WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY SANNY
I don’t know about you but every time I read a piece about some adventure of a lifetime in some far-off land penned by a sponsored rider or paid for by a tourist board, I can’t help but wonder exactly how much it cost. It’s easy to have a brilliant time riding your bike and waxing lyrical about the amazing food, fine wine and five-star accommodation when it’s on someone else’s dime. But for most of us, it’s about as far removed from reality as me going on a date with Julia Roberts. (Although if you happen to be reading this Julia, my favourite food is pizza…) Of course, you could always go for the Yorkshire-esque approach of bivvying every night, eating food out of a tin can and treating personal hygiene as an unnecessary complication. However, nothing says misery to me more than being covered in dirt and sweat, then crawling into a sopping wet sleeping bag before enduring a seemingly endless night of half sleep and midge bites. Even in retrospect from the comfort of your favourite chair and smoking jacket beside a roaring fire with a cup of cocoa in your hand, it’s never going to be an enjoyable experience.