FAQs

1. What made you decide to go on a 3 year bicycle journey?
Lots of different things, no one big reason. I think I wanted to go on a big adventure and learn about the world, and I reached a stage in life when I thought “well, if not now then when?”. In the end, I just thought “why not?”.
I was also encouraged by the fact that I would be riding with my old friend Alastair Humphreys for the first stage of the journey through Siberia.

Lots of different things, no one big reason. I think I wanted to go on a big adventure and learn about the world, and I reached a stage in life when I thought “well, if not now then when?”. In the end, I just thought “why not?”.I was also encouraged by the fact that I would be riding with my old friend Alastair Humphreys for the first stage of the journey through Siberia. 2. Why did you start in Siberia (in winter)?
I knew that I wanted to cycle across Asia, and I preferred the idea of starting a long way from England and gradually heading back towards home – so I knew I wanted to start somewhere in the Far East. Al and I started looking at the map, and we considered starting in Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo… but then we spotted this intriguing little road winding its way up into Eastern Siberia to a town called Magadan. At about the same time I read Colin Thubron’s book ‘In Siberia’ which just really haunted me and got me hooked on the idea of starting at such an end of the world place.
We rode through Siberia in winter because that was the time of year we were ready to start, and we thought it would be a great adventure to ride in winter. (In addition, it should be pointed out that Siberia is no easy ride even in summer – the whole place apparently turns into a mosquito infested swamp!)

Lots of different things, no one big reason. I think I wanted to go on a big adventure and learn about the world, and I reached a stage in life when I thought “well, if not now then when?”. In the end, I just thought “why not?”.I was also encouraged by the fact that I would be riding with my old friend Alastair Humphreys for the first stage of the journey through Siberia. I knew that I wanted to cycle across Asia, and I preferred the idea of starting a long way from England and gradually heading back towards home – so I knew I wanted to start somewhere in the Far East. Al and I started looking at the map, and we considered starting in Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo… but then we spotted this intriguing little road winding its way up into Eastern Siberia to a town called Magadan. At about the same time I read Colin Thubron’s book ‘In Siberia’ which just really haunted me and got me hooked on the idea of starting at such an end of the world place.We rode through Siberia in winter because that was the time of year we were ready to start, and we thought it would be a great adventure to ride in winter. (In addition, it should be pointed out that Siberia is no easy ride even in summer – the whole place apparently turns into a mosquito infested swamp!)3. Why did you decide to travel on a bicycle (you must love cycling)?
I do not actually love the sport of cycling in its own right – I rarely go out on my bike in England just for the fun of it. However, I do think it is a great way to travel for several reasons:
- you go at a good speed. Walking is too slow (for me) and driving is so fast that you do not see so much.
- it is very cheap (cheap to repair, no petrol needed). To drive across the world for 3 years you would have to be very rich (or very well sponsored), to cycle acorss the world, you actually need only a bit of money (see question below for how I afford it).
- it is a physical challenge – I like having to work hard to get over a hill rather than just sitting in a bus
-you are exposed to the weather – which again means you really experience each place
-people along the road seem to respond (mostly) very positively to cyclists. In poor countries, people will be bemused and interested in what you are doing, in a way they might not be if you were driving a big jeep. In both rich and poor countries, people often invite me to stay or look after me, and I think that is largely because I am on a bicycle.

4. Are you travelling alone?
Mostly yes, but I was cycling with Alastair Humphreys in Siberia and Northern Japan (http://www.roundtheworldbybike.com/) , and Ben and Gen for 10 days in Tibet (http://www.2rouespourvoirlemonde.com/)

5. Has your route changed from what you originally planned?
Yes.
Originally I planned to spend about 18 months riding across Asia and Europe with Al. But then I decided to tag on a detour to Australia on my own which has more or less doubled the length of the trip.

6. How do you get across the sea?
I am trying to cover the whole of my route over the surface of the earth (because flying is too easy and you do not see anything on the way). This has meant I have had to hitch hike many times on yachts, ferries, canoes, cargo ships and freighters. (See my travelogue posts on Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia for more about this)

7. Are you sponsored?
No. I get slightly frustrated when everybody in the world nowadays seems to think you need to get sponsored to go on a big trip… I personally think (if you live in a rich country in any case, and are going on a low budget expedition like my one) it is easier to just go out and get a job and earn money for the trip, rather than waste weeks and weeks writing to big companies begging for help. On the other hand, there are many expeditions which do manage to cover their costs through sponsorship.

8. Do you miss home?
Yes, especially in the third year of the trip. I was more or less ok for the first two years but more recently I have missed family and friends a lot more. I think I have also started to miss the stability and luxuries of home… I think I have just got a bit tired of never knowing where I will be sleeping the next night, every person I meet is a ‘new’ person, and so on.

9. What motivates you to keep going?
I know that if I did quit, I would probably always regret it. I think one of the main reasons for doing a big trip is to test yourself a bit – it is quite character building. This means that it is really important to just keep going even when the going gets quite difficult or frightening, in fact, these are the most important times to keep going.

10. Are you ever frightened?
Yes. Sometimes because of crazy drivers and busy traffic on the roads. Sometimes because I am going through a slightly risky place and lots of people have told me horror stories about what will happen to me.

11. What is the charity you are helping (and how are you helping them)?
The charity is called Viva Network. This is a Christian charity which works around the world with children at risk – this includes extremely poor children, abused children, street children, war children, child prostitutes. The scale of the problem is terrible and huge – for example:

246 million children are child labourers (Facts on Child Labour, International Labour Organisation, 2003)

250,000 children and young people are infected with HIV/AIDS every month (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2000)

300,000 young people under 18 are exploited as child soldiers
(UN Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, 2003) There are many great charities working around the world with children like these – we all know the names of the big ones such as OXFAM, WORLD VISION, TEARFUND. However, there are also many much smaller charities and groups working around the world to try and help the children they see in such desperate need in their communities. Viva Network is working to encourage and support these smaller charities through help with networking, training and encouragement. This has been shown to lead to much greater efficiency for these groups – and hence more children are helped more effectively.
Viva Network now works in 48 countries helping 1.2 million children.
Through this ride I am aiming to raise at least 20,000 pounds (sterling) for Viva Network. I have now raised over 15,000 pounds for them – if you would like to help them please go to CHARITY PAGE.There are many great charities working around the world with children like these – we all know the names of the big ones such as OXFAM, WORLD VISION, TEARFUND. However, there are also many much smaller charities and groups working around the world to try and help the children they see in such desperate need in their communities. Viva Network is working to encourage and support these smaller charities through help with networking, training and encouragement. This has been shown to lead to much greater efficiency for these groups – and hence more children are helped more effectively.Viva Network now works in 48 countries helping 1.2 million children.Through this ride I am aiming to raise at least 20,000 pounds (sterling) for Viva Network. I have now raised over 15,000 pounds for them – if you would like to help them please go to .Please see the Viva Network website for further details of this excellent charity: http://www.viva.org/There are many great charities working around the world with children like these – we all know the names of the big ones such as OXFAM, WORLD VISION, TEARFUND. However, there are also many much smaller charities and groups working around the world to try and help the children they see in such desperate need in their communities. Viva Network is working to encourage and support these smaller charities through help with networking, training and encouragement. This has been shown to lead to much greater efficiency for these groups – and hence more children are helped more effectively.Viva Network now works in 48 countries helping 1.2 million children.Through this ride I am aiming to raise at least 20,000 pounds (sterling) for Viva Network. I have now raised over 15,000 pounds for them – if you would like to help them please go to .Please see the Viva Network website for further details of this excellent charity: There are many great charities working around the world with children like these – we all know the names of the big ones such as OXFAM, WORLD VISION, TEARFUND. However, there are also many much smaller charities and groups working around the world to try and help the children they see in such desperate need in their communities. Viva Network is working to encourage and support these smaller charities through help with networking, training and encouragement. This has been shown to lead to much greater efficiency for these groups – and hence more children are helped more effectively.Viva Network now works in 48 countries helping 1.2 million children.Through this ride I am aiming to raise at least 20,000 pounds (sterling) for Viva Network. I have now raised over 15,000 pounds for them – if you would like to help them please go to .Please see the Viva Network website for further details of this excellent charity: 12. How can you afford to do such a long trip?
I saved up about 5,000 pounds before I set off (I earned most of this during my student summer holidays as a door to door salesman in California and Reading!), and now I have to try and live a cheap life to make this money last. It is actually quite easy to live cheaply when on a big bicycle ride – I sleep in my tent in wild places (not in campsites), cook my own food or eat locally cheap things, am often invited to stay with people (for free), or in some countries can find very cheap hotels. My daily expenditure is usually between about 2-5 pounds per day.
In Australia I also had a work permit, so was able to earn some more money there by giving motivational talks/slideshows in schools (I ended up speaking at over 50 schools in Australia).

There are many great charities working around the world with children like these – we all know the names of the big ones such as OXFAM, WORLD VISION, TEARFUND. However, there are also many much smaller charities and groups working around the world to try and help the children they see in such desperate need in their communities. Viva Network is working to encourage and support these smaller charities through help with networking, training and encouragement. This has been shown to lead to much greater efficiency for these groups – and hence more children are helped more effectively.Viva Network now works in 48 countries helping 1.2 million children.Through this ride I am aiming to raise at least 20,000 pounds (sterling) for Viva Network. I have now raised over 15,000 pounds for them – if you would like to help them please go to .Please see the Viva Network website for further details of this excellent charity: I saved up about 5,000 pounds before I set off (I earned most of this during my student summer holidays as a door to door salesman in California and Reading!), and now I have to try and live a cheap life to make this money last. It is actually quite easy to live cheaply when on a big bicycle ride – I sleep in my tent in wild places (not in campsites), cook my own food or eat locally cheap things, am often invited to stay with people (for free), or in some countries can find very cheap hotels. My daily expenditure is usually between about 2-5 pounds per day.In Australia I also had a work permit, so was able to earn some more money there by giving motivational talks/slideshows in schools (I ended up speaking at over 50 schools in Australia).13. What sort of bike do you have?
A ten year old steel framed Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike with Blackburn racks on the front and the back.
I use SPD pedals/shoes when the weather is not too cold (much more efficient).

14. What do you do if your bicycle breaks?
Thankfully there are normally only small repairs to do – broken spokes, punctures, adjusting brakes, etc, which I can do myself… for more major things I try to find a bike shop, and every so often I have to do major replacements (such as wheels)

15. How many tyres have you used?
4 in the first 4 months (cheap tyres) and since then I have been using Schwalbe Marathon Tyres, which last for at least 10,000km each. So I have use 2 pairs of them.

16. Had you been on other expeditions and what did you do before you started this trip?
Yes, quite a lot of smaller ones. I have always enjoyed camping, hiking and the outdoors since a child and then by the time I left school I had started going on short cycling trips. These started as for just a few days, which then gradually grew into bigger trips. Between 1997-2003 I went on a variety of cycling expeditions in Pakistan/China (Karakoram Highway), Ethiopia, Peru, Bolivia, and lots of different European countries.

17. Have you ever been robbed or has anything really bad happened to you? (People love to ask this question – why do we always like hearing the bad news so much!)
Yes. Robbed at gunpoint in Siberia by drunk youths. Chased through a village in Papua New Guinea by aggressive young men. A few near misses with traffic. Various other near misses, but thankfully I have never been badly hurt in any way. The traffic is certainly the riskiest thing I encounter on the trip.

18. Have you ever been ill?
Every few months I might get a little bit ill for a day or two, and so have to take a rest. In Melbourne I came down with Malaria (which I had caught 6 months previously in Papua New Guinea) and had to spend 3 nights in hospital recovering. Other than that, thankfully, nothing serious.

19. What have been the highlights?
Siberia, Papua New Guinea, and Tibet

20. What have been the hardest parts of the trip?
Siberia, Papua New Guinea, and Tibet
It was also very difficult to find all the boats to get me from Hong Kong to Australia -I had to spend a lot of time emailing and networking to organise these sea passages.

21. How much does your bike weigh/what do you carry?
Bike weight varies depending on what sort of climate I am in.

My basic gear is as follows:
Camping gear:
-Tent
-Sleeping Bag (of varying warmth depending on climate)
-Stove ( I have used MSR whisperlite, and Coleman Omnifuel – both can run on petrol and both very good)
-Sauceman, bowl, spoon, etc
-Penknife
-Rollmatt
-LED Head torch and spare torch

Clothes:
-Depends on weather, but usually just one set of clothes for cycling and one for days off. Even in hot countries I wear long sleeved collared shirt and trousers to avoid sunburn. See TIPS FOR EXTREME COLD CYCLING for info on cold weather clothes
-Helmet (which I wear as much as possible, again unless extreme cold/hot)

Tool kit/spares/bike:
- 3 spare inner tubes
- 1 spare tyre
- Adjustable spanner
- Multi tool with allen keys and spanners
- Pliers
- Pump and spare pump
- Spare spokes and spoke key
- Spare chain (which I swap with chain on the bike every 2000 km so that the stretch of the chain keeps in step with the wear on the cogs – this greatly increases cog lifespan apparently)
- Duck Tape and super glue
- Penknife
- LED back light (red)

Not strictly necessary, but I often carry:
- Lots of books
- IPOD/MP3 player
- Thermos
- Camera and/or camcorder and tripod

Please see my TIPS FOR EXTREME COLD CYCLING post for more information on what I take in the cold

22. What sort of books do you like read?
I always carry a Bible which I read a bit every day (I am a Christian) and a few Christian books. I have also been interested to read about the other major world religions on this journey as well as trying to read whatever books people recommend/give to me as I go. I find a good travel book about the region I am in adds a lot to my experience of that place. I am not a fast reader, but I do try to read at least one book at week to keep my brain ticking over. Please also see the BOOKS READ link to see what I have managed to read so far

23. How many punctures have you had?
Lost count, but on average maybe one every week or so – so totalling between 100-200 in total. I have great tyres now, so few punctures!

24. What have you learnt along the way and how have you changed?
This is a really hard question to answer! I have learnt a lot about the world and people and myself and my limits and capabilities…?

25. What advice do you have for someone else who is considering a big journey or bicycle ride?
Depending on your prior experience, I would suggest starting with two or three smaller trips (of a week or so each) so you know what you are in for on the really big one, and you can learn what gear you need before you set off.
I would also issue a health warning against the prophets of doom and gloom… I can guarantee that if you are going anywhere off the beaten tourist circuit, people will start telling you horror stories about how dangerous it will be – whether it be the wolves of Russia, or the serial killers of the Australian Outback. You will have to learn just to ignore the majority of these stories as people do not know what they are talking about and are just reiterating what they hear from the media. At the same time, be alert to when people DO know what they are talking about, and take these warnings seriously!

One other bit of a advice for a really long trip, is just try and think about the stage you are on, not the whole overwhelmingly long distance you still have to go! You will enjoy it much more that way.

26. Are you going to be in the Guiness Book of Records?
No!
There are plenty of other cyclists out there doing much greater trips than this. If you are interested, do a search for:
Heinz Stucke (A German guy who has been riding non-stop for the last 46 years!)
Thomas Stevens (first man to ride around the globe – in 1884-1887 on a Penny Farthing)　

Alastair Humphreys (rode over 70,000 miles in 5 continents by the age of 28) http://www.roundtheworldbybike.com/

27. Who’s that girl?
That’s Christine. I met her in Hong Kong one year into the journey. We managed to keep a long distance relationship going until I made it home, and in April 2009 I asked her to marry me. We got married in London in September 2009. To know the full story you will have to buy the book!

Thank you for reading.