Maybe the ultimate bike ride
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Posted by Jon Sparks Mar 26, 2007 |
British riders Tom Allen and Andrew Welch are preparing to circumnavigate the globe, by mountain bike, travelling off-road as far as possible. With this ride, called Ride Earth, they aim to build awareness of the true potential of the bicycle as a sustainable transport solution, and to raise money for charity (see below), but I trust they are also going to have a fantastic adventure.
The planned route will take them through more than 50 countries, looping through Europe and then on into the Middle East and Indian sub-continent, down through south-east Asia to Australia and New Zealand then across to South America and up to the USA and Canada.
Planning is ongoing and has unsurprisingly proved easiest in areas like Europe, New Zealand and North America where mountain biking is well established; in other parts of the world the pair will rely on agricultural and trade routes and a greater degree of improvisation will be needed.
They will be raising money to support The Wilderness Foundation - which seeks to preserve and promote the value of the world’s last remaining wild areas. They are also acting as ambassadors for Wheels4Life - a non-profit organization that provides bikes for people in Third-World countries.
They expect to be towing trailers, so I don’t anticipate they’ll be seeking out highly technical singletrack or big drop-offs on their routes. Clothing, back-packs and camping gear is being supplied by extremeGB.com, and the trip is seen as a useful testing ground. At time of writing (26th Match 07) they are still looking for a bike sponsor. It seems to me it would be a great publicity opportunity for a bike manufacturer - and a tough testing ground.
If any Suite readers have undertaken, or are contemplating, a big adventure by bike (on- or off-road), email me and I’ll spread the news or visit the discussion forum if you have a question or a thought to share.
To find out more or to add your support to this venture, visit the Ride Earth website.