Bicycle Touring the World for Sustainability:
Cape to Cape Tour

The Event

As an experienced cyclist and globetrotter, avid writer and freelance photographer I am in the advanced planning stage of my proposed Bicycle Touring the World for Sustainability: Cape to Cape Tour. This will be an expedition of up to 15,000KM / 14 months, made on bicycle from South East Cape (Cockle Creek), Tasmania to Cape Finisterre, Spain. In 2006 my expedition was endorsed by WaterAid Australia and in late 2007 I commenced fundraising for the NGO through the web site www.everydayhero.com.au/WaterCycle In 2007 I spent 6 months working as a volunteer for WaterAid Australia to promote and fundraise for their NGO. During the course of my proposed expedition I will further fundraise for the NGO WaterAid Australia. Also I will be carrying out the Cape to Cape Tour to promote the notions of sustainable and environmentally responsible travel. This will be through organised presentations - primarily featuring my Outback Australia bicycle tours.

The source of my inspiration all began in 2002 when I successfully completed a solo bicycle tour across the Australian continent from Melbourne to Darwin, covering a distance of 5000KM. During the challenging course of 90 days it became a trial test for me physically and mentally as preparation for my grander vision, the Cape to Cape Tour. Recently I self-published my travelogue of this tour The Outback Bicycle Diaries. Also in 2007 I completed my Tasmanian Bicycle Tour. This 1700KM ride was required physical training and to test ride my purpose built Surly - Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle, which will be used on the proposed Cape to Cape Tour.

The Bicycle

My objectives are to promote maximum use of the bicycle as a form of responsible and environmentally sustainable transport, one that has a minimal impact on the planet. For my proposed Cape to Cape Tour my number one mode of travel will be on bicycle, which has been assembled by one of my sponsors and through my own additional accessory expenditure. It was through the generous support of Dirt Works Australia Pty Ltd., and Brunswick Street Cycles who have provided me with a Surly - Long Haul Trucker bicycle and accessories. The use also of a Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 internal hub gearing system has been sought from Rohloff Australia.

Who's it For

There are a number of reasons why I intend to make my Cape to Cape Tour - apart from a spirit of adventure. It is my deepest desire to assist others to share in an activity I enjoy and feel can be of greater benefit. In 2006 I was endorsed by WaterAid Australia to voluntarily promote and fundraise for their Non Government Organization (NGO) through the activity of the Cape to Cape Tour. WaterAid is an international NGO dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world's poorest people.

I have been seeking business sponsorship with a good level of success. Business sponsors are already gaining some benefits from my project. Whether it is financial backing or in-kind assistance, small or large, the sponsors will gain added exposure and sustained interest through my activity and its associated causes. For example the successful completion of my Cape to Cape Tour on the purpose-built touring bicycle will best demonstrate the technology employed in such an adventurous expedition. The suppliers of the components, items and products used on or for my expedition will gain benefit after they have been tried and tested under the conditions I expect to push them through.

All financial and in-kind sponsors of my Cape to Cape Tour receive acknowledgements, these are presented in a number of ways. Credit is given to them on my web page, with name and / or logo as URL to their own web page(s). All major financial and in-kind sponsors' logo(s) will be displayed on the bicycle's pannier bags, and on clothing worn etc. Participating sponsors' logos will also be on display at all public Presentations given. Current sponsors have been listed in my recently published travelogue The Outback Bicycle Diaries. Acknowledgements of other further sponsors will be made in revised editions of my book before departure.

possible and practicle when concerning its great distances to be achieved. The modern world has become so accostomed to air travel and the luxury of international travel is so easily accessible to people in the developed world. The days of sea travel are sadly long gone when concerning long haul passenger services. When concerning my Cape to Cape Tour the possibility for avoiding long-haul air travel is however an achievable an option. Also being able to cover much of the journey through my own self-propelled means, by bicycle, is at the highest priority. Based on my 2002 Melbourne to Darwin Bicycle Tour, where I covered on average of 62KM per day, I expect to maintain this average when ever possible. The tour is not a race, nor is it an egotistical triumph, but a demonstration of covering a great distance through my own means for environmental and social causes. The motivation behind this being my enjoyment of long-haul bicycle touring.

Publicity

Already I have gained some publicity for my proposed Cape to Cape Tour, this being on the WaterAid Australia web site, through the highly successful sales of my travelogue The Outback Bicycle Diaries and with added interest at recent presentations given. During the course of the proposed tour I will be documenting the journey through photographs and a written journal, as well as giving slide shows / power point presentations on my Outback Australia bicycle tours.

I expect to have a good level of media exposure prior to and during the course of the expedition. I intend to publish articles related to my activity of bicycle touring in magazines and web media. These I have been approaching recently with some added interest.

I intend to mount a photographic exhibition in Melbourne immediately upon the completion of the Cape to Cape Tour. If I am successful into completing my proposed expedition I hope to produce a travelogue of the journey in the immediate months following. A potential photo-essay is also planned, a proportion of its profits going towards the endorsing NGO WaterAid Australia.

Logistics of the Cape to Cape Tour

The proposed Cape to Cape Tour will be an unassisted and solo tour, travelling over 19,000KM on bicycle in its entirety and approximately half way around the world! 5000KM has already been completed on my Melbourne to Darwin Tour in 2002. The remaining stages of the tour has been divided into three stages

Stage One: Melbourne - Darwin

In 2002 I completed this stage of the journey on bicycle, covering a total distance of 4915KM over a period of 90 days.

Stage Two: Singapore - Cape Finisterre, Spain

On Thursday 18th September 2008 I will commence the journey abroad. This will be the long-haul. After flying from Melbourne to Singapore I will travel by bicycle through Malaysia and Southern Thailand before the second flight will take me to Kathmandu in Nepal. Apart from the return home at journeys end, I hope that these will be the only flights involved. Some ferries and long train journeys will be made to overcome visa restrictions and seasonal extremities. However when possible the journey will be made on bicycle.

The reason for the two "Capes" chosen is symbolic. South East Cape (Cockle Creek) Tasmania is about as far south as one can get in Australia on bicycle and is located at 43 degrees south, while the point of my chosen destination of Cape Finisterre, once considered the-end-of-earth by the medieval traveller on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, is at 43 degrees north. It also has other meanings for my own modern day journey, which will be a kind of pilgrimage for social and environmental causes. I will also effectively utilize my 2002 Melbourne to Darwin bicycle tour as a legitimate stage of the proposed expedition, of course it was the source of inspiration for the Cape to Cape Tour.

Timing is crucial, taking into account the seasons, gaining accessibility and effectiveness into completing the Cape to Cape Tour. Clearly during the course of the journey I may need to make adjustments as a response to social unrest or disturbances. It is in my best interests as a traveller to engage with the local populations en route, in a way that is socially responsible, respecting their culture, while being most insightful.

The Cape to Cape Tour will take me across the entire Indian subcontinent, as far south as Cape Comorin, before travelling high up into Pakistan's peaceful Indus and Hunza Valleys. A rail journey back across India and over to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad will be made to avoid double baking my cycling route and also to avoid the troubled southern and central regions of Pakistan. Therefore cycling in Pakistan will be made by taking the Karakoram Highway and over the 4655m Khunjerab Pass, through western China and into Kyrgyzstan, skirting the Pamirs in Tajikistan and onto Uzbekistan. Then I will journey by train across Turkmenistan and ferry it over the Caspian Sea to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. From there my bicycle touring will commence on through the Country of Georgia and into the NE of Turkey where a ferry journey along the Black Sea coastline to Istanbul will be made, from where I will make my way into northern Greece and southern Italy. Then I will cycle across the island of Corsica, ferry to Marseille, and from there a train to Le Puy-en-Velay. From here I will be cycling the ancient pilgrimage pathway of St James, via Moissac, towards journeys end at Cape Finisterre, via the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

From Spain I will fly home via London where I expect to make a public presentation of my Cape to Cape Tour. London also being the world headquarters for WaterAid.

Stage Three: South East Cape (Cockle Creek) - Devonport, Tasmania

This 489KM part of the journey will be made over a period of 14 days in 2010. It will be symbolically the part of my Cape to Cape Tour. In 2007 I made a 1700KM bicycle tour of Tasmania and the ride I propose in 2010 will be part of my post Stage Two - Cape to Cape Presentations Tour.

The Cape to Cape Tour's Budget

Over the past year I have sought in-kind sponsorship from a number of businesses with a high level of success making my proposed expedition more viable. To my good fortune in 2007 I found the right source of employment as a bicycle courier in Melbourne. What better job than one, where one gets paid to ride around town all day on a bicycle. Along with regular employment I have had the added success of selling my travelogue the Outback Bicycle Diaries direct to the public.

Through my own travel experience and research using up to date guide books I estimate the min daily budget of my expedition to be from AUD $10 - $30 per day. This excludes in-kind assistance or other further sponsorship en-route. With the inclusion of travel insurance, train and ferry fares, bicycle maintenance, photographic costs and other extras (such as Travel Visas, postage and internet usage) the overall budget for the The Cape to Cape Tour will be approx. AUD $15,000 min. I expect to raise some income from the sales of the Outback Bicycle Diaries as PDF Downloads from my web site. Most of the tour's entire budget will come from my own savings and earnings, while some of its budget will be assisted through manageable loans and borrowings.

The Cape to Cape Tour's Presentations:

While undertaking my Cape to Cape Tour I will be making many presentations in crucial cities along the way, some I expect to pre-arrange before departure. In SE Asia and the Indian subcontinent I expect to make a number of presentations, while towards the end of the journey in Spain and in London I expect to gain a good audience. Of course the purpose-built touring bicycle, complete with sponsors' logo(s) etc., will be present at all Presentations for display, adding to the atmosphere of the meetings. At these events I will be discussing my expedition with a slide show on bicycle touring the Australian Outback (This will also promote eco-friendly tourism in Australia) as well as updates of the tour in progress. After the successful completion of my Cape to Cape Tour, I propose to make an Australia wide presentations tour.

Importantly activity of my Cape to Cape Tour I will be a vehicle to promote my endorsing NGO WaterAid Australia, their cause will become the stated reason why I am carrying out my expedition. Fundraising is the key factor behind my NGO's endorsement, with my activities being a vehicle for this to happen. All Donations towards WaterAid Australia are made on-line and metered via Everyday Hero at /www.everydayhero.com.au/WaterCycle

My endorsement by WaterAid Australia, together with further support through business sponsorship of my proposed Cape to Cape Tour, will project a positive and constructive message for sustainability in the developing world. I expect to reach a wide audience during the course of my tour and importantly raise funds for a highly worthy organization. Further activity arising from the Cape to Cape Tour will do so even more broadly after the expedition's completion.