Acting legend Mark Hadlow ONZM (King Kong, The Hobbit) and acclaimed writer and director Gregory Cooper (That Bloody Woman) reunite for WOBIL – Wise Old Bugger In Lycra, the hilarious and heartfelt final instalment in the hugely popular cycling trilogy that began with MAMIL – Middle Aged Man In Lycra and continued with GOMIL – Grumpy Old Man In Lycra.

This time, the lycra may be a little tighter, the hills a little steeper and a few more wheels may be required to reach the finish line.

WOBIL takes audiences on the final hill climb of Wayne, founder and team leader of the men’s cycling group first introduced in MAMIL and later the Old FARTS – Fairhaven Amateur Riding Team – in GOMIL.

When audiences last saw Wayne, he was preparing to ride off into the sunset with an OAP – Old Aged Peloton – of residents from the infamous Fairhaven Glen Retirement Village desperately trying to keep up.

But sometimes, just when you’re expecting a flat sprint to the finish, life has a way of putting a stick in your spokes.

Because when you’re Wayne’s age, all it takes is one little trip to really get your lycra in a twist.

Fast-paced, wickedly funny and packed with heart, WOBIL brings back some of the trilogy’s most memorable characters, including Doru, the philosophical Romanian personal trainer; Pinarello, the Italian bike of nightmares; and Glen, the retirement village owner and Wayne’s ocker Aussie nemesis.

There are also some familiar faces from even further back in Wayne’s cycling adventures. Anyone remember Seamus, the foul-mouthed Irish member of the original MAMILs with a fondness for giving people a good “fecking” to?

Described by Theatreview as “fast-paced and slick”, the world of MAMIL has become a genuine New Zealand theatrical phenomenon.

The original production introduced audiences to the tribe of middle-aged men who squeeze themselves into unforgiving lycra, spend small fortunes shaving grams off the weight of their bikes and believe a weekend ride followed by a flat white is practically a professional sporting career.

More than 90,000 people embraced MAMIL and its unforgettable collection of characters, all brought hilariously to life by Hadlow.

GOMIL picked up Wayne’s story a decade later. Retired, grieving the sudden loss of Maggie, his wife of 49 years, and with his son and grandchildren living overseas, Wayne found himself struggling to rediscover his place and purpose in the world.

The one constant was cycling.

But after a panic attack mid-ride and a crash with catastrophic consequences destroyed his confidence, Wayne was forced to confront life without the thing he loved most.

With the unlikely assistance of a relentlessly positive Scottish counsellor, a philosophical Romanian personal trainer, an ocker Aussie retirement village owner and even Pinarello – the Italian bike of Bryan and Wayne’s nightmares – Wayne discovered he still had something to offer, a reason to get out of bed every morning and, most importantly, plenty of kilometres left in the legs.

Now WOBIL brings Wayne’s story to its hilarious and poignant conclusion.