Can you ride tandem ... around the world?

Couple spend their £17k pension pot on an epic cycling trip

A CYCLING-mad couple quit their jobs and cashed in their pensions to pedal around the world on a tandem. Sean and Kay O’Toole, both 56, used their £17,000 retirement pot to fund the epic 11,500-mile journey across four continents. Leaving their grown-up kids Jennifer, 28, and 27-year-old Kieran, they set off on the ferry to Holland last August. From there they rode across Germany, Denmark and Sweden, where they took another ferry to Estonia. They pedalled on to St Petersburg in Russia, then hopped on a train to Moscow. Their journey continued through Mongolia and China before they flew to New Zealand and on to Los Angeles to cycle across the US to Canada. They flew from Toronto to Birmingham this month then cycled home to Colwall, Herefordshire. HGV driver Sean said: “We didn’t have a single unpleasant experience... and only fell off twice.” Kay, now back at her job milking cows, said: “We’ll have to work until we drop now but it was worth it.”