Expat Cyclists Reach Finish Line
Former English Teachers Complete 14,000-Kilometer Charity Journey
By JR Breen
Contributing Writer
Almost being washed out to sea by torrential floods, sleeping in strangers' backyards, shedding 18 kilograms of body mass ― wrap all that up with 14,000 kilometers of cycling and you have the makings of a perfect six months, at least for some.
For an adventurous foursome of English teachers, these were just a few of the experiences on their mammoth cycle journey from Seoul to London.
"It's like having all your emotions slammed at you every day," said Jared Mitchell, a member of the multinational quartet.
The group completed their journey last Thursday in the British capital, bringing their six-month slog to an end.
The four teachers ― Jared Mitchell, Katie Tibbetts, Tom McCloy and David Glashan ― began their epic trek on April 11, with the aim of channeling the fruits of their efforts into Kiva, a developing world micro-lending charity.
On the trip, they promoted the organization mainly through meetings with potential fund-raisers and blogging on their Web site, www.brakingboundaries.org.
The group opened a bank account where donations to the charity could be made ― according to Mitchell, the sum generated by their expedition is currently in the thousands of dollars.
Despite cycling over the Swiss Alps, sneaking around numerous Tibetan checkpoints, as well as constant physical endurance, the group said that by far the toughest challenge of all was riding with four people.
"The hardest part was trying to do it with four people ― dealing with four people for the whole trip," said Mitchell, in a telephone interview with The Korea Times. "Everything takes a lot longer."
"And it obviously didn't work," added the 29-year-old, referring to the point in the journey where the team split up.
Canadian Glashan left the rest of the group in Uzbekistan after running into what he felt were too many mechanical problems, and was last known to be cycling somewhere in South Africa.
Irishman McCloy, in need of a faster route, parted ways with the other remaining members in Istanbul, Turkey, heading through northern Europe.
Kiwi Mitchell and American Tibbetts, meanwhile, rode the rest of the journey together, finishing in London last week.
"(I feel) disjointed from society," said Mitchell. "It feels awkward sleeping in a bed and being in a house."
The team planned to use the trip to decide what they want to do in life, said Mitchell. But, he added, "We are more confused than when we started."
Although Mitchell admitted the cycling lifestyle is addictive, he now plans to take a break.
He says his next adventure will involve living amid other cultures, adding that he hopes to get a volunteer placement with Kiva, preferably in Central Asia.