For certain things the time is never right. But sometimes one has to grasp the opportunity and just make the time right. We have always dreamed of doing an overland cycling tour. Finally we are making it happen and embarking on our adventure, riding from Hong Kong to Singapore. But apart from traveling experiences, we would like to make a difference. The aim of our ‘Buy No Rhino’ Tour is to create awareness about rhino poaching in the countries we will be passing through.
Vicky (35), a financial controller based in beer-loving Bavaria, Germany has taken a sabbatical and myself, Ness (30) resigned from my job as a fashion buyer in Cape Town. We conceived and planned our trip through numerous and lengthy Skype sessions. A non-negotiable was what bike we were gonna ride as my hubby is co-incidentally manufacturing Pyga bikes. Many guys opt for a steel touring bike, but since we are both lightweights we are going for an ali hard tail.
The next essential question was how to transport our belongings? After careful consideration we chose the popular, super sturdy, waterproof Ortlieb panniers and the lightweight Thule racks.
Every gram matters when pedaling thousands of kilometres. Weight and quality were essential for the choice of all gear; our 2-man tent only weighing 1,4kg, self-inflating matrasses 700g, and sleeping bags 700g. The toughest challenge will be the weight of all our must-have electronic goodies; from e-book reader, iphone, Mac, Garmin to GoPro and camera… never mind the tangled, chaotic pile of cables to charge all these devices. The continuous thought lurking at the back of our minds, what will the final weight of our bikes really be?
For the last two weeks before our departure we have been running around between bike shops to camping and adventure stores to last minute injections against some unpronounceable, rare but possibly fatal diseases like meningococcal meningitis. In between all the logistics, we got in some pedaling time. Hurting wrists and paining butts were a clear indication that our bikes needed to be set up specifically for us. After a quick trip to the boys at Revolution Cycles, our new adjustments and wider saddles are already making a massive difference.
Along our way we are hoping to inform people and create awareness about the rhino plight, specifically in Vietnam, China and Thailand, which are the key consumer markets of rhino horn. Our vision is to inspire people to make their dreams happen, as well as realize that everyone can make a difference and that they have the power to change their surroundings. Even if we cannot change a whole culture, we will sow a seed of change.
The plan is to submit a blog every few weeks, but bare with us – we’re not sure what connectivity will be like. If you have any advice for us along the way, please don’t hesitate to send it our way by commenting below!
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