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Overview

In December 2007, I embarked on a 3000+ mile cycling trip through SE Asia; starting in the Philippines and finishing in Hong Kong via Malaysian Borneo, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The trip served as a medium for my desire to raise awareness of manic depressive illness (which I have) and £10,000 in aid of the mental health charity, Rethink... as well as have an awesome time too! The trip was an idea of a friend and former team-mate, Lloyd Banwart, who had been volunteering out in the Philippines with the Peace Corps for 3 years. Two friends on two wheels with all they needed in two panniers enjoying life unrestrained.

Cycling through SE Asia every bit the adventure I had hoped it would be, despite being unable to cycle through China and into Hong Kong after being refused a visa. The Chinese Government were not best pleased with the widespread Western Anti-Chinese sentiment and subsequently tightened their visa regulations. Despite my very best efforts, letters of support and daily pleadings with the Chinese Officials; I was being told that I did not meet the visa requirements and that they'd never heard of people traveling by bicycle... nonsense of course. Anyways, I decided that Chinese bureaucracy was too formidable a foe to do battle with and to return home to do the "End to End" ride.

In those 6 months I cycled the highest point in the Philippine national highway system, witnessed a staged coup-d'etat, battled with barbaric barking beasts, made it to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu (4100m above sea-level) using only manpower, twice biked 100 miles in one day, passed forests teeming with monkeys, was featured in a documentary for the BBC, swam in a natural pool 150ft below the surface, had my bike held to ransom, survived a motorbike crash, was hit by a van, contracted haemorrhaging gastritis that required me to fly from Laos to Thailand for hospital treatment and met an array of wonderful characters.

Cycling, in many ways, resembles my life -there are days when the roads are so rocky it takes all my focus just to hold on and then there are days when the roads are so smooth I can easily absorb my surroundings. There are days when I wake up and look at my bike with disdain, and there are days when I wake up brimming with excitement. There are days when there is no traffic and I am at peace, then there are days when traffic zooms past at such a frenetic pace that it distresses me. There are days where every pedal stroke feels laborious and there are days when everything is effortless and I seem to fly. It takes patience, perseverance and sheer grit to get to the top of a steep hill. But then the journey wouldn't be such an adventure, nor would it be very fulfilling if it were all easy, and there is something truly liberating about coasting downhill.

Now the journey continues in the UK from End to End UK starting on the 12th of July. I will be joined by Kev, Chris and Anthony with the possibility of more to follow. This blog will keep those of you interested posted on the whole adventure - from the fundraising, training and ride itself.

To help support Rethink, a charity that helps people with severe mental illness recover a better quality of life, please donate at this user friendly site - justgiving.com/cycleadventureuk

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