TOM DAVIES

Interview with youngest person to cycle around the world

At just 19, Tom Davies became the youngest person to cycle around the world. Determined to raise both money and awareness for three charities, Tom spent 6 months riding through 21 countries. In total, he ended up raising £50,000 for charity and although at times, cycling every single day was a gruelling task, the young rider has certainly come back with more than a few stories to tell too.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

In 2015 I became the first teenager to cycle around the world. After that, I completed an engineering degree at Loughborough University and spent a year working for the sports technology company – INCUS Performance. I’m currently training full-time as a triathlete, focussing on the Ironman World Championships later this year.

At what point did you decide that you wanted to cycle around the world?

I came up with the idea when I was 17-yearsold and in my penultimate year of school. I had already decided that I wanted to take a break from education between school and university, but didn’t have any concrete plans. I loved riding my bike and I wanted to travel, so I started to pick out exciting cycling destinations and plot them on a map. The idea evolved from there – wondering how I might travel between these locations eventually became, ‘why not just cycle around the world?’ At the time, I had no knowledge or experience of bike-packing, but a quick Google search confirmed that it was possible, and my mind was pretty much set. Ultimately, it came down to a passion for cycling and a desire to challenge myself.

What was it like travelling through all those countries?

Amazing, but not always glamorous. You see a different side to the world when you take a bike as opposed to more conventional means of transport. I rarely ended up in the tourist hotspots and I think my interactions with locals were far more intimate because of it. On the flip side, traversing a country often includes very long stretches of not very much – particularly in places like Australia.

How did people receive you when you were doing the cycle?

People were amazing everywhere I went. I know that not everyone is so fortunate in similar situations, but I never experienced any animosity at all. I came back loving humanity and the people in developing countries were always particularly hospitable, curious, and kind. Without asking, I was often invited for drinks or food, and occasionally offered places to stay. Someone in Thailand even tried to marry their daughter off to me, so that was quite flattering.

What were the biggest challenges you faced?

It’s difficult to single out any individual thing. I had a recurring knee injury that began in the first three days of the trip. I got food poisoning in Italy, India, and Thailand, which always resulted in some miserable days on the bike. Blizzards in Europe were also never fun, but it was actually due to the heat in Myanmar that I found myself closest to any serious problems.

I think it’s the mental challenges that are most unique to a trip like this though. The distance alone was something I found very daunting, especially at the start. To this day I struggle to wrap my head around the concept of an 18,000-mile bike ride.

What was the hardest country to cycle through?

I loved India. I was constantly in awe of everything around me, and experiencing such a rich culture in the way that I did is something I will always be grateful for. However, I could not recommend someone ride a bike there with a clear conscience. The roads are crazy. Every wild story I’d been warned about seemed to come true, from trucks driving on the wrong side of the road to cows wandering obliviously across my path. I’m still unsure how I made it through unscathed – more luck than judgement, I expect.

What were the best parts of the trip?

The final few days from northern Spain back to London were brilliant. Not only because I was so close to finishing, but because I was joined by my dad, cousin and godfather. The weather was gorgeous, the riding was awesome and, for the first time in months, I had other people to share the experience with.

How did you train for it?

I worked full-time for a few months in between leaving school and setting off on my trip, so I couldn’t do as much as I would have liked. In fact, looking back and comparing it to how much I train now, I did very little. I rode my bike three or four times per week but also did a fair bit of cross-training – primarily bodyweight strength exercises. I wanted to build robustness and all-around fitness, rather than just focus on cycling. I also knew there was no way I’d be able to properly prepare to ride 160km per day, week after week, so I tried not to stress about it. I figured that I’d ride myself into fitness and it would just be the first few weeks that I’d have to really suffer. That largely proved true. The knee injury was the main drawback of doing so little volume in preparation.

Would you do it again?

No. I’m pretty happy to have that one ticked off! I love pushing myself and the allure of ultra-cycling is still there, but I don’t see myself doing anything quite that long again!

How did you get involved with INCUS Performance?

I studied engineering at Loughborough University, graduating last summer. Prior to my final year, I was looking to work for 12 months in the industry to gain experience. I met Chris Ruddock (INCUS managing director) at an event on the university campus and was immediately drawn to both the business and his approach. Happily, he offered me a job after I expressed my interest. It was a perfect situation for me, being able to combine my sport, engineering, and business interests. I learnt so much during my time there and worked with some great people. I just hope that I was able to offer value to the company in return!

What would be your dream achievement?

I try to avoid putting any single achievement above others. I don’t want to grow old and look back on something I did at the age of 19 as my crowning achievement (or anything else I go on to do in the future). I’ve done things since cycling around the world that I am equally, if not more, proud of – writing a book, for instance – and my main hope is that I’m able to continue learning and extending myself. If I manage to stumble upon something that other people think is interesting or inspiring, then that’s a bonus.

What are your plans for the up-and-coming future?

I made the switch from cycling to longdistance triathlon a couple of years ago. I’m relatively new compared to the other guys competing at the level I’m aiming for, so I’m still figuring out how far I can take it. For now, I absolutely love waking up to train every day, and I’m just grateful that I have the opportunity to do so. I’ve got a few ideas for some ultra-cycling challenges if I decide that’s what I would like to return to, but right now, my focus is triathlon.

What advice do you give to others to keep on going?

For me, the most effective method is staying as positive as I can for as long as possible. I will fake positivity and try to trick myself if necessary – having someone else to talk to makes this much easier.

Depending on the task at hand, I’ll eventually get to a point where I just have to embrace the pain and push through it, but the longer I can delay that moment, the better.

I used to do the opposite. When setting out to challenge myself, I’d immediately grit my teeth and go searching for the pain. I’ve since discovered that this makes things unnecessarily difficult, much less enjoyable, and, crucially, reduces my capability.

I think everyone responds in different ways when testing their limits, so it’s worth saying that what might work for one person, may not work for another. With that in mind, the simplest advice I can give for when things get hard is to remember why you’re doing it. Use the initial motivation to define your goals and be clear about why you want to achieve them. Then, when the motivation fades, think back to those reasons that you knew to be worth the struggle.