Life In The Slow Lane
A Devon cyclist is riding from Exeter to China | |
| | | A Devon cyclist is leaving the county to start an extraordinary bike ride.
Edward Genochio, from Exeter, is embarking on a solo 12,000-mile cycle ride from Exeter to Shanghai. |
| | | Edward Genochio has taken a year to prepare for his bike trip to Shanghai. It will take him around eight months (and a small matter of 12,000 miles) to complete.
If he succeeds he will become the first person to cycle solo from England to China via a new route across the Gobi desert.
Click here for a map of the route
Ed says his main motivation for the expedition is to see how other societies "live and think".
"Travelling at ground level, as it were, on my bicycle, is my way of doing that," he said.
His unsupported expedition will see him cross the Alps, the Urals, the great plains of Siberia, the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall of China and the Yangtze River before he arrives at his final destination in October or November this year and BBC Devon Online will be following him along the way.
Sore Bum!
A number of local businesses have equipped him with the essentials for his trip, including an ultrasonic dog deterrent to ensure bicycle-chasing canines do not delay his journey.
But one thing Ed doesn't have is a comfortable saddle. Speaking before he set off he told BBC Devon Online: "I must be a bit of a masochist," he says, "It's got to be one of the hardest saddles ever, and I'm going to be on it for quite some time."
Ed will be leaving his girlfriend Emily behind - she's finishing a PhD course at Exeter University - but she's planning to join him when he arrives in China. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get there," says Ed. "I think I may spend a year working before I come home."
"I'm trying to persuade Emily that we should come home by tandem, but she's still not convinced."
Ed's also giving up his web design business. "I was self employed," he says, "so I'm not letting anyone down by taking so much time out.
"I've spent the last few days tying up loose ends and it's taken a bit longer than I expected, that's why my start has been delayed, but hopefully I'll be off before the end of this week."
Ed will be sending photos and a weekly diary of his expedition back to BBC Devon Online so that we can experience some of the sights and adventures along the way.
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Click on the map to see Ed's latest position | | | |
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