Ride Earth is the mission of Tom Allen and Andrew Welch to
circumnavigate the world by bicycle. As we both prepare for onward
travel, we’ve taken a retrospective look at the year that’s passed
since we left the UK. Yes, it’s been one year already! Here’s hoping
the next year brings more exciting and challenging adventuring in
unknown parts of the world…

== Tom ==

“One year ago, I pedalled away from my front door on a bicycle, with
the vague intention of cycling round the world.

“As it happened, the bicycle itself proved quickly to be the least
important part of my new way of living. It was simply a vehicle which
connected me in an incredibly intimate way with the people and places
I encountered. It was these encounters that have defined my life ever
since the day I left, not the physical act of pedalling.

“If somebody had told me that I’d spend seven months in motion and
the following five stationary, living in a post-Soviet capital city,
because I’d met someone worth waiting for, I’d have laughed. I was
hell-bent on having my pre-conceived mountain-bike adventure. I
couldn’t have envisaged that it would become anything more than a
tough, physical journey through the landscapes of the world,
friendships never more than fleeting, nothing stopping the inertia of
the expedition that I thought I understood so well before I’d even
begun it. How wrong I was…

“I’m sure that the seven months of group travel taught me the
necessary patience, tolerance and open-mindedness to treat the
initial delays here in Yerevan not as an agonising waste of riding
time, but as an inevitability that no amount of complaining would
change.

“I’m sure that if I hadn’t given myself the rare opportunity to take
a massive time-out from the daily grind and reflect on the important
things in life, as I pedalled gently through Europe, I would still
have been too stubborn to turn round at the top of that mountain near
the border and cycle back here.

“I don’t regret that decision. I knew that city life was not for me,
but I was also sure I’d developed the patience to deal with a few
months of incumbency for Tenny, because I thought our relationship
deserved it.

“It’s ironic that the riding changed me in a way that led to me
putting that same ride on hold, but nothing is permanent, and I’m
looking forward with renewed relish to the prospect of moving onwards
through the world again. I’ve just celebrated my second birthday away
from home, and with a third Iranian visa application in the pipeline,
I’ve got my fingers crossed to be visiting this cultural and
historical goldmine in the next few weeks, not least for the purpose
of visiting Tenny’s family in Iran.

“With the bonus of having a travelling companion who is fluent in
Farsi (Persian) and has spent 24 years living in Tehran, I am hoping
to scratch a little deeper beneath the surface of this misunderstood
land. I also look forward to sharing my experiences with those
watching in the Western world, to try and cut through the
bureaucratic curtain that has defined recent media coverage of this
country, and bring out something more positive.

“Our onward travel plans take us south through the Middle East -
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. From there, it’s difficult to
speculate, but Cape Town is the furthest logical landmark if we’re
headed in that direction. Having experienced such a universal
outpouring of goodness everywhere I went, from retired farmers in
England and high-flyers in the Swiss Alps to Gypsies in Romania and
homeless tramps in Turkey, I just can’t wait to throw myself into the
friendly unknown once again, this time with a nervous but determined
newcomer to the world of travel, whose experiences will be all the
more intense.

“I’m somewhat irked about the idea of starting again with my fitness
dwindling, but 99% of bicycle travel is psychological. I know that
anyone can do it if they believe in themselves enough. To those who
say “I’m not a cyclist”, I reply that it’s a bit like saying you’re
not a walker. Get on a bike, and your legs will do the rest.

“I hope my next newsletter comes to you from on the road, or at least
from the beginning of it.

== Andy ==

“It’s been one year since we left our homes in England on this
adventure. It doesn’t feel like a year, but rather one long moment
frozen in time. There are so many memories, experiences and
challenges from the last year. Perhaps it’s step closer to how life
should be lived- closer to what we humans are designed for. I don’t
think I’ve changed much. I’d like to think I’m a little more refined
in approaching new situations with the experiences of the last year
to reflect on.

“Travelling alone is a very exciting prospect which holds the promise
of a purer and more daunting sense of freedom. I don’t know how I will
react but I’m sure it will be in the spirit of a true English. I’ve

discovered my identity as an English person more than ever since I
left the country. It’s got little to do with how the government
chooses to define us in the world or the packaged tourist version but
more how we

talk, our approach to dancing, humour, creativity, music and an inate
need to philosophise. There’s a lot to be proud of.

“My time in Tbilisi has been incredibly useful and fruitful in many
ways. I’ve conquered demons, let the dust and experiences settles,
and performed in Georgian singing concerts with my French friends
here. My bike has needed some fixing. Luckily it happened in a city
where I’ve been able to get spares, than in a blistering desert
somewhere (although probably not as life-affirming). The opportunity
to work has been necessary to fund the continuing journey as I had
ran out of money. This is mostly due to funding the film project
which is very important to me.

“I’ve been in contact with my old university lecturers in the
Environment Department at York University about how we can improve
our mission to observe and document climate change. When I leave I
will be

concentrating on implementing a new structure for this which we are
developing at the moment.

“I’ve got an Iranian visa in the pipeline (no pun intended). It’s
been a difficult decision making process on where to go next with
visa issues with China. The variables are always changing and
sometimes it boils

down to taking action based on the information available at the time
so that’s what I’m doing.

“A fundamental part of the trip is following a passion for bicycles,
meeting people, and being creative. I hope that it conveys a full
lifestyle which might inspire others to approach things with a new
perspective whatever that might be. Through unearthing my faults and
weaknesses and learning more about myself hopefully I can learn to
exist in a more satisfying and better way with the environment and
other people.

“It’s getting close to the time to move again. It feels like starting
again, and things have gone full circle. Before too long I will have
that feeling of movement on my loaded bike and I have an entirely new
frame of mind from when I arrived in Tbilisi to approach the new
adventures that await me. When I go forward I know that I’ve got to
find more from myself and from this trip. I will have to dig into my
ingenuity and creativity and develop my own motivation. It’s going to
be deep. Definitely totally life changing again and the biggest
challenge of my life so far. Bon, allez!…”