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4
5
Summer
2015
the satisfaction of covering far more
ground than if you were walking.
I studied Google Maps to hatch a
plan. How long would it take me to
cycle (on a direct route) around the
world, across the great land masses of
the northern hemisphere?
To share the experience I texted my
friend Will Frazer, whom I’ve known
since we were undergraduates at
Bristol University together. I explained
that I needed a companion – what did
he think? He immediately replied with:
“Oh, wow – yeah, OK.”
Seeing the trip as a perfect
opportunity to raise awareness for a
cause, we launched ridingforrhinos.
org. I’d seen rhinos in the wild but it
was the emotional experience I’d had
viewing Brent Stirton’s photo story
(at the Natural History Museum in
London), about the animals being
poached for their horns, which had
made this magnificent creature’s
plight hit home.
Last April, five months after I’d
contacted Will, we left Trafalgar
Square in torrential rain. I couldn’t
let myself think about what I was
taking on. The trip seemed totally
overwhelming and impossible, so I had
to break it down into small steps, such
as making it over to the Continent.