John Whybrow and George Agate rode a tandem 18,000 miles around the globe, setting a record in the process

On the day we came up with the idea to cycle around the world neither George nor I had ridden a bike since we were kids. Within 18 months we were setting off on a trip that would change our lives – using a bespoke tandem. We were inspired by reading British longdistance rider, Mark Beaumont’s book, The Man Who Cycled The

World. After university we wanted to emulate his achievements and raise money for three charities.

Guinness confirmed that there was no record for a tandem circumnavigation, so once we’d worked out our route we set a target of 300 days. Getting a bike for two six-foot-plus men wasn’t easy. We had a frame made a couple of months before we set off and learned to ride it during the first stage.

We navigated through monsoons in India, where the people gave us meals and a bed for the night – we experienced the same generosity in the most impoverished parts of Asia and Thailand. In Australia the cost of food was the downside to an amazing trip along stretches like the Great Ocean Road and a week in the Nullarbor desert. We ate porridge for 52 days in a row as we couldn’t afford anything else. With all our gear the bike weighed around 200kg and as we rode through 29 countries and six continents the load took its toll on the walls of our tyres. The abiding memories, as we cycled home to Canterbury and set a world record of 290 days, is of the many random acts of kindness shown by people across the globe. Our world is a beautiful place and cycling is the best way to see that.

Our world is a beautiful place and cycling is the best way to see that

The Tandem Men are still raising money for Porchlight, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Water Aid – http://tinyurl.com/tandemmen