Earlier this week after arriving to Camden I had a chat to Rob Doorey from C91.3, my local radio station. The newspaper articles are all taken from the Camden Narellan Advertiser who followed my charity expedition with weekly articles. Thanks for getting involved C91.3 and for promoting the upcoming charity event on the 22nd June at Barenz – if you haven’t purchased your ticket yet please click here! Thanks.
The last week on the saddle took me from Canberra to the finish line in Camden, passing through Goulburn, Wollongong and Sydney Harbour before reaching the familiar streets of my hometown Camden. When I left Canberra I pedalled out with the scientist Richard Callaghan, who cycled with me to Lake George. By the time we said goodbye, the wind had picked up and I was blown northwards by a strong tailwind to reach the Big Marino by sunset…
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!
This video by the Australian National University (ANU) documents both my visit to the Canberra campus as well as the fantastic AICR funded research being conducted by Richard Callaghan and his team. Thankfully ANU’s staff are much better at video making than myself, so by watching the short video you will be able to see footage from the road while listening to both myself and Richard Callaghan. Enjoy!
In Canberra today I visited the ABC Studio to have an interview with Adam Shirley. It was my first ever live broadcast. I was accompanied by Richard Callaghan, who holds a current AICR science research grant and had earlier in the day cycled through ANU with me and showed me his laboratory. To find out more please press play!
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
The past 10, 000 kilometres have truly brought one challenge after another; from a broken bike, atrocious weather conditions, to having an ongoing knee injury from the punishing ride in Europe. Luckily when I was hit by a tractor on the Iranian/Turkmenistan border last week only a bit of welding was needed (but you will have to wait for my Iranian post for that story!). It’s with complete relief that I look back from here at the Silk Road city of Bukhara, and remember all the beautiful experiences the road has given me these past months. The following moments captured at each thousand reached on the odometer show just a glimpse of these experiences; a small milestone on the bike preserved through the lens of the camera.
11, 000
I reached 11, 000 while descending from the Julian Alps in Slovenia. It had been an incredible ride to take me up to 1611 metres on the previous evening (my highest summit within Europe). The road had been built by Russian POWs in the First World War, and its tragic history was in complete contrast to the spectacular mountainside and river valley scenery. I had camped just three kilometres earlier between the Soca River and one of many road tunnels used for the seasonal avalanches. My two detours into the Slovenian Alps became one of my best decisions in Europe, and fed my desire for mountain riding!
I’ve covered around 2000km in Turkey, along both the Aegean and Black Sea Coasts. It’s been an incredible month of endless sweet cays, fascinating historical sites, new friends, and enough Turkish hospitality to cherish for a lifetime. Between pushing on the pedals I struck the balance between quant fishing villages and the enthralling metropolis of Istanbul, symbolically at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It’s truly with a heavy heart I will be leaving such a beautiful country to cross into Georgia tomorrow, where I will reach higher inland altitudes to explore the Caucasus.
The Aegean Coast
When I reached the shores of Turkey at the beginning of the New Year, the cultural differences where at once profound; from my cheeky camping place hidden beside the knights’ fortress in Bodrum, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the mornings call to prayer began. Lesson one for Turkey: don’t pitch the tent underneath a mosques minaret!
I decided to push the miles to Istanbul so I could give my tender knee ligament a test. The physio had ordered me to rest the knee, but with Istanbul being the last place to pause before expensive visas, I decided to ride hard and check that the ligament will manage the winter haul along the Black Sea to Iran. Thankfully this somewhat idiotic reasoning paid off, and the ligament stretches each morning and afternoon have now become part of my daily routine.
My ‘wildest’ new years ever… not a drop, and asleep by 8pm
In just one week I think I managed to see the remains of three of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Despite sporadic rain, the sun kept shining when visiting the famous ancient sights of Ephesus and Pergamum, as well as the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The Great Theatre in Ephesus
The Library of Celsus
The perfect place for a quick naked swim and clean at dawn!
