When I visited the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra I met Richard Callaghan and his science team, who are funded by Worldwide Cancer Research (formerly AICR). This footage is taken from the evening WIN NEWS CANBERRA, covering not only my expedition (and ride through the campus), but information on cancer research in Australia. Enjoy!
AICR
It”s now just ten or so days until I finish my charity expedition, and to say I’m nervous is a massive understatement. The constant anxiety is making sleep at best sporadic, and during the days I’m trying hard to focus on enjoying the adventures of the road. And really, its hard to imagine a better ride than in the state of Victoria…
I didn’t spend too much time on the bike whilst in Java and Bali. Instead, I visited international schools to promote AICR and focused on just resting up the legs before my ride through the Australian Outback. In Jakarta I stayed with a couple friends, Sego and JP (+flatmates Simon and Felix), who were happy to have me shack up with them for a few weeks. It was a fantastic time and a great opportunity to get an insight into the international school scene! Besides, the alternative would have been pedaling through the challenging traffic of Java. On my trip I’ve learned to listen to my body, and after 1400km in Sumatra it was time for a break… Continue Reading
Today was my second Christmas on the road, and to celebrate I decided to do something somewhat festive. Ridiculous yes, but it invited endless delightful calls of “Ho Ho Ho” and “Merry Christmas” from both the streets and car windows! It was tough going wearing a thick Santa costume in this sticky tropical heat, and at times the 75km loop of the island felt like it was never going to end. Afterall, isn’t Christmas day meant to be about eating and opening presents? Anyways, despite looking a little silly I felt quite comfortable compared to the flamboyantly decorated Wilson who found himself engulfed in sparkling tinsel and a Christmas tree on his back pannier…
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my year on the bike and made a donation to AICR. My charity adventure has now raised about eleven thousand pounds, which goes towards financing fundamental scientific research into the causes of cancer. They are currently supporting the work of more than 165 scientists in 19 countries, or in excess of 166 projects in over 98 of the world’s top scientific establishments. So I think both the donors and the fabulous AICR Team deserve a very Merry Xmas and Happy New Years!
…And the Guiness World Record for the biggest motorcycle load goes to…
After two weeks pedalling through Cambodia and visiting many of its tourist attractions, I think more than in any other county I’ve traversed I can conclude that it’s truly a land of contrasts. But rather than kickstart the blog with a series of touristy cliches, I’ll let the images do the talking…
I’m sure Al Humphries doesn’t mind me grabbing the metaphorical title of his global cycle-touring novel, as Greece really has brought me both thunder and sunshine. Cycle touring is always full of highs and lows, but at one stage I was losing hope of ever having Greece release me from her grasp. It was with great relief my ferry reached the shores of Turkey on Boxing Day a few days ago, ending a period of two months in the beautiful country of Greece.
If I was to believe in the godly omens of the Ancient Greeks, I probably would have exited the country on my very first night. When I was searching for a place to camp I stepped onto a snake! It was the first time I had seen a live snake when camping, and luckily it didn’t seem too concerned that a soggy cycling shoe had scrapped its lower back (does a snake have a ‘back’?). Frustratingly, I was too scared to set up the tent, and left the picturesque riverside in a dash!
On the border with Albania
Stunning mountain views on mainland Greece
On my first week in northern Greece I realised I was ahead of schedule, so I created a GPS track over the mountainous centre of mainland Greece. The result was five consecutive days of climbing, with the highest elevation gained in one week of my entire trip. The mountains were superb, with my favourite being the Parnassos Mountain Range near Delphi. Six years ago I travelled up to the ancient site as a bus passenger, and I remember it being much easier from the seat of a bus! In the evening I pitched my tent off one of the switchbacks opposite the two interposing valleys through the mountains to the Gulf of Corinth. The following day I rode along the Gulf of Corinth to Patras, with sublime views over the water to the towering mountains of the Peloponnese. The mountain route also brought a very successful dumbster dive in the town of Karpenisi. In the supermarket bin I rescued fresh apples, bananas, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, lemons, oranges, sugar and coffee. The downside to such glorious food was managing the extra few kilograms on the bike up those hills!
My campspot on the Parnassos Mountains
Not a bad place to cookup and check out the Peloponnese
This short video captures some of the memorable experiences while cycling down Eastern Europe between Norway’s Arctic Circle and Greece’s island of Crete. Along the way I passed through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Greece. It was a fantastic adventure zigzagging through so many diverse countries. Sights in the vid include Cesis, Turaida and Traikai Castles; The Hill of Crosses; Hitler’s Bunker; Auschwitz; Cesky Krumlov; Prague; The Slovenian and Austrian Alps; The Dalmatian Coast; Mostar; Dubrovnik; Kotor; Treskavec Monastery; Athens, and; The Corinthian Canal.
Last week I was a guest speaker on Diktyo FM, a radio station in Crete, Greece. The show IX2 is all about cycling, and is run by the very active cycling community in Chania. The hostess “Godzilla” primed me with plenty of raki between the questions, keeping any nerves at bay! A lot of my words were translated for the non-English speaking listeners, and there was also plenty of extremely alternative music throughout the two hour program.
Well it happens to be Christmas Eve here in Rhodes, so I’ll take this opportunity to wish all my followers and supporters a very big Merry Xmas 🙂
Inside the studio of Diktyo FM
Wilson, my noble stead who has taken me 14, 000 kilometres throughout Europe, has sadly got himself a fatal injury. Over the years the road has been treacherous and demanding for us both, travelling along potholed and gravel tracks, sinking sand dunes, epic mountains, sliding through icy and snowy tarmac, withstood all kinds of ferocious weather, dodged careless drivers, and crashed multiple times into unseen cars or animals. The bike has taken me across most European countries on various trips, totalling well over 20, 000 kilometres. But all things unfortunately come to an end…
This week in Greece, as I slogged up the famous mountain slopes beside Thermopylae, I heard a distinct break in the bike as I pushed down on the pedals. I quickly unclipped the bags and flipped Wilson on his back, wiped away the sweat that was dripping into my eyes, and discovered … nothing! So I rode on, but with each descent I felt more unstable, almost as if the frame was bending below me! I reduced myself to a slow speed and waited for the expertise of a bike shop. By the time I reached Patra, as I prepared the bike to enter my couchsurfing hosts car, I saw the fatal break in the aluminium frame of Wilson. At the rear dropout, where the back wheel joins the frame, a five millimetre gap had distinctively emerged to potentially shatter my adventure. It was a true miracle that I had even arrived in Patras, and within just kilometres the bike could no longer be ridden safely.
