… Off again

I start my next big trip on Feb 5 and the plan is to ride from Bangkok to London.

I’ll take a train through a large part of China and a flight over Azerbaijan but the rest will be aboard This Moment, my Koga Worldtraveller, which has undergone a few changes recently.

I’m catching up with a friend from the UK, Miles, in Bangkok and we’ll ride to Chengdu in China where he’ll fly home. And then in Istanbul, the plan is to meet up with my partner, Cathie and  do the last big section to London.

In between, is the highlight of the trip, the “Stans”. For the last 15 years, I’ve been reading about hardy cyclists riding through this region and I would have done it earlier if it hadn’t been for the Covid crisis and fatigue towards the end of my last trip. I’m looking forward to the amazing landscapes and friendly people, … Not the food or rough roads though. Then there’s the mountain passes…

This trip will be a little different than the last few. Firstly, I’m hoping to raise money for a charity where I’ve begun volunteering here on the Sunshine Coast. It’s called Cycling without Age, and we essentially take aged or disabled people for rides around the area in an electric tri-shaw. They absolutely love every minute of their time on their ride and it’s so nice to see the joy on their faces. Cycling without Age is completely volunteer run and relies on donations to survive, so if you enjoy following this journey or like some of the content and would like to donate to this great organisation, I’d be hugely appreciative.

The other change is that I’m taking a 360 camera and hoping to get some footage to remember the trip by. I’ll publish as much as I can along the way.