Andy on Andy

What can I say about myself and my achievements…well, I have not broken any world records, I haven’t written any best selling books, I’m not on the TV or radio. Nor do I have an album out, this web site has all of 2 readers (that’s Matt and me). I haven’t guest lectured at MIT, Harvard or Oxford and nobody ‘important’ is going to big-me-up. In short I’m just a guy with an idea and a bike.

I’m a 30 something IT administrator working in London whose been bitten by the adventure bug after travelling though South East Asia, Australia, Peru and running my first ultra-marathon in 2009 between London and Brighton. Despite the pain of that first bite I’ve decided that before ‘settling down’ I’d like to contribute something to the world by raising money for War Child and lead an amazing life as, and you may not be aware of this, working in IT is not all that exciting…

So, armed with a fearlessness that can only come from ignorance and several pints of beer I set about planning an overland adventure between London and Sydney via rail. Along the way the plan has changed somewhat and trains have been ditched in favour of bikes, a Cynthia has turned into a Matt and I have sobered up (don’t worry, it’s only temporary). However, the enthusiasm and desire to get out there remain constant.

“Madeley, yeah, he’s alright” – One of my mates

Andy’s Aim’s for the Expedition

• To raise a £50’000 for War Child
• To record an entertaining account of our travels & to inspire and motivate others
• To challenge my own preconceptions of other people and places
• To get to Sydney in one piece
• To travel, as far as is reasonable, by bike

Matt on Matt

I am affectionately known as Burger or Ronald (Matt McDonald…..you see where they are going with this!). I spent most of my 20s enjoying the ‘good times’ and seem to have had an early mid-life crisis at around 30 when I dusted off my ‘life to-do list’* and promptly went about climbing mountains, running marathons and boasting to my friends that I was going to cycle round the world (well most of it anyway!).

To put this expedition into context, my cycling expertise comes from watching BMX bandits on beta-max aged 10, owning a Raleigh Grifter XL aged 12 (with three gears: red, yellow and blue) and covering my friends paper round for two weeks whilst he was on holiday aged 13 (I seem to remember not wanting to do it when it came to it so having a bonfire with most of the papers). So armed with the same fearlessness as Andy, that only comes from ignorance and a few too many beers, suggested cycling to Australia after Andy suggested driving. Clearly I expected him to politely decline meaning I could ridicule and laugh at him for being soft! It came as a surprise when I heard him say yes.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to ‘see the world’. I got my first real taste spending six months travelling around South East Asia a short while after uni. This was a real eye opener for me having not travelled much prior to this trip and I enjoyed immensely experiencing other cultures and learning about the rich diversity on our planet. Since then I have harboured a desire to get out once more for another long but also challenging adventure, however I have failed to find the right opportunity…………..until now

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” – Anais Nin
* Still need to walk on fire and do the Evil Knievel, Snake River Canyon jump.

Matt’s Aim’s for the Expedition

• To learn about the history and culture of the places we visit
• To engage, as much as possible with the people we meet
• To take on a challenge greater than anything I have ever done before
• To raise £50,000 for War Child
• It is my great hope to inspire and motivate others