Wicklow pair saddle up for 18-month circumnavigation of globe by bicycle

Ride on: 50,000km journey around the world

TWO CO Wicklow men embarked on a 50,000 kilometre circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle yesterday morning with a relatively short foray from Blackrock College down the N11 to their home town of Greystones.

Fearghal O'Nuallain and Simon Evans, both 27, hope to traverse 30 countries in a journey that will take them a year-and-a-half. At the end of it, they expect to raise €100,000 for the mental health charity Aware.

Both men were given three cheers and joined by hundreds of other cycling volunteers as they left Blackrock College yesterday morning. In Greystones they were given a big send-off by locals before they headed south towards Cork.

The journey will take them by ferry to France where they will cycle to Lisbon.

From there they will travel to South America and on to Asia taking in China, Mongolia, Russia, the Middle East, Italy, France and Britain before ending up back in Ireland sometime in 2010.

A circumnavigation must take in two places at opposite sides of the globe, in their case Shanghai in China and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Both cities are joined by an imaginary line through the centre of the world.

Fergal, a former chef who just graduated with a BA in Economics and Geography from UCC, said the expedition had a green theme.

"We are undertaking it to promote the positive contribution that cycling can make to the environment and to mental health while raising funds for Aware.

"It's just two guys having a bash at something extraordinary."

The pair prepared for it by undertaking a 1,000 kilometre cycle in Egypt and a survival course with the SAS. Everything they need for the journey will be carried with them and they will have no other support.

Simon, a structural engineer, said: "I weighed my bicycle this morning. It was 40 kilos and that is all I have. We have solar panels to power our communication equipment. We're completely self sufficient.

"The bicycle is a great way to see the world properly and the experience we will get will be absolutely amazing.

"We've chosen routes that are areas of great cultural and natural beauty."

Their progress can be followed at revolutioncycle.ie.