To Cape Town..

August 28, 2009 9:55 AM

The Big Africa Cycle. Peter Gostelow is cycling from Dorset, England to Cape Town to raise funds for The Against Malaria Foundation. And it's not his first big adventure.

His "Long Ride Home" a 3 year cycle journey from Japan to England saw him cover over 48,000km unsupported and largely alone. Along the way he had his bike stolen by a crazy Nepalese butcher, lost half his belongings down a gorge in Tajikistan, had a run in with Iranian shepherds, and sneaked across Tibet, before being caught, fined and sent back. Of course, he cycled on.

The Long Ride Home produced some very special photography (some collected highlights here and here, as well as images of Camping Wild and of his bike) and his latest adventure down through Europe and into Africa promises more of the same. You can follow him on his blog, Flickr stream, and on Twitter.

posted by fire&wings (2 comments total)

Having had malaria after missing just two doses of my very expensive pills while mountain biking in Ghana (and having had it treated extremely quickly once I was tested for it), I can say that the group of doctors and scientists and NGO workers that works together to stop malaria - which kills between one and three million people every year - is more heroic than most of the people we honor today.

Three million people dying every year, often from a lack of a cheap window screen or net, kills the same number of people, around 8000, as between two and three September 11ths, or 10 Jonestowns, every day.
posted by mdonley at 11:16 AM on August 28, 2009

This is wonderful. I was just cycling around La Rochelle and Pons (south of Cognac) at the end of May, so it's tugging at my heartstrings to read about the leg of the journey that takes Gostelow through this region. I'm looking forward to following along via his website. Thanks for a great and thoughtful post.
posted by Heretic at 11:36 AM on August 28, 2009