INTERVIEW 1BIKE1WORLD
After leaving his hometown of Dunbar in Scotland to get away from the 9-5 life over 2.5 years ago, Dean has successfully managed to
travel the world on his trusty bike. However, 3 months into the journey on the Bosniamontenegro border, everything changed for the cyclist. But it wasn’t because of a turbulent problem that his adventure would shift so significantly. Quite the opposite, in fact. Dean had fallen in love… with a beautiful, abandoned kitten who he was determined to care for. He named the cat Nala and the two became inseparable. And now, as they travel from country to country, still by bike and with Nala perched gracefully on Dean’s shoulder, the pair are greeted with smiles and photos. We at Bikemag spoke to them to find out all about their adventure so far.
What was is that sparked your love for cycling?
I’ve cycled my entire life, had a bike for as young as I can remember and whether it was for cycling to school, cycling my paper round or cycling to work its always been part of my life and I’ve always loved it
You are from Dunbar in Scotland. What was the cycling scene like there growing up?
My hometown Dunbar has some beautiful cycling as well as the surrounding areas that can appeal to all levels of cycling. We have the Lammermuir hills on one side if you’re wanting a challenge and the east coast on the other if you’re looking for some lovely scenery to cycle along to
What made you decide to start your global adventure?
Boredom. Bored of being in the same routine, bored working Monday to Friday. the idea came about when me and my friend Ricky (who I set off with) were sitting talking one night and he wanted to go to Mexico and travel there. I suggested why don’t we just cycle the world instead and the next day he came back to me and said lets go for it. That was it really, after the decision was made we set a date to leave and stuck to it
What have been the best and worst parts about the trip?
The best part is waking up everyday and everyday you experience something new. New sights, new people, new foods and you’re free to do as you wish. Even on the days when you’re battling a rainstorm its just so nice to be out there living life. Sounds silly but I also love not knowing where I’ll sleep at night and you find some sketchy places you end up staying but I love that sort of stuff.
Worst part though has to be the paperwork for Nala, before we cross into a new country she needs a trip to the vet to check her health and get signed off saying she is fit to travel. She hates it soon as we step in a veterinary clinic and so do I
What has been the best country to visit?
I’ve actually loved them all so far, each country has something different to offer but one that really surprised me was Turkey and how beautiful it was. Before
I had this image of it being full of dry lands. But it was so green and had some of the cleanest rivers I had seen. The people were incredibly friendly as well and would often find myself sitting with the locals drinking chai
Tell us about how you met Nala?
I met Nala on the 10th December 2018, I was in Bosnia and was up nice and early as I was crossing into the next country, Montenegro. I was cycling up a hill and next thing I knew I heard this meowing and saw a little scruffy kitten running up the road behind me meowing her heart out trying to get my attention. I parked up the bike and went over to meet her. She came right over to me and just wouldn’t leave my side, she was so happy to have someone sit and play with her and give her attention. my first plan was to get her to the vet and see if she belonged to anyone, and if she didn’t then I’d find her a home because I never in a million years thought it would be possible to travel with a cat let alone a cat on a bike but Nala took to it straight away. On our first cycle she climbed out my front bag, up my arm and fell asleep behind my neck that’s when I thought to myself if no one wants her and she’s happy with me then she can come with me.
Where you a cat person before her?
No funnily enough, I’ve had dogs my entire life. I always felt like cats weren’t the type of animal to show you any affection and would scratch you constantly but I couldn’t be any more wrong. They love human interaction just as much as dogs, just in their own way.
How have people received her?
People love her, its not everyday you see someone cycling through your town with a cat balancing on your shoulder so as you can imagine it turns quite a few heads and it makes many people smile. Every body stops to take her picture when she is sitting in the basket and its a great conversation starter
What has she meant for your journey?
She has changed the journey completely. For me personally its brilliant to have someone to travel with, even if she is just a wee cat, its amazing to be doing what I’m doing with my wee best friend by my side. Its also given us this massive platform that we can use to help bring awareness for other voiceless animals out there while still being able to show people how lovely the world is.
What has been the hardest country to get her in to?
Its all been pretty easy so far. She has her own passport and is up to date with all her injections but most of the time the border officials don’t even glance at her paperwork. They’re more interested with the fact there is a cat on a bike in front of them so they usually ask for pictures and get there workmates to come and have a look. There was a time entering back into Turkey though that the guard was checking every part of Nala’s paperwork making sure it was all legit so its always good to have it all done correctly just in case.
What advice do you give to people wanting to cycle with their pets?
Best advice I can give is just take your time. Once you have a good sized basket on your bike bring it indoors and put your pets favourite blanket or cushion inside and let them explore it in their own time. give them treats and positive reinforcement when they go in will help as well. Once they start getting use to the basket then try them on a short cycle.
Who knows they might end up loving the wind in their whiskers like Nala
What would be your dream cycle destination?
That’s a tough question, where do you start? The world has so much to offer with all the different cultures so its hard to pick just one. I was always looking forward to cycling India but unfortunately the timings just didn’t suit my trip. Winter set in on the Silk Road meaning I couldn’t go that way and the route through Iran into India was a bit of a political nightmare to enter as I am a UK citizen and the 2 countries don’t have the best relations. I still think I’ll get to India eventually, I just need to take a much longer route now by coming back on myself then cycling across Russia into south east Asia
What advice do you give to people in general wanting to take a trip like yours?
I say just go for it. Don’t sit there and overthink it, you don’t need loads of kit, you don’t need a lot of money so get out there and do it