Meet our Team
The Escape Team
John Etherington
With a 100 year family background in Kenya, a passion for Africa, a life in all things practical and mechanical and a love for travelling John 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 has grown our trips to what they are today. Johnboy is our trusty team and trip leader, bike and vehicle fix-it man, new trip dreamer upper-er and cuppa tea boy.
Mandy Richards
In 2003 I saw an add in a kebab cafe in Motueka that said "Mountain Bike Guide wanted for Africa". I sent John an email that said " You need me!", and he did!
Mandy joined Escape in 2004 as a co-leader on our African trips. Since then she has mastered the art of multi-tasking; not only is she is our 'Office Hussy' - answering your emails and taking your bookings but she also likes to get out on her bike and amongst it on trips whenever possible.
Tim Richardson
I thought that I would always live at home with Mum. But one day she gave me the word: GO! I found the answer: BIKING! I have been guiding trips now for five years, in Italy, France and New Zealand. I love to travel to far-flung corners of the world, meet new people and look under rocks to see what is there. I will be your trip leader in Kenya & Tanzania, and I can't wait to explore with you.
Erin Reed
Hi I'm Erin born and bred in British Columbia, Canada. In 2006 I immigrated to New Zealand where I was sure that they would be desperate for girls like me. And they were! This is where I met the man of my dreams (Tim), began guiding bike trips, and realised that the path to redemption really does come on two wheels! I will also be your trip leader in Kenya & Tanzania, full of energy, joy, and spirit. I look forward to meeting and sharing a laugh with you along the way.
Joseph Njenga
Jambo, I'm Joseph from Nairobi in Kenya. I'm 36 years old, married and a father of two.
Joseph has been on our Africa Team since 2008. You'll find him behind the wheel of our support vehicle on our East African trips... and anywhere that anything needs doing! He will give you a real insight into life in East Africa and the occasional Swahili or bongo drum lesson! He is super friendly, has a huge smile and is always happy to help.
Brian Alder
This is Brian - Office Hussy number two, devil's advocate and Escape Adventures old fart. Brian does all the jobs that no-one else likes doing, throws in ideas that no-one wants to hear, keeps the rest of us feeling young, and every now and then he gets to travel and lead our trips in places that everyone wants to visit.
Dafydd Evans
We needed a helper a couple of months back, took the word of a friend that Dafydd was a good lad and Dafydd flew from Wales to come and stay! He brought his bike with him and after a month or two there were four bikes - all mountain bikes with different purposes. Dafydd had arrived! Dafydd is what we call a 'bike geek' - he'll ride anything and when he's not riding, he's fixing bikes or reading about them. To cut a long story short - we like Dafydd and we hope to keep him. You might get to meet him on our China & Tibet trip or on our New Zealand mountain biking trips.
Dave Wood
This is Dave - he's a fossi... I mean a rock. Dave joined our team in 2008 and after spending a couple of years as our wonderful team and trip leader in Kenya & Tanzania he has come home to New Zealand to work on his own business. We are delighted to be 'keeping' Dave - as of 2010 he will be leading some our trips in China & Tibet. "I look forward to sharing some fun, adventure and a unique experience with you".
Falesha Stocker
Kia Ora, I'm Fish - "I'm a lover of mountain bike adventures, be it whistling down a single track or pedalling through a scenic valley soaking up the views or cooking up a storm at the end of a great day in the saddle!" Fish led our Africa season in 2007 and we are delighted to have her pedalling with us again in China and Tibet. "I look forward to meeting you there and sharing the culture and landscape, the sights and smells, the tastes and flavours, the stories of old and new, the history and the present moment. See you on the next revolution..."
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. You can meet Shama 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's 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
Meet Sabrina. She is a 4x4 Mitsubishi Rosa who began life in Japan as a ski field transport bus. After working as a bungy jumping vehicle in NZ for several years she joined the Escape Team. With the aid of a few heavy power tools she had a bit of a face lift and has evolved to be able to carry 13 people, 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 six week sea-voyage and a four week land journey up the African Coast and she is now in East Africa in her element negotiating the dirt roads and tracks that we love to bike on.
Our Bikes
In NEW ZEALAND, AFRICA, and CHINA we have our own fleet of bikes which we replace every 2 years with a new fleet. In Africa we currently have a fleet of '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 the Avanti Website).
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.