Alex and Fin start their journey of a lifetime
on their bikes in Deadhorse Alaska on
August 2nd and aim to end it in Panama City in
March 2010.
Next to the tight time schedule and physical challenge they are both extremely excited to be sharing this wonderful adventure together.
Alex and Fin first met in 2001 when they were both working on a coral reef conservation project in Fiji. They lived and worked in Yadua Island for many months to survey the marine ecosystems.
For the preparation they were physically a long way from each other, but skype and internet made things a lot easier. Both share a huge passion for cycling and sustainability although they have their own special interests.
Alex Godfrey was born in southern England but grew up in France. After school he travelled around the South Pacific working on a number of environmental projects. While Fin grew up in the UK, he started off helping local schools to become 'eco-schools', his Masters degree in Tropical Coastal Management, brought him some of the most remote areas over the world.
Arriving in Panama City they will cycle an impressive 8132 miles through Alaska, the US, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Åsa and Javier start their journey on 23th of July in Bogota, Colombia, and aim to end their journey in Ushuaia, Argentina on March the 12th.
Åsa and Javier met while exchanging routes and cycling experiences on the Internet. When Javier looked for companionship on his travel to Jordan and Egypt in 2002, Åsa happily replied. Since then Åsa and Javier are a couple and have cycled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia. In 2003 they decided to cycle Asia for a whole year, in which they went from Indonesia to China and India.
Both have been dreaming on repeating the experience while dedicating more time to learn about the rapid social and environmental changes the World is experiencing. Going South comes just in time, and this time they will cycle South America, a continent where they have strong roots.
Arriving in Ushuaia they will have cycled around 10.000 miles through Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
Two teams of two people have been selected.
They started their trip in August 2009 and
finish in March 2010.
Cycling thousands of miles they will lead us into the
unknown. Covering both North and South America (Alaska-Panama, Colombia-Argentina), they will record their journeys. Meeting different kinds of people in diverse environments and looking for answers to today's vital questions. Unsustainable practices have a direct effect on people and animals. What are these effects?
Two teams of two people have been selected.
They started their trip in August 2009 and
finish in March 2010.
Cycling thousands of miles they will lead us into the
unknown. Covering both North and South America (Alaska-Panama, Colombia-Argentina), they will record their journeys. Meeting different kinds of people in diverse environments and looking for answers to today's vital questions. Unsustainable practices have a direct effect on people and animals. What are these effects?
To be able to carry all the stuff we need for any trip, we use panniers of Ortlieb. 2 on each side of the bike and 1 on the steer. The Panniers are very durable and water proof. So it will withstand the harsh conditions in different environments. The panniers are easy to attach and are locked so they won’t be an easy target for thiefs.
Visit ORTLIEB website ››
To have your hands free while putting the tent, cooking, riding in the night or simply while reading in the tent at dark is a wonderful thing. With the fast dawns in the tropics this simple and useful invention will be our best friend when surprised by dark before we have prepared our night camp.
This little handy booklet I encountered in the library many years ago, and I was immediately in love! It offers short and concise data and information on any country in the world. It is continuously updated so you are always on top of the latest information. It is amazing how much information you can put in just 30 pages, but concentrating on what is relevant, it gives you a real idea about geography, climate, people, religion, culture, politics, history etc.
In most of my travels the helmet has been more of a decoration and a streamline shaper of my panniers, then really something protecting my head. This travel I want it to be different though. And the latest in “carretera de la muerte” in Bolivia I will certainly put it on my head and feel happy that it is there... Also in most countries it has an amazing effect on the youngsters, it seems to be the ultimate trophy for them and is a great gift at the end of the trip.
This seems to be a wonderful tool to keep aggressive dogs far from biker’s legs and panniers. We have not tried it yet, but just used our loudest groans and ugliest grin’s to scare off hunting gangs of street dogs. The substance is illegal in Sweden, so it can not be bought in the country or brought across the border. Must be powerful stuff this capsicain, an extract from the chili plant. We believe it is a must in every serious biker’s handlebar bag.
Like turtles we carry our home on the back (well, on the rack in our case ;-), but anyway). In the night we escape the feel of the elements, of the exciting and mighty Mother Nature.
One of the biggest pleasures of the traveler indeed it is in the end of the day to look for yet another beautiful piece of nature to call home for a night. Once in the jungle, other day at the foot of a volcano, in the desert sand and sometimes next to a lake for a morning swim.
A sleeping bag with built in mosquito net, a blessing for those nights where you sleep under the bare sky, or when you happened to get a thirsty invisible little mosquito or two in your tent.
We use it to sit on while cooking, resting, stopping, chatting. We use it in the beach, on the road side, on the rocks, virtually everywhere. And, aja, I almost forgot, we also use it to sleep on ;-), to keep warm and cozy in the night... (Three times more of the body warmth is lost to the ground then to the air)
'It will take you to the other side of town, or to the other side of the planet". Thorn are a small company in the UK and are renowned worldwide for building excellent custom-built touring bikes. The Sherpa is my trusted chosen work-horse this long epic ride.
The MSR WhisperLite is a multi-fuel stove which burns any fuel so I won't have to worry about gas canisters running out and finding a place that fills them. It is highly reliable, durable and compact making it the ideal stove for cycle touring.
The perfect way to keep in touch, write blogs, upload and store photos - the laptop is lightweight and only 9 inches long! Include inbuilt webcam, USB and XD/SD memory card hubs.
I love maps and will always use a map over a Global Positioning System (GPS) but often its tough to know exactly where you are in remote places. The GPS is very useful to log current positions and in case of an emergency.
I hate batteries, when didiscardedheir toxic chemicals contaminate the planet. Dynamo lights don't need batteries and are powered by pedal power from dynamos attached to the wheels.
A multi-purpose tool that can be used to fix anything and everything...a must have item on remote cycle tours.
Another must have item as panniers can't carry everything. Bungee cords avoid the need for a trailor as I can attach my thermarest, sleeping bag and tent on top of the rear panniers. It also doubles up as a great wawashingine!
After years of sport, my knees have taken a pounding. Anti-iminflammatorynd pain relief gel helps me push through on those tough cycle days.
ever changing but something substantial that bears thinking over and re-reading. My taste tends towards theory, somewhat weighty literature and 20th century history. I’m reading If this is a Man/The Truce by Primo Levi at the moment. I was given a digital book reader recently but I’m old school and I prefer paper.
A digital SLR with two or three lenses, 50mm for details, 12 – 24mm for landscapes, and maybe a 35mm for people. I have a crappy old camera body and good lenses. The trouble with too many lenses is the wrong one is always on the camera.
this is a recent acquisition, as yet untried in the field – a birthday present from my aunt. Coffee is an essential to waking up after crawling out of a tent and this device is coffee maker and coffee cup all in one. No more gritty last mouthful.
a piece of East African fabric that is multi-purpose and indispensable - a towel, a sheet, a sun shelter, a table cloth, a sarong, the possibilities are endless.
Two metal tags with the words “ocean” and “forever” embossed on them: the closest I’ll ever come to carrying a flag.
Thanks to the Katadyn pocket filter we are enjoying crystal clear drinking water in any part of the world independently and without polluting the environment with pet-bottles.
A minimum must for any bike travel. The foldable tire is practical as it takes up less space and fits much better in the panniers then an ordinary one. Some spare tubes are nice to carry to be able to fix the punctures fast at the spot it happened, and fix the glue and patching issue later when resting or in the night.
In a travel by bicycle you often come very close to the local people. They invite you to eat with them or to sleep in their house. To make photos is usually very popular and the people get fun. The photos are a nice memory for everyone, and a nice gift for your host.
Although the chocolate comes from the new world, their way of preparing it is very different to ours. So to hide one bar or two of chocolate very deep in the pannier, for the emergency, is kind of nice. Even heard it is good against diarrhea.