Links
Original inspiration for my trip:
Anne Mustoe is the main inspiration behind my trip. At the end of May 1987 she set off to cycle from London to London via Europe, India, Thailand, Malaysia and the USA. Her first book, A Bike Ride, originally set my mind thinking about my own trip.
Alastair Humphreys was the final encouragement I needed to actually make concrete plans for my trip. His around the world trip took him four years going south from the UK through the Middle East and Africa, then up the Americas, and across Asia through a Siberian winter back to the UK again. He is my inspiration for cycling on limited resources, spending less than £7,000 in the four years.
The Nuts on Bents (they call them selves that!) are the inspiration for the route for the first leg of my trip. They cycled on recumbents (hence the name) from London to Sydney.
Heinze Stucke is an all-round legend. He left Germany in 1960, and has only been back once. Along the way he has visited every country in the world and gained a Guinness World Record.
Links useful for cycle touring:
Couch Surfing. Most people know about it already, but worth a mention. Meet with and stay for free with people all over the world! My profile is here.
Warm Showers. Similar to couch surfing, but with a focus on cycle tourers. My profile is here.
Adventure Cycle Touring – everything you need to know about cycle touring, great for beginners.
Crazy Guy on a Bike. The forum for cycle tourers.
Other cycle tourers:
Sven Pohl arrived at the hostel in Brindisi, Italy, I was staying at and announced he wanted to buy a bike and cycle in to Greece. I said I have a bike, and am heading that way soon! We got Sven a bike and cycled through Greece together for a week before he headed north and I continued to Istanbul.
Andrew Teeney is cycling from Belfast towards Asia and onwards, along a similar route to me. We met up in Istanbul, and will hopefully be continuing together through Iran and Pakistan, visas permitting!
Andrew and Friedel have been cycling for two years, have a great website with their journal and lots of resources, and have offered me much advice since I began.
Folding Bike Destinations is a great blog by Ben Tyler who travels with his folding bike.
Eric and Mun were at the same campsite as me close to Reims, on their way back to Germany.
Chinacycle.co.uk – these guys cycled from London to Beijing. While changing my mind every 15 minutes in Istanbul, I considered a similar route as they did.
Penny Farthing World Tour – and you thought my choice of bike was crazy!
Peter Gostelow – cycled home from Japan.
Other people I’ve met on the trip:
Fran has been staying at the same hostel as me in Istanbul on her way to Tehran and India by train. She has been wonderful fun to hang out with, and my official ‘beer sponsor’ while here – many thanks!
Fergus Anderson is riding a Triumph Bonneville called Asha (which means luck and hope in Hindi) from Glasgow to Kathmandu. In Istanbul we stayed at the same hostel, and he’s going the same route I hope to through Iran, Pakistan and India – only about 10 times faster.
Chris and Kadri are motorbiking to Australia.
Other links I like:
Strange Maps. This guy collects and blogs ’strange maps’, it’s a great fun blog of weird and wonderfully bizarre maps!
The London Cycling Diary is a blog by someone calling themself Kimbofo about commuting by bike in London.
Page created by Jon Tringham.
