Around the World Cycle
Departure day at King Alfred School, September 2012
Taking the decision to cycle around the world was a relatively easy one.
The story started in 2010 whilst on a Christmas surf trip to Senegal with a colleague and friend called Tony. Laying back in our hammocks, shooting the breeze, he explained to me that he'd like to cycle from his home in London to New Zealand, where was raised. It's unclear whether that was a formal invite to join him, but I took it as one. It was one of those moments that completely changed the course of my life, as is every moment, in a 'sliding doors' kind of way.
Tragically, that year we lost Tony to a Brain Tumour.
My journey to make something good out of something awful had began. I decided pretty quickly after Tony's passing that I was going to cycle around the world and carry some of his ashes, so he could make the journey too. That week, I called my friend Anthony to ask if he'd join me, he needed no persuasion. A year later we set off on an unsupported 17,000 mile, 17 month, 22 country tour of the world on 2 wheels.
The immeasurable number of skills, knowledge and deeper 'curiosity-of-everything' that I gained as a result of that journey has informed everything I have been involved with ever since.
Whilst I was still on the road in Iran, my cycling partner took a quick break to visit family. Here he is sharing some thoughts on our ride...