Countries<\/strong>: London, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, United Arab Emirates, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand<\/p>\n Why did you decide to cycle around the world \u2013 what was the trigger?<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea had always been in the back of my mind. I\u2019ve always remembered an old TV advert from my childhood of a man standing next to his bike looking out at the view from the top of a mountain. I knew a guy in London who cycled from the bottom tip of Chile up to Ecuador and I quizzed him about his trip. When Google Earth was invented I looked up potential routes from London to New Zealand and realised that it was actually possible to ride most of the way, with only a few patches of water to cross. One day I was down the pub with my mates and wondered out loud what it would be like to ride home, it escalated quickly from there\u2026 *nek minute<\/a>* I became the ‘guy who’s gonna ride his bike home’.<\/p>\n I knew I wanted to leave in summer so I had 6 months to get ready. I started researching and planning my trip, buying gear bit by bit – tent, sleeping bag, paniers, gas cooker, spare bike parts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the day arrived I literally rode out my front door in West London to see how far I could get.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n My kit weighed a rather excessive 60 kgs at the start. I had everything, including a full can of fly spray, a little gardening shovel (for ablutions), a change of clothes for going out, even a cook book! I eventually whittled it down to 37 kgs.<\/p>\n My first goal was to make it as far as Istanbul, but I really had no idea how I would go. I\u2019d get up early each morning so I could be on the road as soon as it was light. I ate whatever I found along the way, which was usually cheap and delicious.<\/p>\n I quickly learnt that language wasn\u2019t a barrier and I could get by with lots of pointing and hand signals. I picked up phrase books in Germany, Italy and Turkey and started learning a few words. Often in roadside restaurants they would lead me into the kitchen and pull the lids off pots to show me what was on the menu.<\/p>\n My shortest day of riding was 43 kms and my longest was 247 kms. In Europe I often found myself weaving through peak hour traffic and I\u2019d laugh because they were all heading to work and I was heading off for another day of adventure.<\/p>\n When accommodation got\u00a0cheap (East of Europe) I didn\u2019t bother putting up my tent and I ended up sending my gas cooker home because food was so cheap and plentiful.<\/p>\n My body coped really well. I got a rash on my rump at the beginning but after a while it toughened up and didn\u2019t bother me anymore. Sometimes I got sore feet from pressing on the pedals so hard and I had a nice blister in Thailand (which I got from snorkeling). I got really sick in India and lay in bed delirious for 2 days, but apart from that I didn\u2019t really have any health issues or injuries.<\/p>\n What were the highlights of your cycle adventure?<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the most memorable moments was making it to the top of St Gotthard Pass<\/a> in the Swiss Alps which is 2200m up. I had no idea it was such a big mountain, I just set off and then the temperature plummeted. I started seeing stars when I hit altitude and had to stop every 10 minutes to acclimatise. I made it up and over in one day.<\/p>\n Another memorable moment was when I accidentally found myself on the Autobahn in Germany!<\/p>\n I also had a laugh with my brother when I texted\u00a0him in New Zealand to look up the wind speed\u00a0for me in Azerbaijan so I could plan my ride that day! (My\u00a0trip was before smartphones and portable GPS were common.)<\/p>\n My scariest moment was a close encounter with a pack of wild dogs on my first night in Azerbaijan. When I set up my tent that afternoon I could hear howling in the distance, and I was warned by a farmer not to camp there but I thought \u2018she\u2019ll be right\u2019. When it got dark the howling got louder. At 2am I was woken by ferocious barking and dogs nearby. I decided to make a run for safety and\u00a0climb up a\u00a0digger that was in the paddock, but when I unzipped the tent it was pitch black and I couldn\u2019t see anything. I sat up in my tent with a steak knife in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, waiting for a wild dog to tear\u00a0through the tent. It sounded like 10-20 dogs. If they\u2019d come my way I was a goner, I seriously thought I was going to get eaten.<\/p>\n I did most of my trip solo and was quite happy on my own, but I met a girl called Elke in Vietnam and we ended up cycling together for about 6 months \u2013 it was nice to have her company.<\/p>\n My favourite places were Switzerland, Si Phan Dong on the Mekong River in Laos where we had a cabin on the river for $4 a night. I also liked Siem Reap in Cambodia and Hoi An in Vietnam. \u00a0The worst place for me was India where I felt I was always being manipulated over money. It was a constant battle and it was really exhausting and unpleasant.<\/p>\n What kept you going?<\/strong><\/p>\n Curiosity kept me going. I found a rhythm and took each day in my stride. I thought about getting home and seeing my family and I was determined to ride all the way without cheating.<\/p>\n What are the must-haves for anyone considering a big cycling trip?<\/strong><\/p>\n Good tyres and quality paniers with rain covers. And proper wet weather covers for your feet, I just used plastic bags! It\u2019s definitely easier these days with smartphones and Google maps at your fingertips.<\/p>\n Looking back now, how do you feel about your epic travel adventure?<\/strong><\/p>\n My cycle trip was the best thing I\u2019ve ever done, the memories will stay with me forever. In hindsight it\u2019s almost unbelievable that I did it \u2013 like a dream. Sometimes I tell people and they don\u2019t believe me!<\/p>\n How did it feel arriving home?<\/strong><\/p>\n I rode into my hometown of Warkworth just before\u00a0Christmas after 15 months of travelling. Then I knew the journey was really over and I felt a massive sense of accomplishment. It was just something I did for myself, for the adventure. Cycling is a great way to see the world, you really get to see a country up close, not just the tourist spots \u2013 I got to see all the nitty gritty bits in between. Experiencing the different cultures as I travelled from region to region was fantastic. The nicest people were the Iranians, lots of them spoke English and I had so many home dinner invites there. Once I\u2019d finished my trip though it was like \u2018well I\u2019ve ticked that box, what\u2019s next?\u2019<\/p>\n If you want to find out more about Goldie\u2019s cycle adventure you can read his travel diary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Any questions you want to ask Goldie about his cycle madness? Pop them\u00a0in the comments and I’ll get\u00a0him to\u00a0answer for you!<\/p>\n Check out photos from Goldie’s epic cycle ride\u00a0below<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Goldie\"](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Goldie1.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"river](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/river-swim.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Getting](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Getting-Directions.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"world](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/bike1.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"cone](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/cone-hat.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"bali](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/bali.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"bye](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/bye-bye.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"roadside](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/fire.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"NZ](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/NZ1.jpg\")
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![\"Warkworth\"](\"https:\/\/eatwelltraveloften.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Warkworth-20km.jpg\")
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