British cyclist set for zero-emission ride round the world

British cyclist Kevin Shannon is aiming to travel round the world using only pedal and wind power.

Kevin will start his two-year, 36,000 mile journey on 31 August from his home in Cheshire, aiming to raise £1m for the Combat Stress charity. The 23-year old will cross the channel into France and then cycle east, heading through Eastern Europe to Russia via Ukraine.

After passing through south-east Asia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, Kevin plans to hitch a lift on sailing boats and freighters and “find a way home” from Canada. He hopes to cross to Iceland, then across to the northern tip of Scotland.

Kevin said: “I’ve planned my route around the world to bypass any areas that are notoriously dangerous but of course there are still risks.

“Some of the most prominent dangers are from animals, mostly bears in the northern hemisphere and insects and spiders in the southern hemisphere.

“In Australia they have the most deadly snakes and spiders – and a lot of them – so getting bitten and being in a remote area could cause problems.”

Kevin has been training for the trip on his Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike. He said: “Because I have to work to raise money for the trip I don’t get much time to train. I try to ride about 20 miles a day when I’m working and on my days off I manage to get about 80-90 miles, with a loaded bike, under my belt.

“When I was training up in the Scottish Highlands in January the weather conditions were pretty bad. It was -10 during the day and the heavy snow falling didn’t help with visibility, but I enjoyed it all the more. It’s amazing what your iPod can help you to overcome!”

Kevin is attending BikeRadar Live this weekend (30-31 May) and will be on the Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) stand to answer questions – he will use luggage carriers and equipment from POE on his round-the-world journey.

Corporate/bike sponsors are being sought for the trip. For more information, see becauseitisthere.co.uk.