FAQ…
Q: Cycle around the world? Are you crazy/serious/stupid/for real?
Cycle Strongman: Maybe a little …yes/no/absolutely!
Q: Is it possible to cycle around the world?
Cycle Strongman: yes.
Q: What do your friends and family think of the trip?
Cycle Strongman: Friends: mostly amused and doubtful. Family: really supportive for the most part, if not a little worried.
Q: How do you fund such a trip? Are you loaded?
Cycle Strongman: Hardly. I’ve been working and saving for the last two years. I’m going to budget for about $5 a day, which will go to three simple meals and lots of sugar to keep up the energy levels. The rest will be for spares, visas and the odd boat trip. The plan is to find some work in between each leg.
Q: Where are you going to sleep?
Cycle Strongman: In a tent, mostly by the side of the road, in farmers’ fields, in the forest and occasionally, if I’m lucky, I’ll get invited to someone’s house for a feed and a warm and dry place to sleep.
Q: What training did you do before the Expedition?
Cycle Strongman: None. I rode my bicycle to work a few times (about 30km) but that was basically it. Darwin to Newcastle (3000km) became the training. I took it easy at first and gradually built it up to a point where i can comfortably cycle 100km/day.
Q: Are you super fit?
Cycle Strongman: No, not any fitter than the average cyclist.
Q: Are you scared?
Cycle Strongman: A little. But nothing that my sense of adventure won’t overcome. The biggest fear is not so much the wild animals, or packs of wild dogs, but comes mostly from other human beings and the possibility of being robbed, shot or hit by a passing car. Obviously I will try and minimise the risk by camping in remote places, being friendly to other people and riding very carefully on roads with lots of traffic. Basically I’m relying on my deep belief in the good nature of others.
Q: How long do you think it will take?
Cycle Strongman: No idea. But, if I had to take a guess at this stage, I’d say about eight years, give or take two years. There’s no rush, just an open road and endless possibilities!
Q: What’s been the hardest thing about the expedition so far?
Cycle Strongman: The thought of leaving my friends and family behind while I’m away for so long. I have two amazing nieces Saskia (7 years) and Amity (5 years) that I will miss while they grow into adults and a father with ill health who I know I may never see again after I leave Australia.
Q: It’s not really a zero emissions journey is it?
Cycle Strongman: Strictly speaking no, but it’s gotta be close. Obviously there are a lot of ‘first hand’ emissions behind the gear I’ll be using and food I’ll be eating that are outside my control, as well as some small emissions due to cooking and keeping warm.
Q: How much do you eat?
Cycle Strongman: Usually 5 square meals a day; Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Lunch, Second Lunch and a light dinner. But of course this depends on the availability of food.
Q: Do you get lonely?
Cycle Strongman: Not in the strictest sense of the word. The loneliest I get is when i stop somewhere for a period of time, but while on the bike the sense of adventure overcomes most things. The standard response when people ask this question on the road is “No, I’m doing this with you!” Some get it others perhaps not.
