Sedef Imer

I have been toying with the idea of a long trek around the world for quite some time, so when Nic came up with this it was simply too good to refuse! It was about time I took a long overdue career break, and what better way to see the world than on a bike (I thought)! Plus, I get my very own official tour guide too!

I am not a seasoned tour cyclist like Nic though I love cycling having grown up on my bike as a child and teenager. However despite all the hard training I have been doing I still feel woefully unprepared and have resigned myself to the fact that it will A. be very painful and B. take a very, very, very long time. But, I am really looking forward to the mental, physical and emotional challenges ahead... and especially exploring many wonderful sites in Turkey - which is where I am originally from.

Other than cycling I have been a keen scuba diver for many years, wreck diving and diving with sharks being particular favourites - never seen a great white though, so looking forward to diving on the Great Barrier Reef at the end of our trip. Who knows I may get lucky!!! As well as the diving I enjoy dancing (particularly salsa), skiing and good food and company. On the more intellectual side I am an avid reader, reading all sorts but particularly enjoy historical fiction, the classics and poetry. Nic is definitely my favourite poet (and his poetry isn't bad either!!) Professionally I am a chartered accountant by training and a banker by background.

Oh and one final word: Beat this one Russ! (my friend who is on a 9 month skiing/sailing sabbatical).

Nicolei Zuraw

Most friends would describe me as slightly mad and full of wild ideas. So when I said I was buying a recumbent bike, it seemed only natural that I would want to go off and do something 'extreme' with it!

After much deliberation (about 5 minutes) I came to the conclusion of "why not cycle to Sydney! Someone else would have to do it if I didn't, so I guess you could say I'm doing the anonymous party a huge favour... yeah right!". Sedef was up for it and the rest was history as they say!

My love for cycling started when I was a wee boy in West London, my grandparents bought me a racing bike and that was that! Years later I recalled cycling from London to Brighton at the age of 14, my Grandparents went white with shock! If they had known at the time they would have certainly taken my precious bike away!

Back in 90s', I did two 6 months trips across the Sahara Desert with a good friend of mine. Though on one occasion we managed to lose our way and end up in Chad! On the first trip we only made it as far as Kano, Nigeria before having to return, covering a total of 7000km in approx 5 months. The second trip was more successful, this time we trekked through West Africa covering over 9000km in 6 months.

Apart from cycling I've done a number of triathlons which were no small achievement considering I don't like swimming very much (deep breath and hold on for dear life!). These days I prefer to rock climb and write short stories and poetry. Oh... and drink vast volumes of coffee. As for work I'm a Surveyor by training, but my day job is in IT.