Three young Tameside men are embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, crossing the globe by bicycle and sleeping in tents – all in the name of charity.
Russell Selby, Mark Phillips and Jacob Mellor will embark on the gruelling adventure – which will see them cover 50 miles a day – on August 31.
The young men have been prepping for their expeition for more than a year and are hoping to raise money for four charities, Kidneys For Life, Cancer Research UK, WaterAid and Save The Children.
Russell told MM: “When we went travelling in 2010 it really opened our eyes to more than Britain.
“We were so lucky that we could experience this fantastic opportunity and agreed to raise money for those less fortunate.
“If we are able to experience opportunities like this then other people should as well.”
After their trip in their customised van around Western Europe in 2010, they have developed a new outlook on travelling.
Russell added: “Travelling is not just about the journey but it is about the people you meet as well.
“We believe that a cycling tour is a good way of seeing the world, the slower you travel the cheaper it is.
“We looked online at other cycling tours and gained inspiration from Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round.
“It was originally planned to be a short tour but we thought that if we can sustain that then we should make it longer.”
The group have only been training around 50miles a day and they plan on doing the tour in their own pace.
Russell added: “The weight of the bike is the difficult part – my bike and bag together weigh more than I do.”
As Russell and Mark were both completing a Master’s Degree this year the organisation and planning was placed in the hands of Jacob.
Russell praised Jacob’s work and added: “The Masters took up a lot of our time therefore it was harder to plan but luckily Jake helped keep the organisation going.”
With only 11 days before they leave, the anticipation when speaking to the three cyclers.
“I am the least nervous out of all of us; it is more excitement about the places we will visit than anything else,” Russell said.
By cycling across large areas of the world and seeing as many wonders that they can, all three can look forward to the different countries they will visit.
Russell told MM that he is extremely looking forward to visiting South America and Jacob is excited to travel across Far East Asia.
Despite all three of them moving away from Manchester for university they all hail from the Tameside area.
Russell said: “We believe that this is a brilliant opportunity to show the possibilities of three normal Manchester lads.”
They will fund the journey themselves and all the donations will go directly to the charities via their Virgin Giving Account.
They have been donated just over £750 already and understand that people may be hesitant to donate money as they haven’t started their journey yet.
Not only do they want to raise money for their chosen charities but they are also keen to promote and bring awareness to cycling tours.
“When you fly you miss out a big part of the travelling experience but with cycle tours and even back packing you get to appreciate the countries around the world a lot more,” Russell said.
Follow their journey on Twitter: @charitycycle13 or search on Facebook: Wonders of the World Charity Cycle.
To donate money to the cause please visit: www.wondersoftheworldcharitycycle.co.uk
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