantibikes.com).
For the more technically minded these bikes are equipped with:
- Lightweight 7005 alloy frame.
- 27 speed, SRAM X7 and X9 drive train.
- Rock Shox "Reba" forks.
- Shimano disc brakes.
All of our bikes are equipped with flat pedals, but if you are used to riding with cleats and bike shoes or have a favourite saddle feel free to bring them with you.
Please contact us for more information on bike availability for our other destinations.
Liquid error: getaddrinfo: Name or service not known