In the middle of 2005 we decided to give up our life in London, to travel to Sydney - on a bicycle! Most people we know thought we were crazy - especially since you fly there so quickly these days! In fact quite a few of our friends said "so you're going to cycle to Heathrow Airport, jump on a plane to Australia and cycle from the airport to the centre of Sydney", then they fell about the floor in hysterical laughter...

9 months on into cycling we decided that Sydney just wasn't ambitious enough!! So we decided to add on a few more countries and make it a full round-world trip, covering North America all the way across from the Pacific to the Atlantic...

To keep with the 'crazy' theme - we decided to do the trip on recumbent bikes (or 'bents' as they are affectionately known). No trains, no buses, no hitching, no support vehicles. Only us... four wheels, strong determination... and the horizon!! Our trip is completely self-funded, so any help you can give to sponsor us would be very welcome. Also don't forget to visit our Charities page if you wish to make a donation. Please dig deep and give generously.

Our goal
is to raise
a minimum of £50,000
for Cancer Research
and
BBC Children in Need UK.

£2 for every km along
our route

WE'VE MADE IT !!!

Impressions of Australia

August 7th 2006
If we had to use one word to describe Australia, it would have to be BIG. Like most Europeans, we hadn't realised quite how big until we got here - and on our second day of cycling discovered (to our great dismay) that a black dot on a map does not necessarily signify a town - unlike in all other countries we had passed through.

Day 355: Sydney - We've made it!

355 days and 25,100kms from London, we finally got into Sydney on a lovely sunny day... When we had set off from London almost a year ago Sydney had seemed so far away - and deep in our hearts we had both wondered if we would ever make it this far... And now, unbelievably, here we were!! The sense of achievement was immense - we were exhausted, both physically and mentally, but very glad and proud that we had accomplished our goal. And relieved that there would be no more cycling...

THE FACTS

Distance
	30,000 kilometers (approx. 18,641 miles)
Continents
	4 - Europe, Asia, Oceania & North America
Countries
	17
Time Zones
	11
Average distance to cycle per day
	80-120 Kilometers (50-80 miles)
Average cycling time per day
	6-8 Hours
Average days cycling per week
	6 Days
Accommodation
	Under canvas / Hospitality of people we meet en route / cheap hotels

View video (18 MB) of Nic and Sedef
kicking off their journey from London

CURRENT STATS

Total Distance Covered
	25,473 kilometers (15,828 miles)
Countries Visited
	14 (UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia)
Average distance cycled per day
	65-100 kms (40-60 miles) depending on terrain
Longest Distance Per Day
	120 kms (75 miles) Racing to get to Singapore
Number of Punctures
	5 - Nic 11 - Sedef (4 in India!)
Top Speed
	80.1 kph (50 mph) (Nic)
Mountain Passes
	Cameron Highlands (1750m), Jura (1046m), Alps (2470m), Pindos (1690m, as well as countless lower passes at 600-900ms)
Toughest Day's Cycle
	The approach to Istanbul (the hills and stormy weather made us give up and hitch a lift for the first time since the beginning of our trip!)
Easiest Day's Cycle
	66 miles downhill after passing over the Alps through Great St. Bernard Pass at 2400meters
Injuries
	Countless bruises and scratches, none serious
Handytip for travellers
	Barking at dogs baring your teeth to scare them away!!

May 10 , 2005 (Day 282) End of the trip? Just before Elliot, we were happily cycling along, minding our own business, with only 20km left to go before stopping for the day. We whizzed down a hill past a nice rest area, with a lot of caravaners waving and watching, when disaster struck. Nic's derauilleur (rear gear system) got caught in his spokes and rotated 270 degrees - much like what Sedef encountered on her bike in Malaysia. Unfortunately Nic was not as lucky as her - the resulting force tore the metal bracket the gear system was attached to - in layman speak the bike frame was broken, and the bike was unrideable! Read more »

	April 28, 2005 (Day 270) Upside Down!! After 5 days of waiting, Cyclone Monica in Northern Australia dissipated down to a rating 1, having dumped a heavy load of rain on the Northern Territory. A lot of minor roads were flooded but the main highway we would cycle down south on was open. We could finally fly across from Bali to Darwin, on the north coast of Australia. Read more »

	Our patron, Anne Mustoe As a world cyclist myself, I am delighted to support Sedef and Nic in their ambitious plan to cycle from London to Sydney in aid of Cancer Research UK and BBC Children in Need. Read more from Anne Mustoe »