Final Epic Journey Of Round World Bike Ride

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KIWI ON FINAL EPIC JOURNEY OF ROUND-THE-WORLD BIKE RIDE

THURSDAY 24 JUNE, 2004. AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND - Talking with agents from al-Qaeda while close to the Afghanistan border days after a local's execution in the USA is hardly the usual mental image triggered with the phrase 'travel the world, meet the people; broaden your horizons'.

When the travel is a solo expedition to ride a bicycle around the world, convention doesn't apply very easily.

New Zealander Edwin Tucker has spent two years cycling from London to Auckland on a journey encompassing deserts of the Middle East, the Tibetan Himalayas, 23 countries and over 27,000km of bicycle riding, but is only three quarters finished. On Monday the 28th of June he will depart for Canada, the final continental traverse, a journey of over 7,000km in two months.

Hoping to use the epic journey to raise awareness and funds for the charity ITDG to find practical answers to poverty, the 32 year-old was originally intending to circumnavigate the planet without using fossil-fuelled transport. However, war zones, crocodiles and more than a quarter of the expedition spent waiting for yachts has meant pragmatism in the name of progress has won through and the former clerk will fly to his next landfall within a few days.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Expedition web site: www.howsmycycling.com

Charity ITDG (Intermediate Technology Development Group) web site: www.itdg.org

The bicycle was funded by energy giant BP. Cat Eye Electronics of Japan have provided bicycle lights. Brunton, USA supplied the GPS satellite navigation unit. The tyres that have punctured only 4 times in over 20,000km are sourced from Schwalbe, Germany

Contact: Edwin Tucker email: edwin@howsmycycling.com

- END -

© Scoop Media