Oct 30th, 1998. Leaving Blandford, Dorset. Photo: Courtesy of The Daily Echo, Bournemouth

Aims:

The Sydney to London Sponsored Bicycle Expedition has several missions:

1. It aims to raise well over £20,000 for Children With AIDS Charity, roughly one pound for every kilometre cycled. This money will go directly to the charity's own Dippy Duck Appeal, which finances weekend holidays for children infected and affected by AIDS.
2. By sharing a form of transport that is common to many in Asia, I hope to be approachable to those around me and experience the real, everyday Far East. Free of the cocoon of cars and buses, I hope the fact that I am cycling will interest the people I meet and lead to different encounters.
3. Lastly, I aim to use the internet to update a web site, to stay in touch with sponsors, friends and family. Despite cycling in some of the more remote parts of the world and the nomadic nature of the journey, the world wide web will form an integral part of the trip - and will be called upon for information as diverse as crossing borders, weather conditions and political stability.

On a more general note, I chose to cycle because I feel it offers physical and mental challenges. In a world where one can bound across thousands of kilometres in a matter of hours, it offers a perspective unlike any other form of travelling in its independence and self-sufficiency. By cycling, I hope to promote both the greener issues of transport as well as low impact tourism, whilst reminding people of what can be done with that simple and brilliant invention: la bicyclette.